In 2008, German e-commerce sales have increased by 19 percent year-on-year, while consumers across the country have spent nearly EUR 13.6 billion on online purchases, a study indicates.

The main factor which has contributed to this increase is the fact that ever more people are shopping on the internet. During the period under review, the number of online purchases has grown by 12 percent to 29.5 million. The same source reveals that the frequency of purchases via the online channel has remained constant, at 9.4 purchases per person per annum, while the amount of money spent per purchase has increased by 7 percent to just under EUR 49 on average.

Data has been released by the WebScope panel, used by market researcher GfK Panel Services Germany to survey online purchases and orders.