German consumers spent around EUR 15.5 billion buying goods and services online in 2009, up 14 percent from 2008, according to research cited by eMarketer.com.

The average expenditure per online shopper in Germany jumped by 10 percent in 2009, to EUR 506, while the number of purchases, on average, remained constant at 9.4 per year. Clothing and fashion are the non-food product categories with the highest increase in sales on a year-over-year basis (up 24.5 percent). Sales of electronics rose 12.3 percent, while sales of durables, such as furniture, toys, books and household goods, grew 11.5 percent.

According to GfK’s WebScope Panel research, consumer confidence in Germany dropped 0.1 percent in February 2010 and so far, expectations for growth in 2010 are modest. GfK’s WebScope Panel research is based on a nationally representative sampling of 10,000 Internet users ages 14 and older.