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nations since the 1980s . Especially in the clothing segment , Germany imports majority of its apparel requirements from overseas , thus offering vast growth opportunities for foreign entities that want to make the most of it .
On the domestic front , the so-called structural changes in the last 10-12 years have reportedly transformed the German textile industry from low-tech manufacturing into a high-tech and innovative sector , so much so that today the country is considered the market leader in technical textiles .
As per the German business portal iXPOS , majority of imported textiles and clothing in 2013 came from Asia ( about 51 per cent ) and the EU ( 30 per cent ), in which China , Bangladesh and Turkey were the prominent players . This further underlines that e-commerce has become a popular channel for buying fashion wherein a large chunk of German consumers reportedly ordered apparels online , in which garment and shoe were the most attractive product groups for online shopping .
Armed with the right market information and insight and knowledge of appropriate distribution channels , apparel exporters stand a good chance to increase their market share in Germany , more so in the light of
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relaxed import regulations . To elaborate on the same , in order to import textile products into Germany , companies reportedly need to just furnish a certificate of origin ( Ursprungszeugnis ), while textile products coming from countries that have no bilateral agreements with the EU require an import license ( Einfuhrgenehmigung ) in order to enter Germany . |
E-commerce : A growth driver !
As per market research company eMarketer ’ s report , retail e-commerce sales in the country will surpass US $ 86 billion by the end of 2021 with retail e-commerce sales expected to rise by 5.3 per cent in 2021 . Registering a sale of 12.5 per cent to hit US $ 58.52 billion in 2016 already , a large chunk of digital purchases in Germany , which is second only to the UK in the value of retail e-commerce sales within Western Europe , is expected to be on fashion and consumer electronic items , the report underlined .
According to trade portal Santander , German consumers enjoy a high standard of living , and optimise their resources more and more . They have low level of loyalty , and buy discounted products as much as branded products . Price and quality are two most important factors for the Germans , who are reportedly very aware of the environmental impact of products they buy , and put
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As per market research company eMarketer ’ s report , retail e-commerce sales in the country will surpass US $ 86 billion by the end of 2021 with retail e-commerce sales expected to rise by 5.3 per cent in 2021 ... |
a lot of emphasis on ‘ sustainable ’ and ‘ green ’ products .
The portal ’ s findings further stress that German consumers are used to buying from catalogues , and are more prone to buy on the internet . Almost 90 per cent of the population is connected to internet , and online purchases are on the rise .
Amazon makes hay …
As a key regional market , Germany continues to attract attention from national retailers experimenting with new services as well as international retailers aiming to extend their own consumer bases , maintained the portal ’ s report .
As per a survey by the German Trade Association , Handelsverband Deutschland ( HDE ), US-based Amazon commands 46 per cent of the ¤ 8.90 billion German online retail market , followed by eBay which got 9.4 per cent of the votes from the respondents while the well-known German catalogue retailer Otto , bagged the third position with 6.8 per cent vote share .
Bangladesh making inroads …
The dwindling share in the US market has evoked mixed reactions from the industry , and understandably so . After all , US has been through thick and thin with Bangladesh apparel industry so far .
A certain section within the industry
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