Update of the survey on e-commerce in the medium-sized retail sector – launch of the pilot project digital shopping city Bavaria

MUNICH   E-commerce remains in the fast lane in the retail sector. This is the result of the study ‘E-Commerce-Strategien für den mittelständischen Einzelhandel – Ausblick 2020’ (e-commerce strategies for the medium-sized retail sector – outlook for 2020), which was updated on behalf of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner: “E-commerce and digital innovation pose a challenge for the traditional retail sector. The retail sector, too, needs a digital strategy. Stationary retailers are facing a huge amount of competitive pressure. That's why they need to make better use of the opportunities provided by the growing online trade.”
 
The study shows: Since 2000, the market share of the medium-sized owner-managed retail sector has decreased by 40 percent. In contrast, e-commerce in the Bavarian medium-sized retail sector increased by 21.2 percent every year since 2007, despite the fact that revenues of the entire industry in real terms were regressive in the same time period. Depending on the scenario, the current e-commerce market share could increase from 7 percent (2014) to up to 17 percent within the next five years.
 
“We want to get the medium-sized retail sector ready for digitization. That's why we are launching the pilot project ‘Digitale Einkaufsstadt Bayern’ (digital shopping city Bavaria) in autumn. In three selected cities, we will introduce the medium-sized retail sector to the requirements of the e-commerce era and test new approaches which could also be applied to other cities. I am looking forward to many applications,” says Aigner.
 
Three cities will be selected for the pilot project ‘digital shopping city’. They will be coached by trained experts with regard to the ideal use of digital innovations. This two-year pilot project focuses on cities with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants with an active community of retailers and well-established local public-private cooperation structures. The project is conducted by a working group consisting of the CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH, the BBE Handelsberatung GmbH and the elaboratum GmbH. The tender documents will be published at the beginning of September. The pilot cities will be selected by 31 August 2015.
 
The study ‘E-Commerce-Strategien für den mittelständischen Einzelhandel – Ausblick 2020’ (e-commerce strategies for the medium-sized retail sector – prospect 2020) is available here: www.stmwi.bayern.de/mittelstand-handwerk/handel/