Austrians spent more than 8 billion U.S. dollars on Internet shopping in 2013, a research institute has revealed.
Ernst Gittenberger from the Austrian Institute for SME Research said there had been an average annual increase in Internet shopping spending of about 23 percent, or 410 million dollars, since 2006.
However, only about half of the spending went towards goods from local companies, making up 4.5 percent of total retail volume in the country.
Despite competing with international rivals, which are gaining further market share in the country, Austrian retailers have struggled to make further ground in the online market, said Gittenberger.
A report released by the institute on Thursday showed that the largest sectors for online shopping in Austria last year were clothing (630 million dollars of expenditure), electronics (500 million dollars), and the four sectors of books and magazines, groceries, do-it-yourself products, and furniture and decorations, each making up 300 million dollars.