Digital··4 min
E-commerce in Luxembourg: why so few businesses sell online
According to Eurostat, only 12.2% of Luxembourg businesses sold online in 2023, the lowest share in the EU. The figure matters for the country's retail, craft and SME leaders.
Translated from French · Lire l'original en français
Only 12.2% of Luxembourg businesses made online sales in 2023, the lowest proportion in the entire European Union according to Eurostat. This figure directly concerns retail, craft and SME leaders who are considering launching or expanding an online sales business in Luxembourg.
A paradox in figures: Luxembourg at the back of the European pack
The contrast is stark. On one side, Luxembourg residents are among the biggest online shoppers in Europe, often on foreign platforms. On the other, barely more than one Luxembourg business in ten was selling online in 2023, placing the country just ahead of Romania (14.7%) and Bulgaria (15.1%) at the bottom of the European ranking, according to data published by Eurostat on 27 February 2025. The previous year was no better: in 2022, 13.4% of Luxembourg businesses sold online, against an EU average of 22.9%, a gap of 9.5 points according to the Eurostat publication of 26 February 2024. For two years running, Luxembourg has therefore ranked among the two EU countries with the lowest proportion of businesses selling online, even though the rate of internet adoption among its businesses is high.
| Indicator | Luxembourg | EU average |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses selling online, 2022 | 13.4% | 22.9% |
| Businesses selling online, 2023 | 12.2% | higher (Luxembourg second to last, ahead of Romania and Bulgaria) |
Where these figures come from: the STATEC ICT survey
These data do not come out of nowhere. They come from the annual survey on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) that STATEC conducts among Luxembourg businesses, a survey that notably covers their e-commerce practices and then feeds the statistics sent to Eurostat, as the institute pointed out in its news item of 2 June 2025 announcing the launch of the 2025 campaign. In practical terms, this survey is what makes it possible to know, year after year, what share of the country's businesses actually sell online, beyond impressions or talk of digital transformation.
What this means for retail, crafts and SMEs
For a Luxembourg business leader, this statistical lag is not merely a macroeconomic curiosity. It reflects a reality on the ground: many shops, craftspeople and small organisations continue to operate without a structured online sales channel, while their customers have largely got used to buying online, including from foreign retailers. Every percentage point of gap with the European average represents turnover potentially going to digitally better-equipped competitors, particularly in a market as open and cross-border as Luxembourg. The issue is wide-ranging: retail, crafts (food trades, decoration, personal services), but also SMEs in every sector that could extend their catchment area beyond national borders. In this respect, businesses that already sell, or plan to sell, to customers in other EU countries must also anticipate their VAT obligations, a subject we cover in detail in our article on the OSS scheme for Luxembourg sellers.
Schemes for launching or relaunching an online business
The good news is that there are concrete sources of support for businesses wanting to close this gap. The Chambre des Métiers (Chamber of Skilled Crafts) offers free support to craft businesses through its eHandwierk programme, with concrete models ranging from the local Letzshop marketplace to creating a dedicated online shop, as well as selling via social media or click and collect, according to the dedicated page on services.cdm.lu. Before choosing a solution, two technical but unavoidable steps need to be secured from the outset: the domain name, with its own registration rules in Luxembourg, which we explain in our article on registering a .lu domain name, and the site's compliance with digital accessibility obligations, a subject covered in our article on the legal accessibility obligations for websites in Luxembourg.
Three questions to ask before launching or relaunching online sales
Before investing time and budget in an online sales project, or relaunching an existing shop, three questions help frame the project:
- Where does my business really stand compared with my sector: do I have a working online sales channel, or do I still rely solely on a physical shop or non-transactional social media?
- Which customers do I want to sell to: only Luxembourg residents, or also customers in neighbouring countries, which brings cross-border VAT obligations?
- What support can I draw on before going it alone: does the Chambre des Métiers' eHandwierk not offer proven models precisely so I do not have to start from scratch?
The findings from STATEC and Eurostat are not inevitable; they are a starting point. They show that in Luxembourg the gap lies not on the side of consumer demand but on the side of what businesses offer, which leaves real room for progress for leaders who decide to tackle it methodically.
