85% of Austrians shop online regularly

The current e-commerce study on behalf of Mastercard Austria examines the payment and purchasing behavior of Austrians when shopping online. 85% of Austrians say that they shop online at least once a month. Most of them make two to three online purchases per month, 42% buy weekly or even more often. The COVID-19 outbreak has intensified this trend. 71% of those surveyed state that they have been shopping more online since the pandemic. 

Most common payment methods

The most common payment methods in Austria in e-commerce are purchase on account (88%). This is followed by credit card payment (74%) and direct debit (73%). Klarna Sofort-Überweisung (62%), prepayment (59%), Paypal via bank account (48%) are also commonly used. In addition, 47% also state that they already use the new Debit Mastercard online - card payments are therefore one of the most important payment methods in e-commerce. Innovative forms of payment such as Apple Pay bring up the rear with only 16%. 

When it comes to frequency of use, the credit card comes out on top - 31% say they use it very often or often. Second and third place in terms of frequency are purchase on account and PayPal - 29% and 20% respectively indicate that they choose these means of payment very often or often.

Security is crucial

The decisive factor when choosing online payment methods is the Austrians' need for security. The majority of respondents (49%) choose payment methods because of their security. For this reason, 53% of those choose to purchase on account and 43% appreciate credit card payments. On the other hand, for 19% of Austrians convenience is the decisive criterion when choosing the means of payment. Moreover, 51% of them appreciate the simplicity of credit card purchases in this context. Another 15% of Austrians base their payment method on availability in the respective online shop.

Products that are in the lead among Austrians

The most popular group of goods in e-commerce in this country are electrical goods. Almost two thirds of Austrians (62%) buy them online. Furthermore, 61% of Austrian consumers also shop online for fashion and clothing. 58% buy books, board games and children's toys online, followed by travel, flight and hotel bookings (54%) and tickets for cultural events (54%). In addition, 36% of Austrians also use delivery services, for example for restaurant orders or food deliveries. 

Streaming services are also an important branch of e-commerce and have become indispensable for Austrians. Almost half of Austrians (47%) purchase streaming services such as Netflix or Spotify. 38% also make in-app purchases, e.g. in the area of ​​gaming or subscription purchases.