More than 2,500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are now offering their goods on Amazon in Austria. Their products are popular with customers all over the world, as evidenced by the increase of exports and number of products sold by Austrian SMEs on Amazon. This results in additional growth for Austrian SMEs and strengthens their competitiveness, even and especially during these challenging times. In addition, these SMEs are continuously creating new jobs. To date, over 10,000 jobs have been created thanks to their sales on Amazon.
Djibouti, Australia, the US - Austrian SMEs are in demand all over the world
Small and medium-sized companies, which have recognized the export opportunity and use it to drive their growth, can be found all over Austria. Martin Buritsch from Styria is among these export champions. His company, Brickcomplete, specializes in selling LEGO® items. He reveals an important insight that he gained right at the beginning of his selling journey on Amazon: “Our second order came in from Australia. I quickly learned to think globally.” Through online sales, Brickcomplete has delivered products to customers in 170 countries. “One of the orders was a calendar sent to Djibouti.” Global online sales now account for more than 98% of the Gleisdorf-based company's total revenues.
In 2021, SMEs from Austria once again significantly expanded their exports compared to previous years. With a turnover of €500 million through international sales of their products on Amazon, their export volume has grown by over 25% year-on-year.
Sebastian Fritz and Patrick Fischer founded the LARS NYSØM brand in Vienna. The co-founders successfully sell a variety of aesthetically designed and eye-catching everyday objects across Europe, and expanded to selling to the US in 2021. “International sales account for about 95% of our turnover, and the successful launch on the US market, in particular, makes us look to the future with optimism. Amazon supplied targeted support for our expansion,” explain the co-founders, who met at university.
Further west, another export champion is based in Hohenems, in the federal state of Vorarlberg. WALSER is a family-owned company providing an extensive range of car equipment. The company has been going for more than 40 years and is now led by the third generation of owners. Roughly 90% of the SME’s turnover is generated through exports, which in turn further drive growth. Managing Director Hans-Karl Walser says: “We are recording growth rates of 40-50% per year in digital sales.” The robust increase has been made possible thanks to continuous research and ongoing investments.
Marketplace and Amazon programs drive growth
The number of products sold by Austrian SMEs to Amazon customers worldwide has also increased. More than 20 million products were sold in 2021, amounting to an increase of over 15% compared to 2020. In other words, more than 35 products were sold per minute on Amazon by Austrian SMEs. The most popular goods are items from the categories home, sports equipment, computer & accessories, cosmetics, and toys.
Another Austrian SME which is driving their own growth by selling on Amazon, is BR Commerce from Upper Austria. BR Commerce’s grillart brand creates extraordinary products for an elevated BBQ experience, using resources predominantly sourced regionally. Founder Bernhard Rinnerberger is pleased with the successes of 2021: “We owe a large part of our success to Amazon. We were able to almost double our sales each year. In 2021 we achieved 87% growth in sales and thus generated well over one million euros for the first time.”
Cooperating at eye level - how SMEs and Amazon benefit from each other
“We feel closely involved with the SMEs in Austria and Europe. We continuously try to develop new tools and programs to help them fully exploit their potential through digital channels and to be competitive on the international markets. Our success closely links with the success of small and medium-sized companies. Continuous innovation - for the benefit of our customers and all companies that have chosen to work with Amazon to expand their business - is of utmost importance to us,” says Xavier Flamand, Vice President EU Seller Services at Amazon.
Markus Schöberl, Director Seller Services for Germany and Austria at Amazon, says: “A large number of small and medium-sized companies started out as local shops and now sell all over the world. The SME report highlights how many SMEs have successfully taken this step. Our partners work consistently and apply their entrepreneurial spirit in order to offer customers a great shopping experience. We will continue to do everything we can to support small and medium-sized companies.”
The SME Report Austria 2022 provides further insights into the success of Austrian SMEs on Amazon. In addition, the updated Austria map notes our locations in Austria and where our sales partners are based.
