The pressure is on

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Bernhard Aichinger is a specialist in online stores. Amazon, Temu and co. are also causing a parcel boom.(Bild: Markus Wenzel (2), AFP, Krone KREATIV)

Where can I get the product of my choice cheaper? In times of rising costs, price pressure in retail has increased once again. What does this mean for online stores and how can local retailers hold their own against giants such as Amazon and Temu? We asked Bernhard Aichinger, founder of the E-Conomix Group from Wels, about this.

When time and money were available during the coronavirus pandemic, but most stores had to remain closed, Upper Austrians ordered online and triggered a parcel boom. Retailers who had little to no digital presence set up online stores as quickly as possible. "The change would have happened anyway, but it was accelerated so significantly," says Bernhard Aichinger.

It's not a question of "if", but rather "how"
The 35-year-old is the founder of the E-Conomix Group, which he runs with Michael Raberger. 120 employees in Wels, Linz and St. Pölten work on solutions for online retail. The topic has become indispensable.

"It's no longer a question of whether you do e-commerce, it's just a question of how," says Aichinger, who clarifies: "It's not about selling everything online, but as a company you have to make sure you can be found online."

"You can't stand out through price"
What effect do international giants like Amazon, Temu and co. have? "It's becoming increasingly difficult for other retailers to remain competitive," he says realistically. How can you survive? "You can't stand out through price, but you can through advice, availability and security for the customer, such as whether they can return the products," says Aichinger. Consumers who entered the digital world in the first place due to the coronavirus situation have stayed: "They are still ordering online."