Austria retail AI adoption rises to 20.9%

The adoption of artificial intelligence within the Austrian retail sector has seen significant growth. According to a study by the Institute for Trade, Marketing and Sales (IHaM) at JKU Linz, the proportion of retail companies with ten or more employees using AI rose from 5.1% to 20.9% within just two years.

This increase places Austria above the European Union average of 15.5%. In the EU AI ranking, Austria has moved from 14th place in 2023 to 9th place in 2025. Denmark currently leads the EU with a 32.1% adoption rate, followed by Slovenia and the Netherlands. Germany ranks 8th with 23.4% usage, slightly ahead of Austria.

In the Austrian market, AI applications are primarily concentrated in customer-facing areas, such as market-oriented communication, sales, and the creation of visual and audio content. Usage in logistics, research, and development remains relatively low.