- The National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI) and Grupo Oesía join forces to analyze the trends and behaviors of Spanish consumers in the field of digital commerce.
- The analysis reveals online shopping habits, the profile of shoppers, their preferences and expectations, as well as the volume of spending and the number of users who opt for this mode of purchase.
Madrid, March 20, 2024 – The National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI) has recently published its annual study “Online Shopping in Spain (ed. 2023)” which offers a complete and detailed view of the current state of digital commerce in our country, reflecting its exponential growth and its impact on society. In collaboration with Grupo Oesía, the study analyzes the evolving landscape of digital commerce in our country.
Among the figures and conclusions of this report, which offers a detailed x-ray of the trends and behaviors of Spanish consumers in the field of e-commerce, it is worth highlighting:
Increase in sales volume and average expenditure
- The volume of online business doubled in the last 5 years, reaching 85,332 million euros in 2022. This growth has been on the rise since 2020, with an annual progression of more than €15 billion.
- The average annual online shopping spend increased to €3,050 in 2022, an increase of more than €400 on average compared to 2021.
- The products and services most in demand include tourist accommodation, clothing, transportation, event tickets and cosmetic products.
Growing democratization of e-commerce
- 83.1% of Internet users in Spain make purchases online, and 40% of them do so on a monthly basis.
- The proportion of men and women who shop online has evened out in recent years and the difference between men and women who shop online is now virtually non-existent (less than 1p.p.).
- Regardless of gender, buyers tend to be people between 35 and 54 years of age, with higher education and high income. However, there is increasing participation from other demographic groups, compared to previous years, indicating a growing democratization of online commerce.
- By geography, there are no major differences, although people living in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants buy more online than those living in smaller towns.
Comfort and simplicity, the most valued aspects
- Convenience, with 79.6%, continues to be the main reason given by online consumers for making purchases over the Internet. Prices (53.4%) and speed and time savings (51.4%) are also key reasons for online shopping decisions.
- The most highly rated element of online shopping in 2022 is the simplicity of the purchasing procedure (48.9% of online consumers find it acceptable). The other two most valued aspects are product variety (44.2%) and payment security (38.5%), although both experienced a decrease in valuation compared to 2020.
Problems and incidents in decline
- Only 13.1% of the people surveyed who shopped online said that they had been affected by some inconvenience when making their purchases.
- The most recorded setbacks in online shopping by the people interviewed are the shipment of damaged products (39.1%) and late delivery (37.2%). Non-arrival of the product is also a recurring problem with 31.9%.
- Online transactions are mainly carried out via cell phone. Only 15.3% of online shoppers think that smartphones are not secure enough for online shopping.
A nationwide online survey of people aged 16 to 74 was conducted for the report. The sample, composed of 2,912 individuals, represents diverse socioeconomic and demographic groups. This year’s edition incorporated a qualitative research component for the first time, including interviews with e-commerce experts and focus groups with online consumers.
The elaboration of this report has been possible thanks to the joint effort of the team of Studies and Evaluations of the Office 360 of Grupo Oesía, which has been collaborating for more than a decade with the ONTSI.
You can consult the complete results of the report at this link.