On a global perspective, the evolution of Internet use in Portugal has been quite positive and we can say that growth rates are above those observed in other European markets.
If in 2015, 30% of the Portuguese people made online purchases, exceeding EUR 3.8 billion, it is estimated that this number will more than double by 2025, reaching EUR 9.1 billion.
But since much of this investment is still done on international sites like eBay, Amazon or Booking, also registering a significant growth on Chinese platforms such as AliExpress, it is important that Portuguese companies are aware of these numbers. When investing online and placing your products for sale through electronic platforms, you will retain domestic customers and attract international consumers.
E-commerce growth is above the European average
At the opening session of Portugal Digital Week, the president of ACEPI, Alexandre Nilo Fonseca, presented the results of the research that the Association of Digital Economy publishes every year, analyzing the evolution of Internet use, e-commerce and online presence of companies in Portugal. We leave you with some thoughts:
• In 2010 half of the Portuguese population used the internet, last year this figure rose to 70%, although remaining still below the European average. However, the prediction for 2025 is about 90% of the Portuguese population will be online.
• There was a 15.7% increase in e-commerce in Portugal, which is above the European average (13.3%).
• 45% of Portuguese online purchases were made on foreign sites like eBay, Amazon, or Booking, and the most purchased items were hotel accommodations, tickets, clothing, and fashion accessories.
• The most used apps were Netflix (16%), Uber (11%) and Airbnb (9%).
• 38% of all Portuguese companies have a website and only those with a larger size invest in the virtual format (97%). But with this increasing use of the Internet in the day-to-day life of the Portuguese, it is increasingly important that companies take advantage of this trend.
• Social networks have attracted some interest from companies because they are seen as a means of free and attractive advertising and, therefore, 60% of companies have a social network presence.
• The focus on e-commerce is not as evident, as only 17% of all companies related to the industry do business this way.
While there is still a long way to go, the president of Acepi, Alexandre Nilo Fonseca, considers that Portugal already sees digital as an important tool for the growth of the business market.
The recent launch of the Confio.pt seal, a partnership between ACEPI, DNS.pt and DECO, also consolidated the market, lending more credibility to online stores through a security seal that is also recognized in Europe.
