E-commerce

Internet access

According to the latest information available, 66% of the Portuguese population, about 7 million people, use the internet. Internet penetration in Portugal is currently at 63.2% and should reach 66.6% by 2021. Smartphone penetration is 55.7% and is projected to grow to 63.5% by 2021. 90% of online sales in Portugal were made via computer, while 4% of purchases were made via tablet, and 4% via smartphone. The most popular search engines are Google (91.63%), Bing! (2.71%), Yahoo! (1.94%), Baidu (1.29%), Yandex Ru (0.63%), Shenma (0.62%).

E-commerce market

E-commerce in Portugal is estimated to have increased by over 12% in 2017, and total online sales of goods and services in the country are estimated to reach EUR 4.73 billion by the end of 2018. This represents a significant growth compared to the 10.52% increase of last year. One in ten Portuguese sites recorded a 100% growth in the number of customers, according to data from the Quarterly Barometer ACEPI/Netsonda. In 2018, user penetration was 62.8%, and is expected to hit 66.7% by 2022. Total e-commerce revenue across all product categories is US$ 2.97 billion, and is expected to reach US$ 4.6 billion by 2021. Toys, hobby & DIY is currently the leading product category, accounting for US$ 808 million market share. Fashion is a close second, accounting for US$ 801 million. By 2021, Fashion will lead the charge, valued at US$ 1.3 billion. Toys, hobby & DIY is also expected to grow, reaching US$ 1.2 billion.

E-commerce sales and customers

Out of 7 million Portuguese internet users, 3.2 million shop online, with an additional 1.67 million new users expected to be shopping online by 2021. The average online shopper spends US$ 1,058 per year. In 2017, about two in three Portuguese shopped domestically and cross-border, while almost one in four shopped only cross-border. In 2017, males outnumbered female online shoppers. Males between the ages of 25-34 account for the biggest market share, representing 1.1 million online shoppers. The second biggest category of online shoppers is women aged between 16-24, accounting for 800,000 online shoppers. In 2021, the ratio of male to female shoppers is expected to remain the same across most age groups. Men aged 25-34 will remain the biggest group of online shoppers. The most popular segments in e-commerce are clothing, shoes and lifestyle, home and garden, I.T, Media and entertainment, telecom, health and beauty, household electronics, toys, food, consumer electronics, and sports and recreation. 48% of online shoppers use prepaid cards, 40% use bank transfer, 9% use credit cards and 2% select eWallets as their preferred method of payment.

Social media

Portugal’s Social Media Penetration is 48% of the population, and is expected to reach 52% by 2021. There are 6.10 million active social media users in Portugal. Out of all Portuguese Facebook users, 85% access it via mobile, and 72% use Facebook every day. The most popular networks are Facebook (74.57%), Pinterest (7.37%), Youtube (6.46%), Twitter (5.25%), Tumblr (2.14%) and Instagram (1.78%).