Analysis: How is eCommerce in Spain?
Miguel Nicolás
29/06/2023
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How is eCommerce currently doing? That's a question worth asking regularly, especially with all the changes we are experiencing.
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In recent years, especially since COVID pandemic, e-commerce has entered a phase where change is the main constant. It has accelerated in all aspects, from market penetration to the technology used.Therefore, taking advantage of the recent annual report by IAB, let's analyze the state of eCommerce at a national level.
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Methodology of the eCommerce report
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When evaluating any report´s results, it's worth taking a moment to see the methodology used. In this case, IAB has opted for Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), which is a self-administered online survey based on external panels.The most relevant aspect of this report is that it interviews both sides of eCommerce: customers and professionals, providing us with a much more comprehensive view than other similar reports.It's important to note that the data corresponds to the complete last year, i.e., 2022.
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How is eCommerce in Spain?
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Setting aside technical data, let's review the main conclusions that can be drawn from this extensive report, which are, as I mentioned, very interesting.
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#1 – eCommerce penetration increases by 2%
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It may not seem like a huge number, but we have already reached 78% of Internet users in Spain between the ages of 16 and 70.
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It's worth saying that the increase has been particularly significant among younger age groups, as well as those between 35 and 44 years old.In terms of gender, women make slightly more online purchases than men. Women account for nearly 80%, while men make up 77%.
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#2 – Multichannel purchasing model is on the rise
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This is one of the key trends in commerce that has been observed for several years. The hybrid multichannel model is progressively gaining prominence.According to IAB's report, the percentage of buyers who exclusively shop offline has dropped to 22%, while those who exclusively shop online account for 16%.On the other hand, the multichannel commerce (online + offline) is adopted by 62% of the population.
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#3 – Recurrence and average online purchase amount decrease
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This is not alarming, especially considering that we have come out of two post-pandemic years in which the increase in eCommerce has been exponential.The frequency of purchases has decreased to 2.8 times per month, while in the previous three years, it had always exceeded 3.
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The average ticket size is around 70 euros, noticeably lower than the average purchase amount recorded in 2021 (89 euros), but aligned with what was typically spent in 2020 and 2019.
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#4 – Categories and leisure niches are on the rise
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Considering the scenario we came from, filled with restrictions on out-of-home activities, it's logical that segments related to travel, fashion, entertainment, and culture are the ones experiencing the most growth.Meanwhile, technology has lost its prominent position, which made it the star niche during the lockdown. This makes sense, considering that customers have started to take up outdoor habits again.
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#5 – Computers are the preferred device for online shopping
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It's curious to see, how year after year, we are improving the shopping experience on mobile devices, and yet, users still prefer to use computers for their eCommerce purchases.However, as with everything we have discussed, different profiles and segments exist. Those under 45 years old tend to purchase using their phones than those above that age. By gender, men prioritize the use of computers.
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#6 – Searches within eCommerce are increasing
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Although the public still uses search engines within different marketplaces for their more transactional searches (60% of buyers rely on these platforms), there is an interesting data point for those of us managing e-commerce outside of these platforms: online stores have become a highly relevant source of information for making purchases, growing by 6 percentage points compared to 2021.
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By the way, showrooming (checking offline and buying online) is also on the rise, indicating that there are other ways of searching for products.
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#7 – Delivery times
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Price is the main purchasing driver – 83% of consumers acknowledge it – but there are other factors beyond the price tag.Delivery times are critical for users. 84% of respondents state that they should always be under days, with an acceptable timeframe being 3.2 days.
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These are the main insights we can extract from this report. What do you think about the state of eCommerce in Spain? Did any of these data points surprise you?
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Images | Unsplash.