Leading reasons to shop online rather than in stores in Spain 2024

The primary motivation for Spaniards to purchase a particular product online rather than from a brick-and-mortar store in 2024 was comfort, as indicated by 38 percent of the surveyed buyers. Additionally, 28 percent of respondents stated shopping online because of better prices, discounts, and offers. 

Despite the burgeoning presence of independent stores in recent years, approximately six in ten Spanish consumers still prefer shopping in big retail chains. The predominant factors driving this preference for larger distribution chains over their smaller counterparts are superior pricing and a more extensive array of product choices.

E-commerce is gaining ground

In recent years, e-commerce has been growing in popularity across the globe. In 2020, nearly 80 percent of internet users in Spain bought online, with an average expenditure, per capita, of around 2,250 euros that same year.

As a result, the sales volume of e-commerce in Spain amounted to close to 60 billion euros in 2020. Fashion was the most popular category in online purchases, with about three-quarters of Spanish consumers buying this category via e-commerce. That year, e-commerce accounted for almost 20 percent of all fashion sales in Spain, an unprecedented result after years of increase.

Spotlight on online marketplaces

In 2020, marketplaces were the most used sites for online shopping in Spain, with more than 75 percent of digital buyers surveyed stating to purchase over this channel. In addition to being the place of reference for shopping, online marketplaces were among the leading sources of information used by Spanish shoppers before purchase. Home and electronics were the preferred categories for shopping in online marketplaces, purchased by roughly two-thirds of online consumers participating in a survey.