A complete analysis of Portuguese consumer trends must necessarily include e-commerce. If, in 2018, 49% of Portuguese made an online purchase of some kind, in 2020 it is expected that, according to ACEPI (Digital Economy Association), this percentage will reach 57%, a figure which, however, is still below the EU average of 72% (European Commission data).
ACEPI estimates that the value of B2C e-commerce (purchases made by Portuguese consumers) exceeded six billion euros in 2019, currently representing 2.9% of the value of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2020, the value of B2C is expected to reach almost eight billion euros.
The intensity of Internet shopping has increased, with 73% of online shoppers making more than 3 to 5 purchases per month on average (ACEPI data).
In sectoral terms (data REDUNIQ Insights), the podium is occupied by online sports shops, which last year had a turnover growth of 1500% in April, followed by perfumeries and cosmetics with 1400% and technology shops with 500%. Online sales in retail shops also grew, with a 241% increase in turnover in April 2020 and a 25% rise (from 90.24€ to 112.73€) in the average amount spent by each consumer on each purchase compared to the same period last year.
The most mature business areas in terms of e-commerce are the fashion segment (clothing and footwear), hotels and travel and the consumer electronics segment (mobile phones, gadgets, etc.). On the other hand, the consumer categories that are lagging behind in terms of adoption are health and the automobile sector.
This significant growth is mainly due to the increase in the Internet presence of micro and small companies (which represent the majority of the Portuguese business fabric) compared to the previous year. The percentage of companies with an Internet presence is now 60% of the total number of companies, whereas in ACEPI's previous study, only 40% of companies had an online presence.
Another noteworthy fact that emerges from analysing the ACEPI study is the growing importance that companies, especially smaller ones, are attaching to social networks and the marketplaces they provide. The growth in the number of companies with social media pages compared to the previous year is significant, currently standing at 76%, half of which have a presence on marketplaces.
More efficient online payments contribute to growth in online sales
The content and transparency of the information, the delivery methods, the flexible and intuitive shopping cart and, in particular, the effectiveness of online shop payment methods are driving the growth of online sales and are echoed by consumers who, in the ACEPI study, consider them "very good", which demonstrates the evolution of national shops in these areas.
In the area of payments, the entry into force of strong authentication for online purchases, which ensures greater security in transactions, and the development of solutions that bridge the gap between consumer demands and the needs of the payment platforms. e-commerce are showing very positive results.
Between 13 March and 25 April this year, REDUNIQ saw an increase of 333% in the number of merchants signing up to its online payment solutions compared to the same period last year.
At the root of this increase is the strengthening of e-commerce solution REDUNIQ@Payments with the addition of a feature that allows businesses to send payment links by e-mail, WhatsApp or SMS, increasing the speed and intuitiveness of the transaction.
Thus, in a simple, practical and secure way, merchants can accept card payments (Visa and Mastercard) remotely, even if the economic agent is away from them. sell online without a websiteSuch is the case with the thousands who sell through social media marketplaces.
The payments by Multibanco reference continue to be the preferred method of payment for the Portuguese, but there is already an increase in other forms of payment. REDUNIQ has created a solution to meet this demand Payment for Services , which can be integrated into the client's website (simple integration if you have the REDUNIQ E-Commerce solution), and thus allows online shops to issue references for Multibanco or MB Way payments.
If the trader sell online without a websiteIn addition, REDUNIQ can make payment by Multibanco and MB Way references available to its customers in a simple and immediate way, by simply accessing the REDUNIQ platform.
Profile of the Portuguese e-shopper
The consumer profile has been changing progressively over the last few years. Today, according to the CTT E-commerce Report 2019, the Portuguese online shopper is characterised by a predominance of women (51.5%) aged between 25 and 44 (66%), followed by younger shoppers (23%). Most live in urban areas (Lisbon and Porto) and belong to the middle (77%) and upper middle (81%) social classes.
In detail, 441,000,000 Portuguese over the age of 25 shop online, while between the ages of 26 and 25 the percentage stands at 411,000,000. The student population, with 40% of the total, is the one that buys the most online, followed by the employed population with 32% and the 19% of the unemployed.
According to the ranking drawn up by the European Ecommerce Report 2019, at the top of these consumers' preferences is the Chinese e-commerce site AliExpress, followed by eBay, Amazon, FNAC, Worten, Continente, La Redoute and, finally, Wook.
As you can see, a good number of the Portuguese people's favourite websites are foreign, which confirms Portugal (85% of consumers are most interested in buying from a foreign retailer) as the second country in Europe with the highest rate of shopping on international sites.
As for the medium most used by the Portuguese for online shopping, the computer leads the way with 43%, while mobile devices follow close behind with 33% of the preferences.
Portuguese e-shoppers still prefer to buy from brand/store websites (79%) than from marketplaces (60%), although the latter have been gaining ground largely due to the diversity of the offer they present.
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