Share of internet users shopping online in Spain 2000-2020
Over the last few years, the internet has gained more and more space in our daily activities, shopping being one of them. In Spain, nearly eight out of ten Internet users were online shoppers in 2020, roughly twice as many as in 2010.
Today, the American online retailer is the leading online marketplace and all over the world and it sells all types of products, from electronic devices to baby toys. In Spain, it is also the leading e-commerce marketplace . In fact, in 2019, the Amazon annual sales value in Spain reached approximately 112.8 million euros in the Spanish market. And only is this tendency not expected to change, but projections point to even higher figures for 2020.
Nevertheless, the food e-commerce situation started to change a few years ago when supermarkets entered the picture. As they have the highest share of food sales by distribution channel in Spain, this was a big step in online food purchasing, which began to grow slowly.
In March 2020, Spain went into a two-month lockdown, and e-commerce’s users increased. In fact, more than 50 percent of people said that their frequency of buying online rose. In this context, mobility restrictions and the fear of a virus infection made people try out food e-commerce. Thus, the foodstuff-online consumption in Spain grew 46 percent during the lockdown, which was one of the highest step-up categories.
The ‘empire’ of Amazon
One of the main reasons why online purchase has been hugely increasing in the last decade is the surge of large online marketplaces such as Amazon. This company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, and in the beginning, it specialized in the wholesale of books. However, it was not until 2010 when it expanded as a large e-commerce website.Today, the American online retailer is the leading online marketplace and all over the world and it sells all types of products, from electronic devices to baby toys. In Spain, it is also the leading e-commerce marketplace . In fact, in 2019, the Amazon annual sales value in Spain reached approximately 112.8 million euros in the Spanish market. And only is this tendency not expected to change, but projections point to even higher figures for 2020.
Food e-commerce: a new trend in Spain
Food and beverage are two product lines that have not had a good start in e-commerce. Due to the fact that food has an expiry date, it is not easy to store. Moreover, it is worth noting that some foodstuffs need refrigeration, which increases the logistics costs. For these reasons, many companies have decided not to invest in this sector.Nevertheless, the food e-commerce situation started to change a few years ago when supermarkets entered the picture. As they have the highest share of food sales by distribution channel in Spain, this was a big step in online food purchasing, which began to grow slowly.
In March 2020, Spain went into a two-month lockdown, and e-commerce’s users increased. In fact, more than 50 percent of people said that their frequency of buying online rose. In this context, mobility restrictions and the fear of a virus infection made people try out food e-commerce. Thus, the foodstuff-online consumption in Spain grew 46 percent during the lockdown, which was one of the highest step-up categories.
