E-commerce turnover in Italy 2009-2018

In 2018, the turnover of the e-commerce sector in Italy amounted to 41.5 billion euros. According to the data provided by Casaleggio Associati, the e-commerce turnover increased steadily and more than fourfold over the period considered. When looking at the most popular categories, e-commerce users prefer to shop online for products and services related to leisure activities and tourism.  

 Internet and e-commerce users in Italy 

    The share of population aged six years and older using internet in Italy reached almost 70 percent in 2018, increasing twofold since 2006. This impressive increase in internet usage was also driven by smartphones’ popularity. In fact, while access to the internet through desktop and laptops decreased in recent years, access via mobile devices became more widespread. Moreover, e-commerce users in Italy were approximately 38 million in 2017 and are expected to reach 41 million by 2023.  

 Shopping online on foreign e-commerce platforms 

    One of the main advantages of online shopping is that it allows customers to reach shops and brands that would not normally be available in their city or even in their country. In fact, many e-commerce users find themselves shopping online on foreign e-commerce websites. This is also the case for Italian consumers: in 2018, approximately 4.6 million Italian e-commerce customers purchased from online shops based in the United Kingdom, and 4.3 million from shops based in China. This represents an advantage also for Italian e-commerce websites. During the same year, approximately 50 million European e-commerce users purchased online from online shops based in Italy.