Portuguese are mainly concerned about the price of purchases made online | Consumption

Portugal is the country in Europe where online consumers are most sensitive to price, says the new e-Shooper Barometer, presented this Wednesday by Geopost, a parcel delivery group. Although Portugal continues to have fewer online store customers than the European average, 71% of more than a thousand respondents admit to having made purchases via the Internet in 2023. Also noteworthy is the increase in second-hand purchases.

“We have seen a greater awareness among the Portuguese regarding the topic of savings and the search for more advantageous purchases at more competitive prices, a reality that becomes more evident especially in scenarios where the economic situation has a greater impact on families’ wallets, such as inflation” , begins by contextualizing Olivier Establet, CEO of DPD Portugal, an express transport company that is part of the Geopost group, for the PUBLIC.

The most important factor in deciding to make an online purchase for 76% of respondents is the price, as well as whether they consider it to be a good deal. There are other criteria that are not directly linked to the price of the products, but rather to savings that also matter: 49% admit to buying because of free delivery and 22% are concerned about free returns.

Although in Portugal people buy slightly less than in the rest of Europe (where 76% shop online), Olivier Establet highlights the stabilization of order values, especially taking into account that “the Portuguese entered the market later e-commerce”. The person responsible details: “The Portuguese bought throughout the year (12 times in 2022 vs 11.1 in 2023), which represents, at the same time, growth compared to the pre-covid period.”

This is because, in 2019, 65% were already shopping online, a total that now stands at 71%. They do so more and more consistently throughout the year, thanks to the “democratization of e-commerce”, even though periods such as Black Friday, Christmas or sales continue to see peaks in demand. Between November and December, notes the executive, “daily activity was around 23% above the average for the year”.

Purchases are made mainly in foreign online stores, with Spain topping the list (61%), followed by China (58%) and the United Kingdom (33%). The main categories are fashion (59%), beauty and health (51%) and footwear (41%). Only the categories of books (-10%) and technology (-9%) recorded a drop compared to the previous year. In fashion, another study conducted by CTT shows that the website that the Portuguese ordered most in 2023 was Shein, followed by Zara.

Second hand growth

The biggest trend to note in 2023 is the growth of C2C (consumer-to-consumer) platforms to buy and sell items, especially second-hand. “It is growing and will continue to do so, as the Portuguese are more aware of the advantages of the circular economy and concerned about the environmental impact of products, deliveries and consumption behaviors”, highlights Olivier Establet.

Six out of ten regular buyers already use these platforms and 42% justify their purchase as a way of supporting “a more responsible economy”. Social media continues to play an important role in second-hand shopping, being used by eight in ten e-shoopers.

Contributing to the reduction of the environmental footprint of purchases, the demand for deliveries outside the home has also grown (27%), through options such as lockers or stores with collection points. “The majority of users are younger and buy more categories of products online”, highlights the head of DPD, which already has “300 lockers and 1100 stores from north to south” of the country.

In addition to the 1,006 Portuguese respondents, the study included more than 24,000 interviews in 22 European countries with anonymous consumers, who received at least one order over the last year.