The number of regular online consumers grows to 71% in 2023, after a decrease in 2022, while a third of Portuguese people who regularly use e-commerce claim to have increased purchases of second-hand products, in the period under analysis in the eShopper Barometer 2023 , between May 31 and July 19, 2023.
Another of the conclusions of the Geopost study, which includes the transport company DPD, is the increase in the percentage of Portuguese people for whom price is the most important factor in purchasing decisions, which rises to 76% compared to the 72% recorded in 2022. Along these lines, Portuguese people who make purchases on the internet also consider that e-commerce is a way of saving money (71%), in a percentage above the European average (65%).” These results have to do with inflation. Online shoppers are increasing and at the same time that people know they save money by shopping online, retailers are offering much bigger discounts”, says Carla Pereira, director of marketing and communications at DPD, speaking to Meios & Publicidade.
What the person responsible highlights most, in relation to the national results of the study carried out in 22 European countries, is that “the Portuguese are increasingly using circular economy platforms”. According to the eShopper Barometer, a third of regular online shoppers are increasing their second-hand purchases. C2C digital platforms (private to private) still have a lower popularity than the European average, with 60% of national fans versus 72% in Europe.
This trend is confirmed by the increase in the purchasing frequency of those who buy on C2C platforms: 48% of regular e-shoppers reveal that they buy on these platforms, doing so, on average, 11 times a year, which represents three times more than in 2022. These motivations are related to cost, with 65% of respondents believing that buying on second-hand platforms is cheaper than buying new items. On the other hand, 42% of respondents highlight the fact that this type of commerce supports a more responsible economy. The study does not make reference to the most used digital platforms in Portugal and Carla Pereira argues that “the most relevant thing is purchasing habits and what is purchased and less where the purchases are made”.
In this matter, the DPD study reveals that fashion (59%), beauty and health (51%) and footwear (41%) are the product categories that national online consumers purchased the most in 2023. The book and technology categories /electronics, on the other hand, are the only ones to register a drop in the list of goods most purchased by the Portuguese on the internet. With regard to delivery processes, data from the eShopper Barometer highlights that home deliveries are losing weight to out-of-home deliveries, the use of which continues to grow and show positive evolution, with 27% of regular online shoppers to use at least one delivery location outside the home, in particular with regard to lockers. “Physical stores will not cease to exist, but brands tend to make deliveries where it is most convenient for the consumer, with the convenience of being able to receive delivery somewhere other than at home”, maintains Carla Pereira, director of communications and marketing from DPD.
Highlighted in the study are also ‘aficionados’, who received an average of 5.4 orders in 2023, despite remaining below the European average in terms of the percentage of online purchases, number of orders received and impulse purchases. As with regular e-shoppers, ‘aficionados’ (a more experienced and ardent buyer profile) see online shopping as an opportunity to save money, as they are very price sensitive. For this group, it is increasingly important that there are no hidden fees, with 84% of consumers included in this profile saying that the most recent delivery was easy, 82% say that purchasing online was simple and 48% guarantee that the Return was effortless. “Returns are not increasing, they are at the same values as in 2022, with only 6% of buyers returning a last purchase, the same percentage as the previous barometer”, reveals Carla Pereira.
The e-Shopper Barometer 2023 encompasses an analysis of the reality of e-commerce in Europe, which includes a total of 24,233 interviews in 22 European countries. In Portugal, the report included a total of 1,006 interviews.
