There are already more than 20 million Spanish online shoppers who decide to make use of electronic commerce to carry out their virtual purchases
The data is clear. According to the study carried out by Ecommerce Europe and A digital, in Spain, the use of the Internet is becoming more widespread. By age group, the increase in general, except in the 65-year-old group, where it is still difficult to implement. Almost 80% of Spanish consumers use digital technology, the Internet, and online stores to make their purchases. We are also seeing a significant increase in the number of consumers using payment services. The reality is that electronic commerce has been and is being a change in trend, also favored by the new devices and processes that stimulate it.
The evolution of e-commerce
In just a few years, we have witnessed a spectacular growth in user data that decides on electronic commerce systems and processes. If in 2013 the number of Spaniards who made purchases through the Internet did not reach 15 million, today it exceeds 20. More than 54% of Internet users, that is, of those who browse the Internet, whatever the reason, also make their purchases in that medium. By-products, there are many differences.
A detailed analysis can help us verify that the clothing of the best brands, books, and electronic components are the most demanded. There is a lot of difference from other items. As far as companies are concerned, there is a great differentiation between operators that have the Internet as the fundamental base of their sales operations, and traditional companies and businesses. Analyzing figures, the companies with the highest turnover in e-commerce in Spain are Amazon, El Corte Inglés, Zara, and Pc Components for the year 2016 according to data extracted from Statista.
The reasons for this type of purchase
In addition to various offers and promotions, the reasons that move the consumer to use the online route are a convenience. The possibility of making your purchases at any time of the day and from anywhere continues to be very attractive. As issues to improve, there is the issue of service, purchase methods, security, and the issue of returns. Consumers still have fears about receiving products on time, the security of receiving them in perfect condition, the inconvenience of having to return them by mail, insecurities in the payment system, etc.
Online browsers and the preferred operating system
Until now, the desktop computer was the most used device for browsing the Internet, and, consequently, for making purchases. Little by little the mobile Smartphone is taking the lead in this regard. The dependence on mobile phones and the convenience of making purchases from anywhere is making a difference. In an analysis of search engines, Google’s Chrome is the most used by Spanish users.
Regarding the preferred operating system, Windows is still the most used for computers with 81% and Android for mobile phones. Both in the case of Microsoft and Google, their privileged positions are founded on many aspects. Among them, they offer integration of systems and applications, most of the leaders in their segment. For this reason, the rest of the operators, both in the case of search engines and operating systems, have almost residual market shares.
The profile of digital consumers
The average age of the digital buyer is around 39 years. More than 40% of users who make their purchases on the Internet are between 31 and 45 years old. The Spanish consumer makes an average of 2.9 purchases per month. The average expenditure made is €80. Compared to 2016, an increase is observed, both in the frequency of purchases and in the average cost per purchase.
The importance of the delivery time
Among the issues most valued by consumers is that of delivery times. For 23% of the total, the delivery time can determine and condition their choice for one or another eCommerce. This is a clear example of the importance that the digital consumer attaches to the services they receive. Another interesting fact is that, while in 2016, 24% of Internet users were willing to pay extra to have ordered before what is offered in the standard package, in this year 2017 this proportion rises to almost 40%.
