Italy: Continued strong e-commerce growth

Italy: Continued strong e-commerce growth

Italy - E-commerce statistics: Shopped online more often due to coronavirus: 44%, Average monthly purchase: EUR 134, E-commerce consumers abroad: 66%, E-commerce consumers: 84%, Internet penetration 86%
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Italy is one of the largest economies in Europe and also a leader in the production of luxury goods. Despite this, the Italian e-commerce marked is still of modest size compared to several other e-commerce markets in western Europe. However, the country has been rapidly digitizing in recent years. For 2021, 84% of Italians state they shopped online. The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a further shift in consumption from in-store retail to e-commerce in Italy. During the pandemic – to prevent the spread of the disease – the national government shut down physical retail outlets, giving many people a reason to shop online for the first time.

International e-retailers such as Amazon, eBay and Zalando are popular with Italian consumers. A number of new stores were launched in the Italian e-commerce market during 2021. These include clothing company Wildberries, the Lithuanian second-hand platform Vinted, and the American Amazon Fresh meal-kit concept. The reason for the popularity of international market participants could be that local companies have been slow to launch online platforms, and many smaller domestic retailers do not offer e-commerce at all.

The most popular product categories to buy are Clothing and Footwear, Home Electronics, Books and Media, with Cosmetics and Skin Care as a strong runner-up. When it comes to preferred delivery methods, different types of home delivery are by far the most appreciated.

To learn more about the different European markets and what you need to know to succeed with e-commerce there, order your free copy of the ”E-commerce in Europe 2021” report.

Olof Källgren, Market Information Manager, Direct Link