E-commerce in Greece: The trend that has become a habit – 5 out of 10 shop online every fortnight

The changes brought about by the pandemic in the way consumers make their purchases seem to have taken on a permanent character to a large extent, since 5 out of 10 internet users are systematic online shoppers, making online purchases at least every 15 days. At the same time, 1 in 4 online consumers make more than 20% of their total purchases online.

The above results from the Semi-annual E-Commerce Survey carried out by the Business and Retail Association of Greece (SELPE) with the scientific support of the ELTRUN laboratory of the Athens University of Economics. The research was conducted in the period 3-5 June 2023 nationwide, on a sample of 900 consumers.

As the authors of the conclusions note, the results document a mature consumer audience in electronic channels with growth prospects. The maturity of e-commerce is documented by the fact that the growth of online shopping has been maintained during the periods following the outbreak of the COVID pandemic and the then restriction measures. According to the survey results), 45% of internet users made a purchase online in the last 15 days, the same percentage as in November 2022 and clearly increased compared to 39% in June 2022.

This percentage is lower than the highest reading recorded in December 2020 (61%) at the peak of the pandemic, but almost double compared to December 2019 (26%), the last reading before the pandemic. In short, this means that at least 7 out of 10 internet users are now classified as online shoppers. These significant percentages are still far from those of the mature markets of Western and Northern Europe where 9 out of 10 citizens now shop online.

At least 1 in 4 online consumers are now considered highly sophisticated as their online purchases represent over 20% of their total purchases. In fact, for all online consumers, on average, online purchases now represent 10% of their total purchases, a percentage that shows an increasing trend compared to 2022.

The results of the survey record the significant change that has occurred and is now being consolidated among the consumer public in recent years in e-commerce and the great impact of the COVID-19 crisis on online retail markets in Greece. Based on expert estimates, 2023 is expected to be another record year for B-C e-commerce, with at least 20,000 Greek businesses now having an organized digital sales channel and several Greek online stores now having significant online annual sales of over €10 million.