IAB Spain has released the ‘E-commerce 2021 Study’ with the aim of measuring the evolution and trends of the online shopping market in Spain.
Said study has left data that demonstrate a continuous growth of online commerce and that is, the penetration of this type of purchase stands at 79% of the surveyed population. On this occasion, the group of people between the ages of 16 and 70 has been analyzed, which represents a figure of 25.8 million Spaniards in this age group who buy online.

Highlights of the study
The majority of this percentage that buys online is between 35 and 44. In this age group, men make up 51% of the total and women 49%. .
All those surveyed declared themselves active in social networks, with 74% having Facebook as habitual. On the other hand, 94% of them state that they connect via mobile.
The continuous growth of E-commerce and consumption by the population has been demonstrated, which has come to spend an average of €89, which is €21 more than in 2020.
The purchase frequency has also seen an increase, going from 3.5% in 2020 to the new 3.8 in 2021. On the other hand, 61% of online shoppers admit that they wait for special offers to make a purchase.
What products sweep online shopping?
It should be noted that the most searched categories were technology/communication, entertainment/culture, food and fashion. In this we can see that user behavior has been affected by the pandemic since it has influenced when buying things online that have been essential for this time.
1º Technology and communication.
2nd Entertainment and culture.
3rd Food.
4th Fashion
On the other hand, the travel and accommodation sector has fallen to 6th place in 2021 when in 2019 it was in 2nd position. All this as a result of the changes in habits that have caused the pandemic.
Has the buyer profile changed?
Young people between the ages of 16 and 34 have stood out for the purchase of technology and communication, entertainment and culture, and all kinds of fashion, footwear and sports, perfumery and beauty products. They have also positioned themselves in the purchase of streaming services and online training.
Within this age, we have known as generation Z, those between 16 and 24 years old, until today, this generation was not so active in online shopping. On the other hand, there are millennials, those between the ages of 25 and 34.
Generation Z passed from 59% to 83% its penetration in the online market, thus matching the millennials
Why does generation Z spend more?
Generation Z, compared to last year, increased its market penetration by 24 points. This has meant an increase in online purchases by this public of 30% in one year. On the other hand, those under 24 years of age are the ones who buy more intensively, doing so up to five times a week.
Another surprising fact is that generation Z spends an average of €164 on each purchase, this is because the products that young people usually buy are electronic devices that have a high value. It should also be noted that they normally do the shopping for other family members.
The power of marketplaces and social networks
Marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay or Aliexpress are the benchmarks for product information, almost 70% of users admit that they consult these platforms to find out and buy a product.
Based on these data, we can see how 8 out of 10 people use marketplaces to search for information, compare prices and one in three formalizes the purchase on these platforms.
In turn, social networks are growing in this regard and they have been incorporated into this study for the first time since they have become a search for product information almost as powerful as marketplaces.
How to increase your sales thanks to marketplaces and RRSS?
From Década Studio we implement a comprehensive digital strategy, where we help you to position and sell your products in the reference marketplace such as Amazon.
Currently, 79% of users buy online and 96% of online buyers have used marketplaces at some time, so why not take advantage of this opportunity to grow your business?
On the other hand, we understand that content marketing is one of the fundamental pillars to break through in the competitive digital world. In this sense, social networks are essential to carry out this content marketing strategy.
For all this, we help you implement your digital strategy to start increasing your sales.