Spanish E-commerce Sees Nearly 13% Growth, With Majority of Sales Going Abroad

Spain’s online retail sector experienced a notable increase in the third quarter of 2024, with total online sales rising 12.6% year-over-year to reach €24.6 billion, according to recent figures published on the CNMCData portal, managed by Spain’s national competition and market regulator.

Spain’s Strong Online Growth in Q3

Between July and September 2024, 442 million online transactions were recorded, marking a 14.9% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Key categories driving this growth included travel services (11.4% of total revenue), airline tickets (5.6%), and clothing sales (5.3%).

Cross-Border Spending Continues to Dominate

Cross-border e-commerce generated €14.05 billion in Q3 2024, up 16.2% from the same quarter in 2023. Spanish consumers continue to favor international retailers. In Q3 2024, only 42.8% of online spending stayed within Spanish e-commerce platforms, while 57.2% went to merchants based outside the country.

Of all cross-border transactions, 65% involved Spanish consumers buying from international retailers. In contrast, only 35% came from foreign shoppers purchasing from Spanish online stores. This led to a net e-commerce trade deficit of €10.7 billion for Spain during the quarter.