The proportion of Greek consumers who shop online increased sharply in 2021

According to Eurostat, in 2021, 69% of Internet users in Greece made at least one online purchase, while the corresponding percentage in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, was 59%.

The figure of 69% puts Greece in 19th place among the 27 member states of the European Union with the highest percentage of consumers shopping online. However, it is worth noting that Greece is already close to the average for EU, as in 2021, 74% of Internet users in the EU made at least one purchase of a product or service.

To understand the role the pandemic has played in the penetration of e-commerce into Greek households, suffice it to say that in 2019 the percentage of internet users in Greece who made e-purchases was 51%, while in 2016 it was only 45%. It is worth noting that in 2014 the corresponding percentage was only 40% and increased to 47% in 2015, mainly due to the introduction of capital controls (bank closures).

According to Eurostat, the highest percentage of consumers who made purchases online in 2021 were registered in the Netherlands (94%), Denmark (92%) and Sweden (89%). Lower rates were registered in Romania (44%) and Bulgaria (42%). Between 2016 and 2021, the largest growth in online shopping in the EU was recorded in the Czech Republic (+27 percentage points), Slovenia, Hungary and Romania (+26 percentage points), as well as Croatia and Lithuania (+25 percentage points).

69% of internet users in Greece made at least one online purchase last year.

What did the Greeks buy

76% of online shoppers in Greece purchased clothing, including sportswear, shoes and fashion accessories. 33% ordered ready-made food at home – in Greece this is confirmed by the rapid development of the corresponding platforms (efood, Wolt, Box) and the emergence of new ones, such as Rocket. 30% bought cosmetics and beauty products, and 29% bought sports equipment (excluding sportswear and shoes). Another 25% bought computers and mobile phones, 24% books, 24% nutritional supplements and vitamins, 20% consumer goods and appliances. Also, 20% of consumers in Greece “downloaded” films and TV series via the Internet.

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