How Portuguese consumers shop online

 

Stretching along the western end of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is known for its beautiful coastline, delicious wines, and rich cultural heritage. But do you know what makes Portuguese consumers click on your online product listing? Read on to find out!

 

 

The digital landscape of Portugal

Portugal has a population of 10.3 million people. Internet penetration is currently at 88%, slightly below the European average of 92%. Urban areas actually reach the European average, while rural areas lag behind at 85%.

 

A 2025 study found that 67.9% of the population, 5.8 million people, shop regularly online. This is a 3.7% increase from the previous year. Moreover, 45% of consumers return weekly to the internet to do some online shopping.

 

The overwhelming majority, 77.2%, is between the ages of 15 and 54. But older generations seem to take to online shopping as well: 9.8% of all online shoppers are over 64 years old.

 

Besides traditional e-Commerce, mobile commerce is also on the rise. 70% of online shoppers use a smart device at least once during the shopping journey, and 40% of them even pay for their purchases via their smart device.

 

 

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Portuguese e-Commerce revenue is estimated to reach $9.24 billion by 2027, rising by $3.4 billion from the value measured in 2023. This represents a staggering growth of 57.82% in a mere 5 years, suggesting enormous potential in the sector.

 

 

A view of Porto’s Old Town as seen from the River Douro

 

 

Purchasing behavior of Portuguese consumers

Portuguese consumers value trust and loyalty above other features. This is why when shopping online, 81% of consumers turn to well-known online marketplaces, 54% choose brand websites, and 41% go to the online stores of physical retailers. Amazon is the most popular online marketplace, followed by domestic platform Worten, Temu, AliExpress, and French hybrid retailer fnac.

 

Discover the most noteworthy online marketplaces in Europe!

 

Price also plays a significant role in a Portuguese consumer’s shopping decision. 73% of shoppers decide whether to make a purchase based on the most competitive price, with 71% choosing a promotional/discounted price over a regular one.

 

Continuing with monetary value, Portuguese consumers also appreciate a free delivery and returns policy. Indeed, 42% of consumers find zero delivery fees one of the most compelling reasons when selecting an online retailer, while 73.5% have abandoned their shopping carts when faced with unexpectedly high shipping fees.

 

However, the above doesn’t mean that consumers abandon all common sense when they spot a great deal. In fact, as trust and security are even more important to Portuguese shoppers than price, the majority of them carefully check the platform’s trustworthiness before deciding to make a purchase.

 

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Sustainability is another important factor with Portuguese consumers, who also enjoy the personalized shopping experience provided by AI and AR (augmented reality) tools as well as secure payment options. In line with sustainability requirements, the popularity of green delivery services and accessible pickup points is also on the rise.

 

 

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The 5 best marketing strategies for Portuguese e-Commerce

Obviously, your marketing strategy very much depends on a lot of variables, first and foremost, the nature of your products, your target market, and your brand image. However, there are a few general issues you have to take note of if you consider entering the Portuguese e-Commerce market.

 

 

Use trusted marketplaces

As mentioned before, the majority of Portuguese consumers most often turn to trusted, well-known marketplaces. Therefore, it would make a lot of sense to list your products on Amazon & Co. If doing so, make sure to translate all your content into Portuguese; using the local language can go a long way in winning over new customers.

 

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Adjust price levels

Not only does the language need to be adjusted. In Portugal, price levels are generally lower than in other Western European countries, which means that you probably need to adjust your prices to Portuguese levels. However, bear in mind that such regional price differences can contribute to the formation of grey markets. If you don’t want your lower-priced Portuguese products to compete with their more costly versions in other EU countries, get ready for some online monitoring!

 

 

Clear shipping terms

Be upfront about your delivery terms and costs. Portuguese consumers don’t like being surprised by a giant shipping fee attaching itself to their cart at the last minute, so it’s more advantageous to tell them right away what they can expect. If you can afford it, your best bet would be to offer free shipping above a certain purchase value.

 

 

Optimize for mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is becoming more popular in Portugal. This makes it necessary for brands and businesses to adjust their content so that it can be displayed without issues on smartphone screens as well as desktop computers.

 

 

Image of a person checking coffee shop listings on a smartphone

 

 

Trusted payment methods

As Portuguese shoppers value security, providing them with various safe and trusted payment methods like credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Klarna can help gain their favor and lock in their business.

 

 

Brand protection in Portugal

Due to its convenient location, Portugal is one of the key entry points for counterfeit goods into the EU. In addition, given the lower-than-average price level, the country can also serve as a purchase point for grey market products sold in other EU states.

 

All this leads to a high necessity to protect your IP rights in Portugal. The basis of that is registering your trademarks and copyrights in the country, as this will give you the best starting point for protecting your invaluable IP rights from infringement.

 

However, registering alone is not enough, as it only gives you passive protection. For the best results, you need to actively monitor for infringements and eliminate them as fast as possible to minimize exposure.

 

globaleyez’s online monitoring services cover the entirety of the internet. We check marketplaces, domains, images, social media platforms, and app stores to detect product listings, pictures, ads, posts, apps, and single webshops that infringe on your IP rights.

 

Should you require more information about a seller or the origins of the products they’re advertising, we recommend a test purchase. This service also comes in handy if you want to learn more about the behavior of your contracted partners.

 

To cap it all, we enforce your rights and ensure the swift removal of any infringing content from the internet.

 

As for grey markets, we use a targeted combination of our services to uncover and dismantle these harmful structures.

 

Discover different variations of grey markets on online marketplaces!

 

 

Conclusion

Portuguese e-Commerce provides brands with excellent opportunities to extend their reach and meet new target audiences. Unfortunately, these opportunities are also available to fraudsters who infringe on your IP rights, steal your revenue, and ruin your reputation.

 

Don’t let this happen to you! Contact us and let’s devise a brand protection strategy completely tailored to your brand’s needs!