Ecommerce in Italy was worth €19.6 billion in 2016

The ecommerce industry in Italy was worth 19.6 billion euros in 2016. Last year, the industry registered an increase of 18 percent compared to the situation in 2015. Most of the online retail turnover in Italy was generated by services sold online.

The numbers come from Osservatori Digital Innovation, which also made a nice infographic about it. Most of the ecommerce turnover in Italy was generated by services (54 percent), while products showed the biggest growth rate. The amount of online sales of goods increased by 32 percent last year, while services sold online grew 8 percent during that same period. The ecommerce industry now represents 5 percent of the total retail industry in the Southern European country.

Most popular ecommerce categories in Italy

Tourism is still the absolute most popular ecommerce category in Italy, with a 44 percent share and a 10 percent growth rate. It’s being followed by consumer electronics (share: 15%, growth: 28%) and clothing (share: 10%, growth: 27%). The emerging sectors food & grocery, furniture & home living, beauty and toys are showing growth rates between 30 and 50 percent and are, together, worth over 1.5 billion euros.

17% of purchases was done using a smartphone

In Italy, three quarters of online purchases was completed using a desktop or laptop, while 17 percent was done using a smartphone and the remaining 9 percent was completed with a tablet. Especially, the smartphone usage is growing, with the number of mobile purchases using this device having increased with 63 percent last year.

Popular online payment methods in Italy

Also, two thirds of ecommerce purchases in Italy was paid by using a credit card. With 31 percent, PayPal is another popular payment method in Italy. Other payment methods that were being used last year are cash on delivery (2 percent) and bank transfer (also 2 percent).

19 million online shoppers in Italy

Last year, the number of online shoppers in Italy (consumers who shopped online at least once) has increased by 7 percent and there are now 19 million of them. This corresponds to approximately 60 percent of internet users.