Online sales worldwide increased 3% in the third quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. In Spain, growth has been even more notable, reaching 8% in the third quarter of 2024, exceeding the global average by 5 points. The conversion rate in Spain was 1.5%, slightly lower than the global average of 1.8%. This is highlighted by Salesforce’s Shopping Index.
Europe continues to be the region with the greatest economic dynamism, showing continuous growth in recent quarters with an average increase of 5%. In contrast, countries like the United States and Canada barely register significant increases, with 1% and 0% respectively. Within Europe, in addition to the notable growth of Spain, Germany stands out with 5%, France with 3% and the United Kingdom with 2%.
Regarding the devices used for online purchases, mobile phones continue to be the preferred option for consumers, with an overall increase in orders of 5%, while the use of desktop devices decreased by 1%. In Spain, orders from mobile phones increased by 8%, while those made from desktop computers decreased by 6%.
However, the shopping cart abandonment rate is higher on mobile devices, reaching 83% globally and 86% in Spain, compared to 76% and 77% respectively on desktop devices. This may be due to the friction that consumers still encounter in the mobile payment process.
Discounts drive demand for online shopping
Despite online traffic increasing by 4%, average consumer spending has decreased by 1%. The global average ticket is 106 dollars, while in Spain it is 62 dollars. Discounts have played an important role in these figures, with a global average of 18% in the last quarter and 12% in Spain.
This data indicates that consumers are very price sensitive, which will influence retailers’ strategies in the coming months, especially during the online shopping season. Two-thirds of buyers say that prices will be decisive in their purchasing decisions, while a third will prioritize the quality of the products.
The volume of purchases in Spain exceeds the average growth with an increase of 8% compared to the global average of 3%
“The next campaign will be competitive and intense, focused on pricing and discount strategies, which we hope will be similar to 2019 levels. It is estimated that 40% of purchases will come from regular buyers. Growth will be more moderate than last year, with a global increase of 2% and 10% in Spain. It will be crucial for retailers to have the data ready to focus on loyal customers first and use AI to offer personalized experiences,” comments Enrique Mazón, Regional Vice President of Commerce Cloud Iberia.
According to Salesforce predictions, 18% of global orders during the upcoming holiday season are expected to be influenced by a combination of predictive and generative AI, equivalent to $201 billion in online sales. Additionally, more than half of shoppers surveyed by Salesforce (53%) are interested in using generative AI to inspire their search for the perfect gift.
The impact of Prime Day
After the recent Prime Day (October 8 and 9), global traffic on e-commerce platforms increased by 2%, while in Spain it rose by 11%. However, the most relevant data was the 12% increase in online purchases in Spain, compared to zero growth globally.
Regarding discounts, the average in Spain was 14%, compared to 18% globally. Orders increased significantly in Spain, with an increase of 24%, while globally a decrease of 2% was recorded.
The categories with the greatest increase in traffic during these days were bags (28%), food and drinks (17%) and sportswear (13%). In terms of sales, the leading categories were electronics and fashion (36%), health and beauty (21%) and handbags (20%). Interestingly, the biggest discounts were on fashion (27%), electronics (20%) and health and beauty (17%).
