Consumption habits and purchasing behavior in Spain - statistics & facts

The search for savings gains importance

In 2019, the average income per person in Spain reached one of the highest values in the latest years, which culminated the continuous growth trend experienced in the country since 2014. In 2020, the arrival and advance of SARS-CoV-2 restrained all this progress and prompted a new reality in which saving plans would get even more importance than in previous years.

Therefore, that same year, nearly 70% of Spanish consumers decided to wait until the sales season to make major purchases. Besides, many consumers bought second-hand products in Spain, especially books and CDs. Private label items, another one of the cheapest alternatives on the market, registered an increasing degree of acceptance during the Covid-19 lockdown. In fact, they now play a big role in the new shopping basket in Spain.

Rise of e-commerce as a purchase place

Despite the convenience of more traditional local stores, the Spaniards still prefer to do their shopping in big retail chains. The main reason to choose large distribution chains for Spanish consumers is because of the prices they offer. In any case, due to Covid-19 lockdown or restrictions, many people had to buy online, and some of them, for the first time.

With regards to purchases made online, clothing and leisure were the most popular categories, while new products such as food or pharmacy increased in 2020. Meanwhile, PayPal was the preferred payment method to shop on the web in Spain.


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This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.