In recent years, e-commerce has experienced exponential growth, particularly driven by the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown accelerated the adoption of this business model, making it essential for many companies. According to the "VII Annual eCommerce Study in Spain 2020: COVID Will Change E-Commerce Forever," the frequency of online shopping has increased by 51% in recent months, and 70% of the Spanish population shops online. Even when normalcy returns, 25% of people are expected to continue shopping online.
Businesses adapting to the digital environment
During the lockdown, many businesses were forced to move to the digital environment. Those who already had developed digital channels could manage the exponential growth of their activity, while traditional sectors had to adapt quickly. According to IDG Research, half of the companies did not have an online sales channel before the lockdown and had to create one to maintain customers and suppliers. The businesses that have best responded to the crisis are those that already integrated e-commerce and digital channels into their digital transformation. The internet has ceased to be just an informational tool to become a transaction platform.
Historical evolution of E-commerce
E-commerce has its roots in catalog sales in the 1920s and 1930s in the United States. This modality evolved over time, first with the use of the telephone and credit cards, and then with the emergence of electronic data interchange (EDI) in 1960. The real revolution came in the 1990s with the expansion of the World Wide Web, which allowed commercialization through the internet. The arrival of online sales portals like eBay and Amazon in that decade marked a significant milestone in the history of e-commerce.
E-commerce platforms and their impact
The development of e-commerce has also been facilitated by open-source platforms such as Prestashop and Magento, which appeared in 2007 and 2008. These platforms allow anyone to create their own online store. In 1995, e-commerce had only 16 million users worldwide. By 2019, this figure had grown to 4.131 billion people. According to the "Digital 2020 Global Digital Overview" report by We are Social and HootSuite, 74% of internet users aged 16 to 64 bought a product online in the last month, and 52% did so via a mobile phone.
E-Commerce in Spain
In Spain, e-commerce has followed a similar trajectory. In 1995, the Barrabés brothers created an online store for mountain gear, being pioneers in the country. Large corporations such as El Corte Inglés and Inditex, as well as new businesses like Idealista and El Tenedor, joined e-commerce. The pandemic has been an important catalyst for this growth. According to the "Global AD Trends: Covid-19 One Year On" report by WARC, digital commerce increased by over 30% during the pandemic. Earnest Research indicates that 59% of Amazon's new customers during the pandemic will continue shopping online.
Growth and Future of E-commerce
Spain was the European country with the highest e-commerce growth in 2020, with a 68% increase according to the European Statistics Office. The type of consumption varies, predominantly physical products, but services and digital content are also growing. In 2021, online sales in Spain are expected to grow by 24%, reaching 45 billion euros, according to Astound Commerce.
The digital transformation of companies
E-commerce has been crucial for the digital transformation of many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, allowing them not only to survive but also to thrive during the crisis. The security of online purchases has also improved, with recommendations to use secure connections, verify the information of online stores, and keep devices updated.
