In 2023, the retail sale via mail order houses or internet sector in Portugal recorded a total of 6.25 thousand enterprises. Over the past decade, the sector has shown consistent growth with year-on-year variations reaching peaks such as 30.23% in 2020. This dramatic increase was likely influenced by the global shift towards online shopping driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last two years have seen a slower growth rate compared to previous years, with 13.23% in 2023 and 15.76% in 2022. However, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the last five years stands at a robust 18.58%, highlighting a persistent upward trend in enterprise numbers.
Looking forward, forecasts suggest a continued, albeit slower growth, with a five-year CAGR of 6.64%, translating to an overall growth rate of 37.9% from 2023 to 2028. This indicates a maturing market with potential for steady expansion.
Future trends to watch for include:
- Adoption of new technologies such as AI and machine learning to enhance customer experience.
- Increasing mobile commerce transactions as smartphones become more ubiquitous.
- Growing importance of sustainable and ethical online retailing, driven by consumer demand.
- Potential regulatory changes that could impact data protection and ecommerce operations.
