A new study shows that almost 40 percent of Portuguese consumers now shop online at least once a week. A year ago, only 24 percent of consumers in the country said that they shopped online with the same frequency. The remaining 62 percent now shop online once or several times a month.
These data come from the second edition of the study “Online Consumption in Portugal 2026”, published by Webloyalty. It offers insights into evolving consumer behaviors in Portuguese ecommerce. The study shows that digital shopping is now a regular habit for many people.
Internet access drives online shopping growth
The increase in online shopping habit is closely linked to internet access in Portugal. Another recent study from DataReportal showed that around 86 percent of the population uses the internet regularly. This comes down to 8.84 million internet users in Portugal.
66% of purchases were made on a mobile phone
The same study also indicated that there are more than 14 million active mobile connections in the country. And in Webloyalty’s report, in 2026, 66 percent of online purchases were made using mobile phones. This is an increase of 8 percentage points compared to 2025. Computers remain in second place (31.4 percent), while tablets are used much less often (only 2.2 percent).
‘Online shopping is convenient’
The report also looked into why Portuguese consumers choose to shop online. Most of them (62 percent) say they choose online shopping because it is convenient. The ability to compare prices was also named often (55 percent) . Many also value access to promotions (53 percent), detailed product information (30 percent), and customer reviews (14 percent).
Fashion, technology and beauty lead online purchases
According to the reort, clothing and accessories lead the ranking when it comes to the most popular product categories that were ordered online. Up to 66 percent of purchases were in that category. It is followed by technology products (39 percent) and health and beauty items (38 percent). Travel services and event tickets are also frequently purchased online.
For 61% of online shoppers in Portugal, a store’s location is irrelevant when making a purchase
The research also shows mixed preferences when it comes to store location. About a quarter of consumers prefer Portuguese online stores. And 13 percent opt for cross-border online stores. However, most shoppers (61 percent) say the store’s country is not a decisive factor when making a purchase.
