In 2025, the average annual expenditure of each Portuguese person on online shopping reached €1,319.40, an increase of 6% compared to last year’s data, but still lower than consumption on the other side of the border. In Spain, each consumer spent €1,764.20. “The main purchasing factors, both in Portugal and Spain, are comfort, convenience and prices”, details Alberto Pimenta, consultant to the CTT administration.
In the Iberian Peninsula as a whole, the CTT e-Commerce Report 2025 shows, the digital commerce market will now be worth €125.6 billion, registering global growth of 13.7%. “In terms of growth, from one year to the next we highlight that fashion grew 1.6% in Portugal and food in supermarkets grew 1.4%”, he adds.
But there is also a growing trend, direct sales between end consumers (C2C), particularly in second-hand products. “C2C is a very important trend in e-commerce in Portugal and Spain. Over 40% of Portuguese and Spanish people buy or sell second-hand products (…) because it is cheaper and allows access to more famous brands”, points out Alberto Pimenta.
The Iberian market is increasingly a space for growth for national digital commerce companies, but also for other organizations within the ecosystem, such as CTT. “Our ambition is to be a leader in the Iberian Peninsula in two, three years”, says the company’s CEO, João Bento, remembering that today they deliver “45% of orders in Portugal”.
In the event, which took place at Pátio da Galé, in Lisbon, more than a dozen digital commerce managers from Portuguese and international companies participated (record here the complete program). As in previous editions, the winners of the CTT e-Commerce Awards 2025 were announced in eight categories – you can see the full list of winners at the end of this article.
Discover the main conclusions below.
Navigating the wave of instability in e-commerce
- Dennis Li, general director for Europe at Cainiao Alibaba, marked the program by sharing the experience of one of the biggest giants in global digital commerce. Regarding the tariffs imposed by the United States on foreign products – particularly those originating in China –, the manager recognized the challenge. “Our biggest growth market is certainly not the USA, but we have seen Latin America and the Middle East with great growth”.
- For China, he recalled, exports represented €2 billion euros, “an astronomical growth” despite all the geopolitical challenges. But it is not just in the USA that there are changes: in Europe, he points out, there are changes in the VAT applied to orders arriving from outside the community and it is necessary to “always be looking for new solutions with local partners”.
- “Trump created barriers and increased obstacles, but this allows for a greater focus on Europe”, shares Rodrigo Penas Blázquez. The CEO of Cacesa even says that there has been “an increase in orders in Europe” and confesses that he is “more concerned about the news coming from the European Union, namely “additional fees” that are being considered by some Member States. “The problem is the lack of predictability”.
- If the geopolitical climate is a topic that companies in this space must pay attention to, digital tools can help overcome some of these challenges. Whether at national or Iberian level, operators are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to “manage safety stocks”, points out Joana Guedes, from El Corte Inglés, or even for “a more refined forecast of purchases”, adds Mariana Romão, from Wells.
- The challenges, guarantee the startups, is being able to offer end customers a better experience, more fluid, efficient and, above all, personalized. “I think the future of e-commerce is for us to be true triathletes, we have to know how to run and win in all three areas – speed, experience and sustainability”, guarantees Luís Branco, from ZeroPact.
CTT e-Commerce Awards 2025 winners
(honorable mentions Wells and Worten)
SME e-Commerce Initiative
(honorable mentions Bstrong and Gotta Perfumarias)
Public Administration e-Commerce Initiative
(honorable mentions Fnac Restart and ZeroPact)
Local Commerce Initiative
(honorable mentions Câmara Municipal do Barreiro and Sabores Santa Clara)
e-Commerce Green Initiative
Cascais City Council
(honorable mentions Assembly of the Republic and Parques Tejo)
Innovation in Digital Marketing
(honorable mentions Beeping Fulfilment and Delivery Express)
Innovation in Logistics, Delivery and Returns
(honorable mentions Closum and NAPPS)
Innovation in Security and Financial Services
(honorable mentions PaynoPain and Reduniq)
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