Online marketing in Spain has grown significantly in recent years thanks to a rapid increase in Internet usage and e-commerce. It is currently the fastest growing e-commerce market, and therefore offers opportunities for webshops or businesses looking to expand their online visibility.
An important part of online marketing in Spain is search engine marketing. In Spain, Google is by far the most popular search engine with a market share of over 96%. This includes both google.com and google.es, which occupy the first and second positions respectively in the list of most used search engines in Spain.
In addition to search engine marketing, social advertising (and YouTube ads in particular) are very effective in Spain. YouTube has a huge reach in Spain, with over 80% of the population using YouTube regularly. Spanish consumers respond well to visual and audiovisual content, which gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to make their offerings visible in an engaging way. Moreover, Spanish users' preference for mobile devices contributes to the success of YouTube ads, as much content is viewed on smartphones and tablets.
Spain has one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in Europe. The Spanish e-commerce sector has grown explosively in recent years, thanks in part to the growing population and increasing Internet use. Growing consumer confidence in online purchases also plays an important role. The electronic devices sector is the largest market in Spain, accounting for almost a quarter of total digital purchases (!). This sector is followed by hobby & leisure and fashion.
Mobile devices are the most important device for digital purchases in Spain. About 80% of online purchases are made via smartphones, indicating the importance of mobile-friendly web shops and sites. Online food sales are growing rapidly in Spain. Due to changing consumer behavior and the pandemic, Spaniards have increasing interest in online shopping. Supermarkets such as Mercadona and Carrefour have made significant investments in their online platforms and logistics to meet this growing demand.
Hispanic consumers value personal and direct communication. They respond positively to campaigns that respond to local customs and traditions. In addition, Hispanic consumers prefer products that are sustainable and locally produced. Online sellers who apply these values in their marketing strategy can build higher levels of trust and loyalty among Hispanic customers.
An interesting fact about Spanish consumers is the use of regional languages in campaigns. In addition to Spanish (Castilian), Catalan, Basque and Galician are often used in online marketing. This is unique to Spain and plays a crucial role in reaching wider and local audiences. Companies that run marketing campaigns in these languages often see higher engagement and loyalty from customers in those specific regions, giving them a competitive advantage over companies that focus only on Spanish.
When entering the Hispanic market, it is important to invest in search engine marketing(SEO and SEA) and paid advertising (PPC). Competition on popular keywords can be high, but it offers significant long-term benefits. Due to the level of Internet usage in Spain, and the popularity of Social Media, audiovisual ads on Tik-Tok, Meta and Youtube are also very effective.
The most important digital marketplaces in Spain are amazon.es, ebay.es, El Corte Inglés and Carrefour. Interestingly, almost no web shops or marketplaces are used in Spain with a domain extension other than .es. From this you can deduce that you stand a better chance with a webshop ending in .es in Spain. El Corte Inglés combines a physical store experience with online convenience, making it popular with traditional shoppers. Carrefour, a large supermarket chain, has a strong online presence and offers a wide range of products, from groceries to electronics.
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Belgium is a neighboring country with cultural and linguistic similarities. Yet there are also many differences. Flemish-Dutch is slightly different and a large part of Belgium uses the French language. It would be a shame to overlook this, because it is a promising market!
The United Kingdom has one of the most mature European e-commerce markets with the highest online sales in Europe. Thanks in part to enthusiastic online shopping by British consumers, e-commerce in this country is stable and stronger than ever.
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