Press Release 31/07/2023
INFORMATION SOCIETY SURVEY. COMPANIES. 2023
In 2022, the value of e-commerce sales in the Basque Country rose by 9.8% and purchases increased by 7.8%
24.7% of e-commerce sales were destined to private consumers, compared to almost 12% in 2002
In 2022, e-commerce sales in companies with establishments in the Basque Country were 9.8% higher than the previous year, with the value being 7.8% higher in the case of e-commerce purchases, according to Eustat data.
Both purchases and sales have registered uninterrupted growth year after year since data became available. These new increases mean that the thresholds of 26 thousand million euros in sales and 19 thousand million euros in purchases in 2022 were easily crossed.
It is estimated that, on average, electronic sales accounted for 44.5% of the total sales made by establishments that made electronic sales. In turn, electronic purchases represented 37.2% of the total purchases made by companies in 2022.
28.7% of establishments in the Basque Country, some forty-five thousand seven hundred establishments, engaged in e-commerce. This figure was 0.7 points up on the previous year.
The volume of business generated in 2022 over the Internet or via other electronic systems such as email and electronic data interchange (EDI and other networks) rose to 26,608.4 million euros in terms of electronic sales and 19,673.1 million euros in terms of purchases.
Purchases and sales through e-commerce in the Basque Country, by province and employment stratum (millions of euros). 2021-2022
| | Purchases | Sales |
| | 2021 | 2022 | % | 2021 | 2022 | % |
| Basque Country | 18.241,3 | 19.673,1 | 7,8 | 24.224,9 | 26.608,4 | 9,8 |
| Araba/Álava | 3.168,0 | 3.322,4 | 4,9 | 6.977,2 | 7.404,0 | 6,1 |
| Bizkaia | 9.469,1 | 10.108,1 | 6,7 | 9.209,4 | 10.227,0 | 11,0 |
| Gipuzkoa | 5.604,2 | 6.242,5 | 11,4 | 8.038,3 | 8.977,4 | 11,7 |
| | | | | | | |
| employment strata | | | | | | |
| 0 - 9 | 5.405,0 | 5.720,4 | 5,8 | 4.250,9 | 4.575,2 | 7,6 |
| >=10 | 12.836,3 | 13.952,7 | 8,7 | 19.974,0 | 22.033,2 | 10,3 |
Date July 31, 2023
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
At provincial level, in terms of electronic sales, noteworthy growth of more than double digits was recorded in Gipuzkoa, 11.7%, and Bizkaia, 11.0%, while electronic sales increased by 6.1% in Álava. In the case of electronic purchases, for their part, figures also increased in all three provinces compared to 2021, with Gipuzkoa standing out once again, with 11.4% growth, followed by Bizkaia with 6.7% and Álava with 4.9%.
With regards to the weight that each of the provinces has, there was an even distribution over all three in terms of electronic sales; Bizkaia accounted for 38.4% of the Basque Country total, whereas Gipuzkoa had a percentage of 33.7% and Álava 27.8%. In purchases, on the other hand, the participation was more disparate, with Bizkaia accounting for 51.4% of the total in 2022, whereas Gipuzkoa represented 31.7%, and Álava saw the remaining 16.9% of electronic purchases in the Basque Country overall.
On the other hand, in terms of size, it was those establishments with 10 or more employees in which large sums of money were traded in e-commerce, accounting for 82.8% of electronic sales and 70.9% of total electronic purchases.
Furthermore, the percentage of establishments that participated in e-commerce stood at 28.7% in 2022, up 0.7 percentage points on the previous year. This increase is based on those who purchase electronically, (25.7%), 0.7 percentage points more than the previous year, and, to a lesser degree, on those who make electronic sales (8.5%) after increasing by 0.2 percentage points.
Establishments that carry out e-commerce in the Basque Country (%). 2001-2021. 2001-2022
| | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Total establishments | | | | | | | | | | | |
| e-commerce | 3,0 | 10,5 | 15,1 | 26,4 | 26,0 | 25,1 | 26,3 | 27,1 | 26,9 | 28,0 | 28,7 |
| Purchases | 2,7 | 9,6 | 14,2 | 23,9 | 24,0 | 23,0 | 24,1 | 24,7 | 24,0 | 25,0 | 25,7 |
| Sales | 0,4 | 1,9 | 3,9 | 6,5 | 6,5 | 6,8 | 6,9 | 7,0 | 7,6 | 8,3 | 8,5 |
| % of purchases (*) | 9,6 | 15,5 | 28,1 | 31,3 | 33,3 | 36,2 | 36,4 | 38,4 | 40,2 | 38,3 | 37,2 |
| % of sales (*) | 9,9 | 24,6 | 38,6 | 36,8 | 35,1 | 41,4 | 40,6 | 43,7 | 46,6 | 44,0 | 44,5 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 or more employees | | | | | | | | | | | |
| e-commerce | 6,4 | 19,5 | 23,1 | 30,0 | 29,7 | 29,0 | 31,6 | 33,2 | 33,5 | 35,3 | 39,0 |
| Purchases | 5,1 | 17,3 | 20,3 | 25,3 | 25,8 | 25,1 | 27,0 | 28,3 | 28,9 | 30,2 | 34,8 |
| Sales | 1,8 | 5,1 | 8,5 | 11,4 | 11,9 | 12,6 | 13,1 | 13,8 | 14,2 | 14,9 | 15,7 |
| % of purchases (*) | 4,6 | 10,3 | 24,6 | 31,0 | 30,7 | 32,4 | 33,1 | 32,9 | 34,0 | 35,5 | 34,8 |
| % of sales (*) | 12,7 | 19,4 | 38,4 | 42,6 | 42,1 | 43,2 | 45,9 | 44,2 | 43,3 | 43,2 | 46,6 |
(*)In e-commerce establishments, average % of e-purchases/sales over total purchases/sales.
Date July 31, 2023
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Likewise, it can be observed that although the number of establishments purchasing electronically greatly exceeds those that sell using the same method, the figures for electronic sales (26,608.4 million euros) are higher than those for electronic purchases (19,673.1 million euros).
These figures vary if the size of the establishments is taken into account in terms of employment. Thus, amongst those with 10 or more employees, 39.0% engaged in e-commerce, 3.7 percentage points up on the previous year. Also in this segment, there was a higher number of companies making electronic purchases, 34.8%; and a lower number of companies making sales through the same channels, 15.7%; with a 4.6 percentage point increase in those that purchase and a 0.8 point increase in those that sell.
With regard to the means by which electronic purchases were made, 51.8% of total purchases were carried out by email, 24.4% via EDI and other networks and the remaining 23.8% using websites. In turn, 34.8% of total sales were through websites, apps or internet sales portals, 25.0% by email and the remaining 40.1% via EDI and other networks.
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Period availables
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Period availables
Private consumers participated more in e-commerce: one in every four euros is destined for this type of client
As regards the type of customer to which e-commerce sales were destined in 2022, a large majority, 74.1% of total e-sales, were destined for other companies (so-called B2B trade), 24.7% were for private consumers (B2C) and the remaining 1.2% was spread over other kinds of customers, such as Public Administrations (B2G). Despite the clear dominance of sales to other companies, the significant development of those destined to private consumers should be noted. At the beginning of the 2000s this type of client accounted for just one in every ten euros invoiced electronically, compared to one in every four euros twenty years later.
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Period availables
NOTE
Eustat would like to thank all the companies and institutions that have collaborated in preparing this survey, the information for which was gathered between January and April 2023.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62