E-commerce Report: Croatians Increasingly Shop in Online Stores

The new E-commerce Report 2022, conducted by the consulting firm Valicon and the consumer comparison and advisory platform Jeftinije.hr, showed an increase in the frequency and value of online shopping in Croatia. The research was translated as part of the regional e-commerce competition Web Retailer Award and the E-commerce Jam conference.

According to the results of this year’s research, the trend of online shopping has again increased, with nearly 68 percent of respondents shopping in online stores at least once a month. Among online shoppers, the majority belong to Generation X, specifically those over 45 years old, with clothing, footwear, and fashion accessories being the most commonly purchased items. The average purchase amount has also increased, now amounting to 628 HRK.

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frequency of purchase

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Average Value of Online Shopping Cart and Most Sought-After Product Categories

The structure of online shopping among domestic consumers has not changed much compared to last year. The largest share of purchases was recorded in the fashion segment (39%), followed by electronics (14%), beauty and health (12%), and home and garden (12%). This is similar when looking at the share of different segments in terms of purchase value: fashion accounts for 25%, electronics 19%, and home and garden 18% of the value.

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Sources of information

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With the increase in the frequency of online shopping, the new E-commerce Report 2022 also confirmed an increase in the average value of the online shopping cart. Croatian online consumers, therefore, spend an average of 628 HRK per purchase, with the average amount in the fashion segment being 485 HRK, in electronics 1,024 HRK, and in the home and garden segment even 1,171 HRK.

The new E-commerce Report also points to a growing trend in the supermarket segment. This category is still small, with a share of 5% in terms of the number of purchases and 3% in value – but with a strong growth trend, as evidenced by the fact that the online store Konzum Klik made it to the list of the ten most popular Croatian online stores.

Growing Trend of Purchases in Domestic Online Stores

The far-reaching impact of the pandemic has also manifested in changes in online consumer behavior. Covid has influenced domestic online consumers and brought them closer to local online stores. Observing the share of foreign and domestic online stores where Croatian consumers most frequently shop, according to the E-commerce Report 2022, only 10% of the total purchase value goes to foreign online stores or cross-border purchases. The foreign online store with the most purchases is AliExpress, but the average purchase value is exceptionally low, only 178 HRK.

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payment methods

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Analyzed by segments, electronics are most frequently purchased in foreign online stores, while the fashion segment is dominant in domestic online stores.

Regarding payment methods, 54% of respondents pay with any type of payment card, while 36% still choose cash on delivery. Cash on delivery is a characteristic form of payment in markets with lower trust in e-commerce and has been the dominant method of online payment in Croatia for many years.

Dominance of Mobile Phones and Online Research Before Purchase

This year’s E-commerce Report recorded for the first time that more than half of online purchases were made via smartphone, at 56%. When it comes to research before purchase, only 26% of online shoppers use exclusively a computer (PC or laptop) for research, 24% use a combination of computer and mobile phone, while 51% use exclusively a smartphone or tablet.

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devices purchase

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The role of price comparison platforms has become even more relevant in the research phase before purchase. As many as 41% of respondents research online through search engines, and 15% explicitly confirmed that they research on price comparison platforms before making a purchase.

Methodology of Research

The research for this year’s E-commerce Report 2022 was conducted by Valicon and Jeftinije.hr in October 2022 as part of the Web Retailer Award 2022 competition for the best online stores in the Adriatic region. Completed online purchases were observed, and 1,965 consumers participated in the research. The research was conducted with the help of Valicon’s JaZnam panel, as well as through a sample of customers from online stores that independently invited them to participate. The data collected in this way is not used for comparative analyses and is only used to compare online stores with a representative sample.