Already two-thirds of Slovenians shop online

More than three quarters of the population searched for information about products or services on the Internet

In the first quarter of this year, 90 % persons (in 2022: 89 %) aged 16-74 (hereinafter: residents) used the Internet. More than three quarters of the population (77 %) used this route to search for information about products or services, among other things; the share was the largest among the group of pupils, students or students and the group of employees or self-employed (86 % each), and the smallest among pensioners (52 %).

18 % inhabitants sold a product or offered a service, e.g. via the websites bolha.com, e-bay.com, Facebook Marketplace. Among men, the share was 22%, and among women 13%.

The share of residents who made at least one online purchase grew the most among the elderly

Two thirds of the population made at least one online purchase in the 12 months before the survey (April 2022–March 2023) (in 2022: 63 %); the share was the largest among residents from the Obalno-Karst statistical region (73 %), followed by Gorenja (72 %), and the smallest among those from Savinjska and Zasavska (with 59 % each).

By age group, the proportion was the highest among 16-24-year-olds (84 %; in 2022: 82 %) and the lowest among 65-74-year-olds (30 %; in 2022: 25 %). The share among 55-64-year-olds increased the most, by 10 percentage points (to 52 %).

Income from online sales of products or services or a fifth of companies with at least 10 employees and the self-employed were created in the previous year by accepting orders or reservations online. In total, this revenue amounted to around EUR 3,950 million (excluding VAT).

In the 1st quarter, more than half of the population shopped online

Around 833,135 or 53 % residents (hereinafter: e-buyers) made at least one online purchase in the first three months of this year. Also in this period, the share of e-buyers was the largest in the coastal-karst statistical region (63 %), followed by the Gorenje region (62 %). The largest number of e-buyers were among the 25-34-year-olds (72 %) and the least, a fifth, among the 65-74-year-olds.

22 % e-shoppers had problems with online shopping (in 2021: 38 %). Most of them (7 %) received the purchased products later than stated at the time of purchase, and in 2021 a fifth of e-buyers encountered this problem.

Compared to 2021, when the covid-19 epidemic was declared, the shares of online shopping in the last 3 months or 12 months before the survey decreased by 6 or 5 percentage points.

Most often made one or two online purchases

Most e-shoppers made 1-2 online purchases (41 %). 3-5 online purchases were made by 37 %, 6-10 purchases by 13 % and more than 10 online purchases by 9 % e-buyers.

The majority bought the physical product from Slovenian online sellers

The majority of e-shoppers, 96 % or about 801,020 inhabitants, bought a physical product:

• 66 % clothing (including sportswear), shoes or accessories (e.g. purse, jewellery),
• 25 % sports equipment (without sports clothes),
• 24 % cosmetics or relaxation products,
• 24 % furniture, home accessories (e.g. carpet, curtains) or garden products (e.g. tools, plants),
• 24 % medicines or nutritional supplements (e.g. vitamins).

81 % bought physical products or ordered them online from sellers from Slovenia, and half from providers from other EU member states. 22 % e-buyers made an online purchase from sellers from countries outside the EU. For three of the hundred e-buyers, the country of origin of the online seller could not be determined.

Streaming services are ordered by more than a fifth of e-customers

37 % e-customers bought a digital product or subscribed to a digital service online - 22 % watched movies or serials or to streaming services, e.g. on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, SkyShowtime or Voya, 14 %s downloaded music from the Internet or listened to it via it, e.g. via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify. After 9 %, they bought video games online or computer or other programs (including upgrades), and under 6 % electronic books, magazines or newspapers and mobile health or fitness applications.

The number of online service buyers continues to increase

41 % e-customers or around 337,890 inhabitants ordered or bought at least one service online, which was 5 percentage points more than a year earlier:

• 31 % booked accommodation in a hotel or hostel,
• 18 % bought a plane, bus or train ticket or hired transport (e.g. GoOpti), taxi, car,
• 13 % concluded or renewed subscriptions for Internet or mobile telephony services,
• 5 % paid for the supply of electricity, utilities or other similar services.

11 %, and the accommodation or transport was ordered from a natural person: 9 % accommodation, e.g. room, apartment, house via the Airbnb platform, and 3 % transportation by car as fellow passengers, e.g. via prevoz.org, BlaBlaCar.

Payment by debit or credit card is the most common choice

Two-thirds of e-shoppers paid for products or services with a debit or credit card, e.g. BA Maestro, MasterCard, Visa. Almost half of them (43 %) paid for the online purchase with cash upon collection or physically by bank transfer. At least 16 %s paid by bank transfer via e-banking.