E-commerce in Spain

Spanish consumers were late to start shopping online, but they are quickly catching up. They are also increasingly buying from foreign webshops. Chinese platforms in particular have been popular in recent years. Spain, together with Germany and France, is one of the 3 largest online markets in the EU. You can reach Spanish customers via national marketplaces or with your own Spanish-language webshop. 

The market

Spanish consumers appreciate the convenience of e-commerce and buy mainly electronic devices, clothing, and shoes online. Spanish people are price-oriented and will often look at price over quality. Research whether there is a Spanish market for your product. Can you offer a competitive price? Also check that your product meets local product requirements (in Dutch).

Spanish companies generally provide a lower level of service than in other countries, which can lead to disappointing experiences for consumers. In Spain, it is common for people to call online shops before ordering to verify that they are real. By providing Spanish-speaking customer service, you can assist customers in their own language, while taking orders by phone can increase your turnover.

Online marketplaces are also popular in Spain. Spaniards often buy on Chinese platforms such as Alibaba, Temu, and Shein. Reasons for this are the range of different products, competitive prices, and the many promotions and discounts offered by the platforms.   

Spanish e-commerce regulations

Spain does not have its own local rules and regulations for e-commerce and has harmonised its laws with European rules. These rules are similar to those in the Netherlands, which makes entering the Spanish e-commerce market relatively straightforward. If you sell consumer goods within the EU, make sure you comply with European safety requirements.

Packaging Act

Do you sell packaged products online to Spanish consumers? Or through a platform in Spain? Then you must comply with local packaging regulations. These are part of the EU Packaging and packaging waste directive. Spanish packaging rules are stricter than  in the Netherlands. Companies that place even a single gram of packaging material on the Spanish market have to be registered.

To register your company, reach out to Ecoembes. Every year, you have to report how much packaging you used for your products, so it is important to keep track of how many units of packaging you sell in Spain from the moment you register. You may be fined for failing to comply with the rules.

WEEE Directive

The WEEE Directive, or ‘Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive’, states that if your online shop sells electrical and electronic devices, then you are responsible for collecting and processing the discarded equipment yourself. In Spain, you have to list your online shop in the general register of the Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo, the organisation responsible for implementing this EU directive in Spain.

Register a local domain name

Spanish consumers prefer Spanish-language websites. You can register domain names with an .es extension with red.es (in Spanish). This official organisation registers and maintains domain names with Spanish extensions.  

You can register a website with an .es domain extension with Dutch hosting companies without having to meet any special requirements or conditions. Anyone is free to register domain names that have not yet been taken.

E-commerce trust marks

Trust marks are important in Spain. Almost 61% of Spanish online shoppers say that a trust mark is an important factor in building trust. It is therefore important when shopping online, and a trust mark helps to build that trust. It shows that a webshop is secure and customer-friendly. 

Does your webshop not have a trust mark? Then many Spanish shoppers will leave your webshop. A trust mark can therefore have a direct impact on your sales.

A well-known Spanish trust mark is Confianza Online (in Spanish). Spanish consumers trust webshops with this quality mark. It is similar to the Dutch quality mark from Thuiswinkel.org. Confianza Online also helps with complaints. The organisation puts consumers in touch with affiliated webshops. This allows parties to resolve differences of opinion more quickly.

Another example of a quality mark is Trusted Shops. Many Spanish webshops use this European trust mark.

Payment methods

Spanish people prefer paying via PayPal, TPV Virtual, by credit card, or by bank transfer. If you allow your customers to pay by bank transfer, set up a Spanish bank account to facilitate the payment process. 

Spaniards like to shop via smartphone or tablet. As a result, Bizum is becoming increasingly popular. Bizum is an app and is similar to the Dutch tikkie. It allows you to pay quickly and directly via your banking app.

VAT on distance sales Spain

If your online shop sells products to Spanish consumers, the 'destination country principle' applies. This rule also applies to entrepreneurs who are not subject to VAT and to legal entities that are not entrepreneurs, which means that you have to charge Spanish VAT to Spanish consumers. The Spanish term for VAT is IVA; Impuesto al Valor Agregado. More information about Spanish VAT rates can be found at Agencia Tributaria. This is the Spanish Tax Administration.

There are 2 ways to file overseas VAT returns.

1. Apply for a Spanish VAT number and file local VAT returns in Spain.
2. Sign your company up for the Union scheme under the One-Stop-Shop system of the Dutch tax authorities, who will then pass on the VAT to Spain.

If your total sales to Spanish consumers and your other intra-EU consumer sales remain below the €10,000 annual threshold, you are allowed to continue to charge Dutch VAT as a Dutch online shop. Find out everything you need to know about VAT and international business.

3 tips

1. Tailor your online shop to the local market. Spanish consumers should feel at home on your site, so use a Spanish address and phone number.
2. Have your copy, banners, contact details, and emails translated into Spanish by a professional translator.
3. For even better results, use Google Keyword Planner and give your translator a list of preferred words. Avoid English copy. Using well-translated Spanish copy improves your findability in search engines such as Google.

Figures

Spain’s National Authority for Markets and Competition (CNMC, in Spanish) has figures on online trade in Spain. Spanish e-commerce turnover was €95.2 billion in 2024. This is an increase of 13.1% compared to 2023. The Spanish online market has been growing for years.

The previous years also showed strong growth:

• 16.3% growth in 2023 with a turnover of more than €84 billion
• 25.0% growth in 2022 with a turnover of more than €72 billion

The Spanish umbrella organisation for e-commerce is Adigital. You can find reports with market information on the website.