Portugal's e-commerce is growing rapidly

Why the market is now particularly interesting for German traders

Portuguese online retail will reach a new record level in 2025: the nationwide e-commerce volume will rise to around 11 billion euros. More and more consumers are shopping online – and a growing proportion of them are specifically ordering from international shops. This opens up attractive opportunities for German retailers, especially if shipping and customs clearance are handled efficiently and reliably.

A market that is growing – and opening up internationally.

Around 59 percent of Portuguese people aged 16 to 74 shop online regularly. This growth is driven by two clear trends:

1. Strong habituation to online shopping – Portugal's population is increasingly using mobile devices, online payment and social commerce.

2. Increasing openness to international shops – Many consumers find the selection and prices of foreign retailers more attractive than the domestic market.

This creates a market that becomes more interesting for German retailers – especially in sectors such as fashion, lifestyle, electronics, sports, cosmetics or specialized niche products.

Why Portugal is strategically interesting for German traders

1. High willingness to buy international products

Portuguese buyers are considered particularly brand- and price-conscious. German retailers benefit from two factors here:

• high quality perception of German products

• Strong demand for product ranges that are less prevalent in Portugal.

2. Lower market saturation than in other EU countries

While markets like France, Spain or Italy are significantly more competitive, Portugal offers a more affordable entry into Southern Europe.

3. EU single market facilitates exports and customs

Even though customs duties within the EU are not a factor, challenges such as VAT regulations, IOSS issues, shipping cost calculations, and processing delays remain. Merchants who manage these hurdles professionally gain a significant advantage.

The decisive success factor: Fast, transparent and secure logistics

Especially in growth markets like Portugal, what matters most to retailers is: reliable deliveryLack of transparency, complicated shipping processes, or unclear costs prevent cross-border sales – even though the demand is there.

This is where worldwide shipping comes in:

• Customs costs and shipping calculation in seconds

• Fixed price guarantee and no surprise costs

• Zero-click label creation for maximum efficiency in daily business

• Direct integrations into shop systems such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, Billbee, Odoo and many more.

• Seamless international delivery including handling of all formalities

For retailers, this means they can test and scale Portugal – and other EU and non-EU countries – without additional effort.

Which retailers are currently benefiting most?

Entering the Portuguese market is particularly worthwhile for:

• Retailers with successful pan-European campaigns (e.g., high demand in Spain or France)

• Brands with lifestyle or fashion products

• Shops that offer unique or hard-to-find goods

• D2C brands that want to quickly tap into new markets

• Companies that are already well positioned with current payment and returns processes

Those who act early secure the best market shares before the competition intensifies.

Portugal represents an underestimated growth potential in 2026.

Portuguese e-commerce continues to grow in strength and become more international. German retailers have a real opportunity here if they have shipping, customs, and costs well under control. With worldwide shipping, companies can test market entry simply, securely, and without added complexity.

Growth markets like Portugal demonstrate that international shipping will become a more strategic revenue driver than ever before in 2025. Retailers who recognize this early can tap into new revenue streams before others follow suit.

Read more:

Associação de Economia Digital (AED) / Ecommerce News — The article “Portuguese online shopping reaches €11 billion in 2025” reports that Portuguese people spent around €11 billion on online purchases in 2025 (B2C, national and international).

ANACOM (Portuguese regulatory authority for communications) — According to their 2025 statistics, in 2024 approximately 48,9% of 16- to 74-year-olds in Portugal had made an online purchase within the previous three months.