Already two-thirds of Slovenians shop online

Information about products or services on the Internet iskalo moreč than three-quarters of the population

In the first quarter of this year, 90 % persons (in 2022: 89 %), aged 16– years (hereinafter: residents) used the Internet. More 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 highest among the group of pupils, high school 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 highest among residents of the coastal-karst statistical region (73 %), followed by Gorenjska (72 %), and the smallest among those from Savinjska and Zasavska (with 59 % each). 

According to age groups, the share was the highest among 16–24-year-olds (84 %; in 2022: 82 %) and the lowest among 65–-year-olds (30 %; in 20 22: 25 %). The share of 55- to 64-year-olds increased the most, by 10 percentage points (to 52).

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

In the 1st quarter, more people shopped online. like half of the population

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 highest in the coastal-karst (63 %) statistical region, followed by the Gorenje region (62 %). Most e-buyers were among 25–year-olds (72 %) and at least, a fifth, among 65–year-olds.

22 % e-buyers had problems with online shopping (in 2021: 38 %). Most (7 %) of them received the purchased products later than was indicated 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, it decreased by 6 or 5 percentage points.

Most often made one or two online purchases

Most e-buyers made 1–2 online purchases (41 %). 3–5 online purchases made by 37 %, 6–10 purchases by 13 % and moreč as 10 online purchases of 9 % e-shoppers.

The physical product was mostly bought from Slovenian online sellers

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

• 66 % clothes (including sports clothes), shoes or accessories (e.g. purse, jewelry),
• 25 % sports equipment (without #141; sports clothing),
• 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 (eg 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.

Transport services for orders of many as a fifth of e-buyers

37 % e-customers bought a digital product or subscribed to a digital service online – 22 % to watch 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 after 6 % electronic books, magazines or newspapers and mobile applications for health or fitness.

The number of customers of online services 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 #141; than the year before:

• 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 extended subscriptions for Internet or mobile telephony services,
• 5 % paid them for the supply of electricity, utilities or other similar services.

11 % and their 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-buyers paid for products or services with a debit or credit card, e.g. BA Maestro, MasterCard, Visa. Almost half of them (43 %) paid for their online purchase with cash upon collection or physically by bank transfer. At least 16 % paid them by bank transfer through e-banking.