Categories: Europe

One third of EU shoppers face difficulties with online purchases

One third (33.1%) of EU shoppers have faced difficulties with online shopping, a new study by Eurostat has found.

According to the data, which was recorded in 2023, EU countries that boast the highest share of customer encountering problems with online purchases include Luxembourg (55.5%), the Netherlands (55.2%) and Spain (49.7%).

At the other end of the scale, Portugal (4.3%), Latvia (13.7%), and Cyprus (14.7%) had the lowest percentages of online shoppers encountering problems.

Commonly-cited issues

Slower than expected deliver was cited as the number one problem by online purchasers, reported by 18.7% of customers, Eurostat‘s data showed, followed by retailers‘ websites being difficult to use or malfunctioning, which affected 10.8% of customers.

Incorrect or damaged goods and services was an issue cited by 8.6% of customers, with other problems cited including difficulties finding information concerning guarantees and other legal rights; a less-than-satisfactory complains/redress process; foreign retailers not selling in the customer’s country; final costs being higher than indicated; and problems with fraud. Read more here.

Online Shopping Issues by Country (2023)

Percentage of Individuals Who Encountered an Issue When Shopping Online (2023)

Country	Percentage (%)
Luxembourg	55.51
Netherlands	55.23
Spain	49.69
Finland	48.69
Malta	48.20
Austria	47.78
Sweden	47.75
Ireland	45.13
Belgium	41.30
Denmark	40.68
France	37.14
Czechia	36.41
Croatia	36.18
Estonia	29.78
Hungary	29.20
Slovakia	27.74
Germany	24.30
Lithuania	22.46
Romania	22.41
Italy	22.11
Slovenia	20.12
Bulgaria	19.36
Greece	18.76
Poland	17.76
Cyprus	14.71
Latvia	13.73
Portugal	4.31