E-commerce in Spain

Spanish consumers discovered online shopping later than other EU consumers. They are rapidly catching up and buying products from foreign online shops. The number of providers is still low compared to countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. Together with Germany and France, Spain makes up the top 3 largest online markets in the EU, so now is the time to get in. You can sell your products to Spanish consumers through an online marketplace, or by setting up your own Spanish language website. 

The market

Spanish consumers appreciate the convenience of e-commerce and buy mainly clothing, shoes, and home appliances online. Spanish people are price-oriented and will often look at price over quality. Research whether there is a Spanish market for your product. 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 give online shops a ring first 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. Only companies with a branch in Spain have to draw up a prevention plan setting out how they plan to reduce packaging.

To register your company, reach out to Ecoembes. Important: their website is only available in Spanish. 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, you are responsible for collecting and disposing of discarded devices. In Spain, you have to list your online shop in the general register of the ‘Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo’ (in Spanish), 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). 

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

The Spanish umbrella organisation for e-commerce is Adigital (in Spanish). Confianza Online (in Spanish) is a widely known e-commerce trust mark in Spain and Spanish consumers are more likely to trust sites with this label, which is similar to the Dutch Thuiswinkel.org trust mark. Confianza provides mediation services in the event of a dispute between a consumer and one of their members.

Payment methods

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

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 European Commission has a website with information about Spanish VAT rates and the VAT rates of other member states. The Spanish word for VAT is IVA; Impuesto al Valor Agregado.

There are two 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.

f your total sales to Spanish consumers and your other intra-EU consumer sales remain below the €10,000 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.

Three 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 published figures on e-commerce in Spain, showing that online revenue reached €51.6 billion in 2020.  CNMC figures also show that e-commerce revenue increased by 11.7% in 2021, amounting to €57.7 billion. In 2022, turnover increased by 25% to more than €72 billion. 

Figures for 2023 are only known for the first half of that year. In Q1, turnover amounted to €19 billion euros, an increase of more than 22.7% over Q1 2022. Turnover in the second quarter was €20 billion euros. An increase of 12.7% compared to 2022.