Study on Online Grocery Shopping in Spain: 5 Key Insights to Understand the Digital Consumer
- Gonzalo Pérez Gasca
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
E-grocery spending in Spain grew by 18% in 2024[1]. An analysis of thousands of orders processed through our e-commerce solution reveals increasingly defined patterns about how, when, and what consumers buy through this channel.
In recent years, we have witnessed how e-commerce has transformed entire industries. But if there’s one sector where change has been particularly striking, it’s food retail. Traditionally tied to the in-store experience, the supermarket now fits into a single click. What was once an occasional option has now become a habit for thousands of consumers.
In 2024, online grocery spending in Spain reached €6.215 billion, growing 18% year-over-year. And most importantly: it’s not just a matter of volume, but of digital maturity.
At Aktios, we have identified five key insights that help us understand this new digital consumer profile. Five clues that also represent five opportunities to anticipate their needs.
Online shopping is planned, not impulsive
Most orders are concentrated in very specific time slots—between 12:00–14:00 and 18:00–22:00—and are scheduled with little advance notice: 60% are programmed for the following day. This behavior indicates that online grocery shopping is used as a “stock-up” channel for pantry replenishment, rather than to resolve unexpected needs.
What does this mean for operators?
Campaigns should be activated during peak hours, and logistics availability must adapt to this short planning window. Ensuring fast and reliable deliveries within this timeframe becomes a competitive advantage.
The dominant prifile is clear, but not unique
71% of online grocery purchases are made by women aged 35 to 65. This highly digitalized group, with strong decision-making power in the household, values efficiency and personalization. However, there is also growing adoption among seniors, while penetration among consumers under 35 remains low—an interesting opportunity area.
Business opportunity:
Platforms must adapt to different levels of digital literacy. This means accessible interfaces, intuitive navigation, and features like “repeat last purchase” or “favorites” to reduce friction. At the same time, there’s room to capture younger audiences with more mobile-first, impulse-driven, or lifestyle-integrated strategies.
Fresh products are no longer a barrier
Fruits and vegetables appear in more than 87% of orders and can represent up to 17% of the total basket value. This shows that initial consumer distrust of buying fresh products online is fading. Customers are beginning to trust the quality of this category.
Recommended strategy:
Investing in assortment quality, realistic visuals, and freshness guarantees can be decisive in attracting and retaining users. Seafood and meat—still with limited presence—are high-value categories that could grow if consumer trust and delivery experience improve.
Search is the starting point of the experience
With a 38.5% conversion rate, the search bar is the most commonly used tool to add products to the cart. Likewise, features that recommend frequently purchased or previously ordered products also show strong conversion (23%).
Tactical recommendation:
Optimizing the search engine, including useful filters (by price, category, diet, favorite brands), and ensuring relevant results should be a technical priority. UX/UI design decisions directly impact profitability.
Average basket size depends more on commercial strategy than on the consumer
Online baskets usually range between €70 and €160, but what really drives them are shipping policies. Retailers that offer free delivery from a certain threshold (e.g., €100) raise the average basket value by encouraging larger purchases.
Business implication:
Well-defined thresholds not only reduce per-order logistics costs but can also be leveraged to design promotions, bundles, or automated recommendations that encourage customers to complete their carts.
Conclusion: Data is no longer just diagnosis, but a lever for action
Online grocery shopping is no longer a future promise: it’s a living, demanding, and constantly evolving market. And in this context, data is not the end point, but the starting point. What matters is not just knowing which products top the digital cart, but understanding what drives those decisions, how to improve each experience, and how to accompany customers in a journey that is no longer just a transaction, but a relationship.
At Aktios, we help our clients go beyond the sale: we design digital experiences that combine convenience, efficiency, and profitability, without losing sight of what matters most—people. Because in a world where the consumer is just one click away… every decision counts. And every well-interpreted data point can make the difference.
Want to know how to apply these insights to your business?
Download our full report (Spanish):
[1] Source: NIQ Iberia Report, 2024
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