Spain’s e-commerce landscape is shaped by a dominant multinational presence, with Amazon leading the charge in online retail. Estimates place annual revenues in Spain around €6 billion, and PwC notes that Spanish SMEs selling on Amazon added nearly €800 million to the national economy in 2020. Amazon’s brokerage income remains a sizable portion of total revenue, yet the company views its SME partnerships as a strategic lever and continues to compete directly with major Chinese platforms like AliExpress. The market is clear: online commerce now accounts for about 19% of revenue generated by Spanish companies in 2021, a share that is expected to grow. PwC also reports that 94% of the Hispanic population uses mobile devices to access the internet, a trend that has surged by roughly 20 percentage points since 2019, while 67% use mobile devices for shopping. In this climate, small and medium-sized enterprises cannot be sidelined.
From 2016 through 2020, online sales among Spanish firms were largely flat, but the pandemic acted as a catalyst, accelerating digital commerce adoption. According to PwC, the period from 2019 to 2020 saw a six-point jump in the share of companies selling through e-commerce—the sharpest rise in a decade. This shift underscored how consumer behavior and business models were redefined by the crisis and the opportunities of online channels.
The ongoing e-commerce rivalry in Spain has centered on consolidating virtual storefronts that attract independent sellers. The so-called Marketplaces war has produced clear leaders. Industry insiders say a market can support only a handful of broad-spectrum operators, and remaining outside these few would mean forfeiting a large portion of online sales. Current momentum suggests Amazon, El Corte Inglés, and AliExpress will maintain their positions as the primary general outlets for most Spanish consumers and retailers.
PwC’s analysis, The Economic Impact of Spanish SMEs Selling Through the Amazon Marketplace, reveals that more than seven in ten small and medium-sized Spanish firms that sell on Amazon saw higher turnover after joining the platform. Roughly half reported more than 25% growth in sales. The study also indicates that for every euro directly contributing to GDP from SMEs selling on Amazon, about 2.8 euros circulate through the wider Spanish economy, underscoring the broader economic impact of the marketplace model. In practical terms, this translates into substantial incremental activity—well over €800 million in direct contributions from these sellers.
Beyond macroeconomic effects, the weight of marketplaces in corporate strategy is rising. The core markets where Spanish SMEs export via Amazon include France, with exports surpassing €170 million; Germany, around €145 million; and Italy, exceeding €140 million. Amazon’s footprint in Spain has grown steadily since 2013, with direct investment surpassing €10.5 billion and the creation of thousands of jobs—reflecting how marketplace-driven growth can shape a nation’s employment landscape and supply chains in the long term. This dynamic remains central as businesses seek scalable channels to reach customers across Europe and beyond, balancing marketplace visibility with independent storefronts to optimize reach and margins. It is a trend that shows no signs of slowing down, driven by consumer demand, digital penetration, and the strategic value of online marketplaces in modern commerce.