Data from the Portuguese Knowledge Society Agency, a Governamental Agency, concerning 2007, shows that from the 67% of the Portuguese people, age between 16 and 74, using the national ATM Network, MULTIBANCO:

• 76% : Top-up their mobile phones;
• 57% : Pay their house bills, like water, electric, land line, television, internet consumptions;
• 10% to 14% : Pay for internet shopping products;
• 9% : Show tickets. e.g. music concerts, football matches;
• 9% : Transport tickets.

Considering ATM transactions as an electronic transaction, Portugal matches most developed countries in Europe in terms of e-commerce adoption.

Nevertheless, considering e-commerce through internet, only 6% of the Portuguese populating shop through this medium. In the other hand, if we would consider only the universe of the Portuguese internet users this percentage raises to 80%, according to the same instituion.

Statistics apart, there’s a visible disparity between the average internet users in European developed countries and the Portuguese. They distrust internet services, especially those involving money transactions, preferring to hold and touch products before buying and pay directly to merchants. Credit cards and online banking systems are not commonly widespread in Portugal, even if our ATM system is world state-of-the-art.

Language barriers also disables biggest e-commerce reailters, like Amazon, to do business in Portugal where the majority of people are not at ease with foreign languages.

Even so, by being stuck in a distant corner of Europe, we should embrace e-commerce and leverage the reach of Portuguese products to foreign countries, who admire and consider our products unique. Like Jonhy Depp, who in his recent  movie “Public Enemies“ wears Portuguese hats or Marks & Spencer , which teams up with a Port Wine house and introduces Pink Port to a more feminine industry.

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