Online sales drop with reopening of physical stores
  2 min
The reopening of the economy in early April has slwoed down e-commerce sales. According to the portuguese fintech euPago, which specializes in payment services, online sales in the Portuguese market fell by 25% in June, compared to March this year.
The sharp drop in e-commerce can be explained by the end of many restrictive measures on the freedom of movement and operation of physical stores, namely those operating in shopping centres, which allowed the Portuguese to resume some of their traditional consumption habits.
The survey, which sampled 200 customers from different areas of the e-commerce business revealed an abrupt decline in business volume, with effects on all payment methods, including the ATM payments, which represent approximately 85% of the transaction volume of these customers.
Even so, MB Way, an online payment method used in Portugal, which saw a 13% drop in the number of transactions between March and June this year, continues to be the fastest growing payment method in Portugal (about 10% per month).
The month of August showed signs of a promising recovery for almost all businesses in the digital sector. Taking into account the data verified in the first days of the month, the turnover of these customers is expected to reach 40 million euros (8 million more than in June) and the number of transactions to increase by around 40%.
In a typical year, the month of September tends to register a 10% increase compared to August, driven by the end of vacations and the return to school. If this behavior is confirmed, traders will earn 50% more than in June, a significant growth in just 3 months, essential to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the Portuguese economy and on traders.