Latest news and stories about online shopping in Portugal for expats and residents.
Systems adjust values based on user behaviour, making pricing less transparent and harder to compare. A column by Miguel Tomás Gomes
The European Commission highlighted that “products identified as illegal or unsafe are reappearing on the platforms in an alarming manner.”
Cosmetics, personal protective equipment or food supplements. A European Commission operation showed that the majority of products purchased online from third-country operators do not comply with the safety and labelling standards in force in the European Union.
The European Commission reveals that “the majority of non-compliant products originated from third countries, especially China, the United States, and the United Kingdom.”
Pre-filled carts, fake timers, and hidden fees are among the practices reported by an inspection of 314 online stores in 25 countries coordinated by the EU. Portugal participated.
The European Commission and national consumer protection authorities identified inaccuracies in 30% of online discount campaigns during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. The results come from a sweep of online discounts conducted by the EU executive and authorities.
Online shopping is increasing, with small retail stores acting as a fundamental network for parcel collection and delivery, gaining revenue and foot traffic, but also dealing with complaints.
In contrast to this trend, Portugal has the lowest rate of problems with online shopping (4.5%), well below the European average of 35.4%.
This Christmas, more purchases were made and more money was spent on online transactions.
The number of purchases in December increased by 8% compared with last year, with online retail purchases up 19%.
The European Union has introduced a three euro tax on packages that are delivered through online shopping.
According to the CTT e-Commerce Report 2025, the national digital commerce market has grown by 6.7% in a sector worth over €125 billion in the Iberian Peninsula. The data was released this Thursday at an event hosted by CTT, which Expresso partnered with as a media partner.
