E-commerce continues to grow in Italy

According to the eCommerce B2C Observatory of Netcomm and the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano, Italy's business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce market reached €58.8 billion in 2024, an increase of 6% on the previous year. This expansion was driven primarily by online purchases of services, which rose by 8% to €20.2 billion. The most dynamic sectors included Tourism and Transport (+8%) and Event Ticketing (+9%).

Product sectors in focus

Online purchases of products reached €38.6 billion, up 6% compared with 2023. Among the strongest-performing sectors were:

• Furniture and home living: +12%, thanks to the adoption of technologies such as Extended Reality and value-added logistics services
• Beauty & Pharma: +12%, supported by growing demand for personal care products
• Food & Grocery: +8%, recovering after the contraction recorded in 2023

Other sectors, such as Computing and Consumer Electronics and Clothing, recorded growth broadly in line with the market average, at between 5% and 6%.

Online penetration and consumer behaviour

Online sales as a share of total retail purchases in Italy rose to 13%, with a breakdown of 17% for services and 11% for products. This indicates growing confidence among Italian consumers in online shopping.

Implications for businesses

The continued growth of B2C e-commerce in Italy offers businesses an opportunity to expand their online presence. Investing in innovative technologies, improving the user experience and adopting omnichannel strategies are essential to meeting the needs of modern consumers.

For further details and analysis, see the official announcement from the eCommerce B2C Observatory of Netcomm and the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano.