According to data from a recent Eurostat release, many online shoppers encounter issues when buying products online. Different countries throughout the region have different numbers of people experiencing problems, and some of the most common issues shoppers run into include delivery problems, poor website user experiences, and difficulty finding important information.
More Than 35% of European Online Shoppers Encounter Issues
The Eurostat release found that more than a third of online shoppers in Europe (35.4%, to be exact) have reported that they’ve experienced problems while shopping online in 2025. This information is according to a 2025 survey on the use of information and communication technologies.
These issues are impacting a lot of people in total, as more than three-quarters of all internet users in Europe shop online. As a result, millions and millions of people throughout Europe run into problems that negatively impact their online shopping experience.
Breakdown by Location
In addition to providing the total percentage of people who encounter problems, the release also breaks down the countries where people experience the most and the fewest issues. Among EU countries, Malta sits at the top of the list, as 64% of online shoppers there report running into problems.
However, keep in mind that Norway has a higher percentage than Malta, but isn’t an official member of the EU. After Malta, the Netherlands has the next highest share at 57.9%, followed by Luxembourg at 51.4%. Other countries where over 50% of online shoppers have issues include Hungary and Spain.
On the other side of things, Portugal reported the fewest problems. In fact, only 4.5% of online shoppers in the country ran into issues. In addition to people rarely reporting problems there, ecommerce in Portugal is growing quickly compared to recent years. Other countries where it’s rarer for online shoppers to encounter issues include Greece (10.6%) and Latvia (13.3%).
The Most Common Problems European Online Shoppers Encounter
The stats also covered which online shopping-related issues were the most common in Europe. The most common problem reported was delivery speeds being slower than indicated, which is an issue that 19.9% of respondents have experienced. The next most frequent concern, at 11.5%, was that a website was difficult to use or worked unsatisfactorily.
Coming in at third was when wrong or damaged goods or services were delivered, at 10.4%. Other issues that were reported include difficulty finding information about guarantees or legal rights, unsatisfactory responses after complaints, foreign retailers not selling in their country, final costs being higher than indicated, and problems with fraud.
As a result, you can see there are several issues that plague ecommerce shoppers in Europe and hurt their shopping experience. For ecommerce brands looking to succeed or break into the European market, it’s important to take note of these common challenges and prevent them from happening to your customers.
By ensuring your customers don’t suffer from these problems, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and stand out in a market that clearly has some issues when it comes to the experiences of online shoppers.
