Greek consumers had one of the highest percentages of purchases in Europe from foreign e-shops at around 30%.
Cross-border commerce in Greece accounts for 30% of total online purchases and estimates show that 54% of buyers prefer e-stores based in the UK, followed by China at 47%, the USA at 34%, and Germany at 21%. Amazon and its third-party merchants continued to lead internet retailing in Greece, recording a combined value share of 12%, followed by eBay 8%.
Despite the rapid growth of eCommerce, most businesses in Greece do not yet make the most out of the cross-border eCommerce potential. Only 24% of Greek retailers sell online to consumers in other EU countries, while almost twice as many (47%) sell online in their own country. Nevertheless, the cross-border trade is constantly growing as an increasing number of Greek traders are selling abroad and expand their business at international level. The main markets that buy goods and services from Greece are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy.
Cash on delivery remains the most popular method of payment, whereas most electronic payments are made with credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and Bank transfers. 51% of consumers used credit cards for their online purchases in 2016, up from 44% in 2015.
The use of the mobile devices for digital transactions is rapidly increasing among Greeks. Nine out of ten online consumers have daily access to the Internet via their mobile phones, eight out of ten through a laptop computer, seven out of ten via a tablet, and only six out of ten via desktop PC. Daily banking mobile transactions account for 25% of the total, bidding 20%, accessing suppliers’ or retailers’ mobile applications 20%,