Internet based businesses

4.5 million Spaniards purchase items via the Web, with total sales in 2005 totalling over €2bn, an increase of 17% on the previous year.

Amongst the sectors which have experienced a greater growth are pet-related purchases and cruise-ship reservations.

Previous barriers to growth of online commerce in Spain appear to be coming down, particularly where security of internet payments is concerned. Only 30% of Spaniards, according to a study by Nielsen, now claim that worries over the safety of their online payments put a stop to making a purchase via the Web.

This trend is now opening up opportunities to Internet entrepreneurs, both in terms of establishing an online commerce operation in Spain but also in terms of exploiting an increasing thirst for content-based and social networking websites adapted to the taste of the Spanish-speaking consumer.