E-commerce continues to grow in strength and popularity in Croatia. Each market has its own characteristics, and consumers their own habits. The E-commerce Croatia Association provides detailed insights into the purchasing preferences of Croatian online shoppers.
According to the data, as many as 50% of Croatian online customers shop at Croatian webshops and feel more secure making transactions on domestic sites. By contrast, only 8.2% of customers make purchases from foreign online stores — which highlights just how important it is to localise offerings and tailor activities to the market.
Purchasing Decisions
A new study conducted among 1,439 Croatian online shoppers in November 2023 by the E-Commerce Croatia Association and Algebra University College found that 46% of customers shop online at least once a month. Particularly noteworthy in this year’s research is a significant increase in the number of customers who shop online every day — while this figure stood at 1% last year, it has quadrupled to 3.9% this year. At the same time, the share of customers shopping several times a week fell markedly, from 24.8% last year to 14.7% this year.
The results clearly show that once a consumer begins shopping online, they tend to spend larger amounts. Those who spent between €100 and €500 account for 29.5% of all customers, while those spending between €500 and €1,000 represent 26.1%. The two most generous spending categories are similarly sized: 17.6% spend between €1,000 and €2,000, while 17.4% spend more than €2,000 on online purchases annually.
Croatian consumers enjoy buying discounted products and often seek out the best-priced option — though this does not appear to be as decisive a factor for online shoppers specifically. Some actively search for the lowest price, others do not; however, 88% respond positively if a retailer offers a broad range of promotional products.
Payments
Perhaps surprisingly, Croatians are concerned about data security when paying by card and frequently opt for alternative payment methods — meaning cash-on-delivery remains a significant option for them. Although card payments account for nearly 35% of the market, cash on delivery represents 31% of all transactions. Research indicates this is primarily driven by concerns about website security, which can be addressed through a certified secure shopping certificate (available in Croatia) or credible user reviews.
Among other payment options, PayPal is the most commonly chosen intermediary, followed by direct bank transfer to the seller’s account and AirCash. There are currently no buy-now-pay-later or instalment payment providers in the market, which means very few consumers use these options.
Who Buys What?
What has not changed? The buyer profile. For several consecutive years, Croatians have most commonly purchased clothing and footwear online (40%), followed by electronics (13.1%), cosmetics (9.7%), furniture (6%), and groceries and event tickets (5.5% each). The largest customer group is Millennials (aged 27–42) with higher education qualifications.
Opportunities for Foreign E-commerce Businesses
Looking at Croatian consumer behaviour over the years, long-term trends are clearly visible — trends that align with the purchasing habits of consumers across Europe. It is important to remember, however, that every market is different and requires localisation strategies tailored to the specific consumer.
Croatia’s e-commerce sector is considerably less developed than its equivalents in larger European markets — meaning competition is not as fierce, and there is still space for new businesses looking to establish themselves in Croatia and, in the future, expand into other Balkan countries that are several years behind Croatia in terms of e-commerce maturity.
Do you need help expanding your online store into Croatia? Get in touch — together with our team, we can help you successfully launch your operations in the Croatian market.