Payment methods

The most popular online payment methods among Italian customers are credit cards; and Paypal has become increasingly popular over the last years: while in 2013, only 12% reported the online payment service to be their preferred payment option, in 2015 it was already 22% (Statista).

Most popular payment methods in Italy are:
1. Visa (41%)
2. MasterCard (34%)
3. Paypal (22%)
4. American express (3%)

Cultural differences

The Italians are very proud of their national heritage and associate high quality with the label ‘Made in Italy’. There are, however, large differences between the different regions, which are reflected in the local language, mentality and Identity. Offering services in their own language can be key to earning the Italian shoppers trust, as well as customer reviews, ratings and references.

Online behaviour

While online shopping does not (yet) make up as large of a market share as in other European countries, e-commerce and general online activities are rapidly increasing. Italy is in the top 4 countries in terms of LinkedIn member growths and branches such as tourism and fashion retail increase tremendously. Amongst young Italians, mobile and general internet penetration are even higher than the European average, which indicates a very positive and dynamic future for the Italian e-commerce market.