As can be seen in the attached infographic and in the consumption evolution lines in Portugal recorded by SIBS Analytics, the total number of purchases (physical and online) reached, for the first time in 2021, values above those recorded before COVID-19 – both in the same period (19-25 April, 2019) and compared to the first months of 2020, characterised as the “pre-pandemic” period.
This growth is mainly due to online commerce, which has seen significant growth throughout the pandemic, and is currently 51% above the levels recorded in the “pre-pandemic”. It should also be noted that, in the period before the appearance of the new coronavirus, online commerce represented only 10% of total electronic purchases, and this figure reached 18% in February 2021 and is currently (week of 19-25 April) at 14%.
In this scenario, it is also worth highlighting the growth of MB WAY as a simple and safe means of payment, which grew by 4 times the number of purchases in February 2021 compared to the “pre-pandemic” and by 3.6 times in the first week of the 3rd phase of reopening.
See the remaining consumption indicators in the attached infographics.