71% of young Maltese buy online

Travel tickets and computer software top the Maltese online shopping list.

71% of Maltese aged between 15 and 24 have shopped online in the past year, compared to just a third of 40 to 54 year olds and 15% of over 55 year olds.

Moreover, while younger Maltese tend to buy more online than their European counterparts, those over 40 tend to buy less, a pan-European survey conducted by Eurobarometer shows.

Among 15 to 54 year olds, while 58% of respondents from the EU's 27 Member States shop online, 71% in the same cohort shop online in Malta. But while 55% of  40 to 54 year olds shop in line in the EU, only 33% of Maltese in the same cohort do likewise.

Maltese are the most likely within the EU to buy online from outside the 27-nation trading block, and least likely to buy online from local online providers. The Maltese are also less likely than other Europeans to shop online for concert and event tickets. 

While 23% of respondents in all EU Member States bought event tickets online, only 9% of Maltese respondents did likewise.

The Maltese were also less likely to buy films, travel tickets, hotel accommodation and financial services than fellow Europeans, but were more likely to shop online for computer software.

Among the 27 EU Member States, the Maltese are the most likely to buy online from outside the European trading block.

In fact, while only 6% of EU citizens shopped online from non-EU sellers, 22% of Maltese shoppers bought from companies based outside the EU.

The survey shows that 43% of Maltese respondents have shopped online in past year compared to EU average of 45%.

Malta fares better than Cyprus and Portugal, where only 30% shop online.

The overall proportion of online shoppers is highest in Sweden (79%), Denmark (76%) and the Netherlands (75%).

The Maltese were the least likely to shop online from sellers located in their own country.

In fact, only 6% of Maltese have shopped online from a seller located in their country, compared to 40% of EU citizens.

Other smaller countries like Cyprus (7%) and Luxemburg (10%) also register low rates of shopping online from their own country.

People in Luxembourg are most likely to make online purchases from sellers based in other EU countries (50%), with high figures also seen in Denmark (36%), Malta (36%), Ireland (34%) and Austria (31%).  

When asked why they do not shop online, the Maltese were the most likely to say that they do not do so because they do not know how.

When asked why they do not buy online from sellers in other EU Member States, 43% of Maltese claimed that they do so because they do not know how. Only 9% of respondents of all 24 EU countries gave the same reason.

28% of Maltese respondents gave the same reason for not shopping online from sellers located in their own country, compared to 15% of EU citizens.

The most popular reason for not buying online from local sellers is the preference for buying from shops. In fact, 39% of Maltese gave this reason for local outlets. 27% gave this reason for outlets located in another EU Member State.

The Maltese tend to buy online from abroad with relative frequency.

The highest figures for frequent online purchases (once a month or more) from another EU Member State are registered in Poland (37% once a month or more), Luxembourg (36%), Malta (36%) and Ireland (30%). The lowest figures are in Sweden (10% once a month or more).

When online the Maltese also tend to buy from big brands.

The proportion who say they always use the websites of well-known brands is highest in Luxembourg (73%) and Malta (70%), while the lowest figures are in Denmark (37%), Poland (39%) and Austria (39%).

Malta also has a high proportion of people who say they always check online reviews from other buyers (66%). On this issue, Poland has one of the highest figures (62%), along with Italy (56%) and Croatia (54%). People in Finland are least likely to say that  they always check online reviews from other buyers (25%). Once again, Austria (31%) and Denmark (31%) have low figures.

People in Slovakia (29%), Malta (28%), the Czech Republic (27%) and Austria (27%) are most likely to say that cheaper prices for deliveries would encourage them to buy online form sellers located in another EU Member State.

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Could the answer as to why Maltese prefer to order online is because they can get the merchandise a lot cheaper than if they where to buy it from Maltese retailers? Why should one pay three times the price if he/she buys the same exact merchandise in Malta, when online they get a better deal? That goes not just for merchandise but for everything else. Check online and compare prices and yes if you are going to order online make sure you are dealing with a reputable retailer.