1 out of 3 Spaniards no longer shop in retailers that do not have an online store

• Nine out of ten Spanish consumers indicate that they value a business’s commitment to the environment and sustainability when choosing where to buy
• Digital menus have become widespread in most restaurants and are already the favorite option for Spanish diners to consult the menu
• Nine out of ten Spaniards have left a restaurant due to the waiting time to be seated or served
• Online shopping continues to grow. Only 4.4% of Spaniards say they do not make monthly purchases online
• One in two Spaniards would avoid a business with an undesirable return policy
• In beauty and personal care centers, Generation X and Baby Boomers demand customer loyalty actions, while Generation Z prefers to have the possibility of booking with a specific hairdresser or esthetician

Madrid, Spain - Square, the tech company that offers an integrated ecosystem of software and hardware solutions to help in the management and growth of businesses of all sizes, presents the conclusions of the second edition of its study Radiografía del consumo en España. With it, the company offers a vision of the changes, preferences and innovations that Spanish consumers are currently demanding. In addition, as in its first edition, the study includes a detailed analysis of the habits and consumer trends of Spaniards in restaurants, retail stores, as well as beauty and personal care salons.

Last year was marked by the emergence of new technologies that promise to redefine the way in which Spaniards consume products and services. This is the case, for example, of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which emerges as the main driving force of change, posing new challenges and opportunities for several key professional sectors in our country. Moreover, in recent years, we are witnessing a remarkable increase in climate awareness worldwide. In the same way that businesses must integrate technological solutions that help them meet new consumer demands, they must also be aware of the social context. According to the latest report launched by Square, 9 out of 10 Spanish consumers indicate that they value the commitment of the business to the environment and sustainability when choosing where to consume, which highlights the need to continue seeking and betting on sustainable and transparent practices that also help us to strengthen the trust of users.

“The study Radiografía del consumo en España gives us an in-depth understanding of what the past year has been like for Spanish customers, allowing us to continue to fine-tune our suite of integrated solutions to meet the specific needs of Spanish entrepreneurs” claims Gonzalo Saénz, Square’s Head of Sales in Spain. “AI has really emerged strongly in the last year, being a clear example of how technology can contribute not only to maintain the profitability of a business, but also to explore new opportunities for growth. With all this, the flexibility and simplicity offered by digitalization make it a key ally in freeing workers from mechanical tasks, so they can focus on more strategic tasks such as improving user experience, business sustainability and boosting productivity.”

How do Spaniards consume in bars and restaurants?

The restaurant sector was one of the most affected by the pandemic. In this context, restaurants, bars and coffee shops were forced to reinvent themselves, and technology emerged as a key ally. This trend continues to consolidate year after year. Digital menus have spread to most restaurants and are already the favorite option for Spanish diners to consult the menu. What’s more, 58% say they resort to it often when they can opt for a digital menu or a traditional menu.

Cash payment through the waiter (46%) is the preferred way of paying the bill for Spanish diners, closely followed by card payment through the waiter - either in the traditional way (43.3%) or with contactless (35.6%). This shows that diners prefer to pay at the table rather than at the bar. Also, 40.7% say they would avoid a particular restaurant if they could not pay by card.

In addition to the impossibility of paying by card, the fact that there is a limited time to be in the restaurant (43.8%) or that the premises are overcrowded (39.4%) are the main reasons why Spanish diners would avoid a certain establishment. In this regard, 9 out of 10 Spaniards say they have left an establishment due to the long waiting time to be seated or served.

On the other hand, yet another sign of the interest in digitization and how it helps businesses to focus staff efforts on more strategic tasks, is the growing consensus around the use of self-service kiosks. Only 12.5% of Spanish diners refuse to use them to place their orders directly through a member of staff or a waiter.

How do Spaniards consume in beauty and personal care centers?

As is the case of restaurants, card payment is once again the favorite payment method for customers of beauty and personal care establishments, although on this occasion it is closely followed by cash. In addition, 4 out of 10 consumers say they would consider avoiding a particular personal care center if this payment option were not available.

In terms of reservations at this type of establishment, Spanish consumers like the personal touch via phone call (54.3%) or in person (34.5%). However, technology is also making inroads in this area, with more and more consumers opting for online reservation systems (26.2%) or text messages or chat (22.3%).

“Digitalization in business is essential, as it simplifies tasks and improves the user experience.” explains Gonzalo Saénz, Square’s Head of Sales in Spain. “As our study has revealed, Spanish consumers have needs that, without technology, would be very difficult to satisfy. Among customers of beauty and personal care centers, for example, Generation X and Baby Boomers highlight that customer loyalty actions are very important when it comes to choosing one salon over another, with 42.5% and 41.7% respectively. On the other hand, younger generations, such as Generation Z , prefer to be offered a reservation system that allows them to book with a specific hairdresser or esthetician (36.4%)”.

Online sales are also gaining strength in this sector and, although consumers prefer to do it in person at their trusted centers, the number of customers who choose to do it online (33.2%) grew by 11.5 percentage points compared to the previous year.

How do Spaniards consume in stores?

Online shopping continues to grow and more and more Spanish consumers report that they are turning to this option. Moreover, only 4.4% say they do not make monthly purchases online, while 20.9% say they make more than half of their purchases online, which represents a growth of up to 9.9 percentage points compared to the previous year. In fact, 32.5% of Spanish consumers claim to have stopped shopping at a business that did not have an online store. However, in addition to online shopping, social networks also continue to consolidate their position as an effective point of sale, despite the fact that 3 out of 10 consumers are still reluctant to make purchases through this channel on a regular basis.

In a context of constant change, Spaniards are demanding new forms of consumption and require a good user experience when choosing one business over another. Among the options that consumers would like to experience if they were offered by retailers, the most popular are installment payments (42.9%) and the possibility of trying out products through virtual reality (34.2%). On the other hand, 1 out 2 Spaniards say they would avoid a store if the return policies were inconvenient, followed by the impossibility of paying by card (45.9%), not having home delivery (41.1%), or not having free delivery (37.3%).

Moreover, in terms of the shopping experience, purchasing tastes are marked and differentiated by generations. While Generation Z (18-26 years old), Millennials (27-41 years old) and Generation X (42-56 years old) would be very interested in trying out augmented reality in stores in order to explore a store more calmly, Baby Boomers (57-76 years old) value more being able to talk to employees.

Likewise, as in the previous sectors, card payments continue to be the favorite payment method for Spaniards in stores. However, it shows a growing interest in digital wallet applications, whose use has doubled in one year from 7.3% in 2022 to 14% this year.

About Radiografía del consumo en España

The study Radiografía del consumo en España has been conducted by Square with the support of Cint, the world’s leading market research technology software company, among a representative sample of more than 1,000 Spanish consumers of legal age during the first quarter of 2024.

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