According to data from Foro de Economía Digital and marketing agency Kanlli, only 3% of respondents expect sales to decline. While the number of digital buyers is growing all the time, healthier sales will also come from higher spending by existing buyers. The same research unveils that 57% believe their average order value would climb by more than 10% in 2014.

Results also point out that strong sales prospects are encouraging higher marketing spend. Almost three-quarters of retail e-commerce executives in Spain have planned to raise their digital marketing budget in 2014. Of those, 37% have declared that the increase would be up to 10%, while 35% expect extra investment of more than 10%. One-quarter have mentioned they would maintain the same budget for digital marketing in 2014 and 3% are looking to cut back.

Findings reveal that online merchants in Spain will increasingly cater for mobile shopping and buying. Only 53% of e-commerce representatives have stated that their websites are currently mobile-optimized, but all of the remaining 47% plan to adapt their websites. A further 4% already have a mobile application up and running.

Research also identifies two key trends shaping the market: showrooming and multichannel sales. Most executives are looking for a rise in multichannel sales in 2014, with 71% saying these would increase. Of that group, 24% believe most sales involving multiple channels would be completed online.