During a press conference held in Lisbon on November 18, we presented our 2024 Impact Report for Portuguese SMEs, revealing unprecedented growth for Portuguese SMEs selling on Amazon. The event brought together key business media outlets, Inês Ruvina, Amazon's Country Lead in Portugal, Rita Palmeira, EU Marketplace Manager, and successful Portuguese sellers.
Portuguese SMEs demonstrated remarkable success in 2024, surpassing €145 million in export sales for the first time. These businesses sold over 3 million products on Amazon during the year, representing a 20% increase from the previous year – equivalent to 6 products sold every minute. Notably, over 35% of these SMEs are located in rural or less densely populated areas, recording more than €60 million in export sales in 2024, demonstrating how digital commerce is breaking down traditional geographic barriers.
"At Amazon, we continuously work to develop technology, innovative tools, specialized teams, efficient logistics, and training programs to help SMEs grow and expand their businesses globally," said Inês Ruvina, Amazon's Country Lead in Portugal. "Portuguese SMEs have proven that any business, regardless of size, can leverage our infrastructure to reach millions of consumers worldwide."
As part of its ongoing commitment to Portuguese businesses, Amazon also announced the launch of a dedicated store on Amazon.es offering Portuguese customers a more localised shopping experience and increased visibility for national SMEs.
Leading digital commerce in Europe
As a member of the Digital 9+ (D9+) - an informal group of "digital frontrunners" in Europe who collaborate to shape the EU's digital agenda - Portugal stands out with one of the highest export participation rates among European SMEs selling on Amazon. Over 95% of Portuguese SMEs on Amazon engage in exports, significantly above the EU27 sellers' average of 84%. Portuguese businesses show particularly strong performance in the EU Single Market, with more than 85% of their export sales directed to other EU27 countries.
"Portugal's outstanding performance among D9+ countries, with more than 95% of Portuguese SMEs on Amazon engaging in exports, demonstrates how digital commerce can drive international growth. This achievement, ranking among the highest export participation rates in the EU27, showcases the transformative power of e-commerce for businesses of all sizes" adds Inês Ruvina.
Success stories
The event featured testimonials from successful Portuguese sellers, including Science4You and Happy Meow, who shared their experiences and growth journey with Amazon.
"Quality is our differentiating factor," explains Cristiano Carmo, e-commerce strategic consultant at Happy Meow, a Portuguese brand of vegetable cat litter. Made from 100% plant-based materials, their sustainable cat litter stands out for its odor control and dust-free properties - factors that have created "a giant snowball" of loyal customers. In just a year and a half, the brand has experienced "triple-digit growth per year" and already has 500 subscriptions through the Subscribe & Save program. Spain was their first expansion market, but France, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium are already on the company's roadmap until 2026.
Leveraging Black Friday Week opportunities
The event also highlighted the impact of Amazon's Black Friday Week on Portuguese SMEs' growth. In 2024, these businesses saw their export sales increase by 29.2% compared to 2023, reaching over €7 million during Black Friday, with more than 125,000 units sold - a 60.2% increase year-over-year. Spain, France, and Germany emerged as the main export destinations during this period.
This year's Black Friday Week features hundreds of thousands of deals across all categories, with discounts of up to 30% on selected products, including items from successful Portuguese SMEs like Science4You and Happy Meow.
