E-commerce and generations compared: how to provide tailored customer support

2025 marks a milestone for Italian e-commerce, with 91,000 businesses operating their own online sales sites. This represents a 3.4% growth compared to the previous year, confirming the sector's vitality in Italy. Leading this expansion are joint-stock companies, whose numbers grew by 8.5%, from 47,000 in 2024 to 51,000 in 2025.
This growth is not only quantitative but also qualitative: many businesses are investing in increasingly sophisticated digital strategies and advanced technological infrastructures. These are signs of a more mature market, reflecting sector consolidation and evolution toward more structured and globally competitive business models. At the core is a key concept: achieving an effective balance between offline and online operations.
The Italian e-commerce sector is predominantly led by micro and small enterprises, but it also includes a significant presence of larger companies with a stronger national reach.
Most e-commerce businesses in Italy were established between 6 and 25 years ago, but there is a noticeable increase in the average age, indicating the sector's growing maturity and the stabilization of digital enterprises.
Among industries, Commerce is the most prominent, accounting for 47.5%, followed by Services at 24%. At the micro-sector level, standout categories include the Beverage Industry (25.5%), Publishing Activities (18.6%), Chemical Manufacturing (12.6%), and Food Industries (12.1%).
The geographical distribution of Italian e-commerce businesses highlights an interesting diversification. Northern Italy remains the main driver of digital commerce, with a high concentration of technologically advanced companies and well-developed logistics infrastructure. In particular, Lombardy leads the sector, accounting for 19% of e-commerce businesses.
However, Central and Southern Italy are also experiencing significant growth, with Lazio contributing 11.6% of e-commerce businesses, followed by Campania with 11.3%. Additionally, 31% of joint-stock companies with e-commerce are located in the South and Islands, reflecting dynamic development in these areas as well.
Italian businesses are strengthening their commitment to digitalization: by 2025, 67.2% of companies will have reached a high level of "Digital Attitude", a significant leap from 49.2% in 2024. This data comes from the adoption of advanced digital strategies, including investments in online marketing, technological transformation, cutting-edge web infrastructure, and more mature use of e-commerce-optimized websites.
Staying on the same theme, 30.1% of businesses stand out for their high level of "Innovation", while more than half (54.7%) are in the medium-high range. These positive figures highlight a growing inclination towards innovation, evident in various areas such as improved productivity, patent development, research and development (R&D), and the ability to adopt flexible, forward-looking management approaches.