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Media consumption

Baltic consumers turn to foreign e-commerce sites for fashion and travel deals

According to an e-commerce study conducted in the Baltic states by the international research and technology company Gemius, consumers in the region continue to actively shop on foreign e-commerce websites, most often purchasing clothing and accessories, transport tickets and tolls, as well as travel rentals and reservations such as hotels and cars. While online shopping abroad remains popular across all three Baltic countries, the share of people making such purchases has increased particularly in Latvia and Estonia in recent years.

The latest Gemius e-commerce study reveals that shopping on foreign e-commerce websites remains a firmly established habit among Baltic consumers. People across Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania most often turn to international platforms to purchase clothing and accessories, as well as airline tickets, other transport tickets and tools, and rental and reservation services such as hotels and cars. Although interest in buying from abroad is consistently high in all three countries, the study highlights that growth in these categories over the past three years has been the strongest in Latvia and Estonia.

In Latvia, just over half of respondents - 51 percent - said they purchased clothing and accessories from foreign online stores in 2025, up from 47 percent three years ago. Interest in transport-related purchases is also increasing: 31 percent of respondents bought airline or other transport tickets from foreign sites this year, compared with 26 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, purchases of travel rentals and reservations, such as hotel or car bookings, rose from 33 percent to 41 percent during the same period.

Similar upward trends are seen in Estonia, where 45 percent of respondents now buy clothing and accessories from foreign e-commerce sites, compared to 37 percent in 2022. The share of those buying transport tickets and tolls has also increased notably - from 29 percent to 40 percent. Renting or booking hotels and cars abroad is likewise becoming more popular, rising from 29 percent three years ago to 38 percent this year.

In contrast, Lithuania shows more stable figures. In 2025, 31 percent of Lithuanian respondents said they bought clothing and accessories from foreign e-commerce sites, compared to 41 percent in 2022. The proportion of those purchasing transport tickets and tolls remained unchanged - such answer was chosen by 17 percent of respondents three years ago, and with some fluctuations in between, the number once again returned to 17 percent this year. Meanwhile, the share buying travel rentals and reservations increased only slightly — from 18 percent to 19 percent during this period.

The Gemius e-commerce study was conducted using the gemiusAdHoc online survey. The study is based on data obtained through a pop-up internet questionnaire shown to randomly selected internet users on the most popular portals in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. In Latvia, the study surveyed 2101 respondents aged 18 to 74, while in Lithuania, 1473 respondents aged 15 to 74 were surveyed. In Estonia, the study involved 1777 internet users aged 18 to 74.

To learn more about the research conducted in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, please contact Gemius Latvia at contact@gemius.lv.

gemiusAdHoc conducts studies for individual business needs with the ability to determine public opinion on any topic, question, or industry.

Gemius is an international research and technology company providing data, as well as advanced tools for digital and traditional marketing activities such as web analytics, online campaigns’ management and ad serving. The company offers comprehensive solutions for marketers, advertising agencies, publishers and e-commerce. Gemius is present on the market since 1999. The company is a member of IAB Europe and I-COM Global. The research conducted by the company are carried out in accordance with the principles of the international ICC/ESOMAR code.