There is no doubt that COVID-19 is having an impact on businesses, but now a Facebook report helps to better understand the extent of the pandemic's influence in the country. At a time when digital is often the "escape" of many businesses, 46% of small and medium-sized Portuguese companies (SMEs) say that 25% or more of sales were made exclusively through online. This figure places Portugal behind countries like Ireland or Russia, but still the number is higher than in Spain and France. The Facebook survey was conducted in 50 countries and regions in the past month of May.
In Ireland and Russia, 65% of SMEs guaranteed that 25% or more of sales were made through the online channel, which differs greatly from the figures in Portugal. Spain and France, however, are slightly lower, with 43% companies from both countries saying they are betting online.
Check the report data for Portugal in the photo gallery.
Through the responses to SME surveys, the social network concluded that there is a relationship between betting on online sales and digitalization with optimism about the future. In Portugal, only 39% of SME leaders are optimistic about the business in a long-term perspective, being one of the most pessimistic countries in Europe. Russia is already one of the most optimistic, believing that its business will prosper in the future.
Breakdown of sales and breaks in activities. Other consequences of COVID-19 in Portugal
Among the 50 countries where the survey was carried out, Portugal stands out for its drop in sales. 70% of SMEs surveyed in the country with a presence on Facebook confirm that sales are lower than last year. However, in Europe, Italy has an even higher percentage, 76%.
The report's data also reveals that 23% of Portuguese SMEs confirm that they have stopped the activity, with countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden having less than 10% closings, taking into account the particularities of each quarantine adopted. J Spain registers even more closings, 30%, as well as the United Kingdom, 43%. Globally, between January and May this year, more than a quarter of the companies closed, and a third of the companies had to reduce their employees, which may indicate that a long job crisis is approaching.
What are Facebook doing to help fight the pandemic?
The decision of the social network follows a set of measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic by Instragram. In May, for example, and after having already done it for Facebook, it launched features so that Portuguese SMEs can ask for support, through purchases or donations. This is after the end of April having announced news regarding donations to non-profit institutions.
At the beginning of that month, he even created a digital diagnostic test to help researchers study the disease. The survey appears at the top of the News Feed for users, for now only in the United States, but the social network will expand to other countries, depending on the usefulness of the data obtained.