Every country we analyze in the region saw double-digit growth in ecommerce—those gains ranged from an estimated 11.8% in France to 36.0% in Spain. In fact, Spain was the third-fastest-growing retail ecommerce market worldwide among the 32 countries we track. Across the EU-4 and the UK specifically, the outlook also varied.

In Spain, 88% of adults surveyed by Havas Media and ODEC in April wanted companies and brands to be proactive in providing products, and/or deferring payments, after the lockdown ended for those whose employment or economic situation was affected by the coronavirus.

In Spain, a little more than two-thirds (67%) of marketing and communications professionals polled by Good Rebels said that direct selling gave them more control and knowledge of user data, and 57% said it provided more opportunities to personalize customer experience. Some 46% of the same professionals thought D2C would be big in the following 12 months. But several obstacles are looming.

In Spain, streaming platforms are increasingly vying for projects, talent, and viewers. Netflix began producing originals in Spain in 2016 and opened its first European production hub in Madrid in the Spring of 2019. However, as a result of this competition, HBO Spain has doubled down on producing series in Spain in 2019, increasing investment from Amazon Studios, as well as continued investment from Viacom, ATRESMEDIA, and telecom behemoths like Orange & Movistar.

"The Western European countries that will see the highest growth in Instagram users in 2020 are those that have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic: France, Spain and Italy," said Jasmine Enberg, eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence.