Nordic e-commerce consumption increased by 11 percent during the first half of 2018.

Six out of ten people in the Nordic region, which equates to 12 million consumers, shop online each month in the Nordic countries. During the first half of the year, Nordic consumers made purchases amounting to SEK 104 billion, an increase of 11 percent compared with the same period last year. This finding is presented in the E-commerce in the Nordics report, issued by PostNord.

The highest proportion of online shoppers is in Sweden, where two out of three people on average make purchases at least once a month, compared to about six out of ten in Norway and Denmark and only about half of consumers in Finland. 

The fact that more and more consumers are choosing to buy their goods online has made e-commerce increasingly important for Nordic retail companies. E-commerce now makes a significant contribution to growth in the retail sector. The conditions for selling and purchasing online are favorable in the Nordic region, given the population’s high level of e-commerce maturity, high internet penetration, comprehensive infrastructure and motivated e-commerce market participants.

E-commerce is still a generational issue. Young people shop online to a much greater extent than older consumers, with consumers in the 30-49 age group shopping online most of all. In that age group, no less than 76 percent of people in Sweden make online purchases in an average month, compared to 47 percent in the 65-79 age group. 

 “It is clear from the report that consumers in all Nordic countries agree on the importance of communicating when a delivery will take place, as it provides security and control. Another insight is that an increasing number of shoppers would appreciate getting their goods to a locked item at home, which indicates that consumers want a more convenient delivery in the future,” says Arne Andersson, Nordic eCommerce Advisor at PostNord.

Fashion is the most popular category of goods among Nordic consumers. This is followed by media, home electronics and health/cosmetics. However, fashion products are the category that also has the largest competition from abroad. Overall, Nordic consumers spend approximately every fifth krona in international online stores.

Nordic consumers are making ever more demands regarding deliveries, and want to be able to choose how they have their goods delivered. The most stringent demands regarding deliveries are made by consumers in Sweden and Denmark, and more than every fourth consumer has refrained from making a purchase on a specific e-commerce site over the last year due to it having a lack of suitable delivery options.

Download the full repport from https://www.postnord.com/en/media/publications/e-commerce/

E-commerce in the Nordics – six-month report 2018 is based on consumer surveys conducted on a monthly basis in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland from January through June. The total number of respondents surveyed was 53,849. PostNord has been monitoring e-commerce trends in the Nordics for the past nine years

For further information, please contact:
PostNord Media Relations, tel: 46 10 436 10 10, e-mail: press@postnord.com 

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