Nordic consumers [in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark] purchased goods online worth a total of Skr162bn (US$19bn) in 2015, an increase of approximately 15% over 2014.
According to PostNord’s E-commerce in the Nordics 2016 report, purchases made from international sites during the year totaled Skr40bn (US$4.8bn) in value, with 40% of Nordic residents buying goods online from foreign websites. Norway recorded the highest percentage in this category (50%), followed closely by Finland (49%). The most popular countries to buy from were the UK (36%), Germany (25%), the USA (23%), and China (23 %), while Sweden (13%) was also popular.
Arne Andersson, Nordic e-commerce specialist at PostNord, said, “The domestic market’s relative maturity is what drives international commerce. The Swedish range has been good. Finland’s, Norway’s, and Denmark’s domestic alternatives haven’t been as good, which has made local consumers more eager to buy online from foreign retailers.”
While there are many similarities between online shoppers in the Nordic region, there are also national differences. For example, Danes have high expectations concerning fast deliveries and value the option to have goods delivered to their workplace, to a parcel machine, or to their home during daytime hours. Swedes and Norwegians prefer to have parcels delivered to their home mailboxes, or to pick them up from partner outlets. Finnish consumers are the most patient among Nordic residents when it comes to delivery times, and prefer to collect their items from partner outlets.
“Smooth, flexible deliveries make more people want to buy online more of the time,” added Andersson. “Recipients want to know when, where, and how their goods will be delivered. It’s also becoming more common for recipients to want the option to change the delivery address and time while the goods are in transit. Customized deliveries are becoming an increasingly important competitive advantage.”
March 14, 2016