E-commerce grew 13% in Sweden in 2019, with sales totaling Skr 87bn (US$8.8bn), according to PostNord’s E-barometer Annual Report.
The survey found that 70% of Swedes between the ages of 18 and 79 bought at least one product online in the last month.
Annual growth in 2019 was 13%, slightly below the 15% seen in 2018, but total sales were up Skr 10bn.
The most popular goods were clothes and shoes, followed by health and beauty products including pharmacy items.
Arne Andersson, e-commerce expert at PostNord, said, “Swedish e-commerce has reached such a large proportion of total commerce that lower percentage growth rates have been expected. We had predicted 14% and now it was 13%.”
The pharmacy industry was also reported on as a separate industry, and posted the strongest growth of 36%. Books and media did not perform well, with only 1% growth in 2019 compared with the previous year.
Andersson said, “In part, it is audio books that have stolen sales in general, both in-store and online. The book industry has been tough for all, with many other forms of media competing for people’s time.”