The countries that form the Nordic region have a long history of distance selling. This fact, in combination with a lot of vast and sparsely populated areas, but with a very well developed infrastructure, makes the Nordics a mighty region for e-commerce activity. In 2015, Nordic residents made online purchases totaling more than EUR 17 billion.
The newly-published PostNord study “E-commerce in the Nordics 2016” is based on interviews with more than 18 000 Nordic inhabitants between the ages of 18 – 79. E-commerce in the region has experienced steady growth for quite a number of years, and 75 % of the Nordic population shopped online during an average quarter in 2015.
The top three product categories to buy online are still clothing and footwear, media products, and home electronics, with cosmetics, skin and hair care as a strong runner-up.
A full 25 % of the total e-commerce trading comes from international sellers. The Nordics is one of the keenest regions in the world when it comes to cross-border online shopping. The UK is still the largest market to buy from but it has been losing market shares somewhat to Germany the last few years. The US and China come in at a shared third place.
A much discussed topic within the e-commerce community today is delivery options and the importance of speed. We know from earlier studies that consumers’ expectations vary. Danes are still those of the Nordic residents who have the highest demands when it comes to fast deliveries. They are willing to wait 3.4 business days for delivery. The average for the Nordic region as a whole is 3.9 days.
When it comes to mobile devices used for online purchases, the smartphone continues to gain momentum. Especially in Sweden where 20 % of the purchases are being made from a smartphone, whereas Danish and Norwegian consumers show a preference for using tablets.
As usual, the E-commerce in the Nordics report is packed with information about trends and consumer behavior that is vital for any company doing, or planning to do, e-business in this region.
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