With the E-barometern report, PostNord monitors and analyzes e-commerce development in the Swedish retail industry, in cooperation with the Swedish Digital Trade Association and HUI Research. E-barometern is published quarterly and is based on five consumer surveys and one survey with e-retailers.

Product categories with ups and downs

During the pandemic, fashion was one of the product categories in which overall demand decreased the most. This year, the winds have changed for the sector as a whole: there has been good growth for physical stores, but e-commerce has lost ground. During the second quarter, online growth amounted to 1 percent. Pharmacy retail is another of the few industries that showed a positive growth at 4 percent in Q2. Online pharmacies have actually changed consumer behavior in the industry. Today, instead of just medicine, the products ordered from online pharmacies also belong to categories like beauty and health. This means that online pharmacies have come to resemble marketplaces rather than traditional pharmacies.

The right delivery method is crucial

Having the right selection of delivery options is important for Swedish consumers. 37 percent state that they have failed to complete a purchase because the desired delivery option was not available. 46 percent of the consumers had their most recent online purchase delivered to a distribution point, but a mere 26 percent state they would have chosen this option if given a choice.

Interest in parcel lockers has increased rapidly

E-commerce consumer’s interest in parcel lockers has increased steadily in recent years, while interest in distribution points has decreased. With generous opening hours and less risk of having to stand in line, parcel lockers are considered to be a flexible delivery option which more and more consumers are expected to favor.

To learn more about Swedish e-commerce and read the whole report, order your free copy of E-barometern.

Olof Källgren, Market Information Manager, Direct Link