E-commerce sales have increased across the board during the pandemic and so has the number of consignments. Online shoppers in general are ordering a higher number of products they need for everyday use. As a result, consumers in many countries expect faster deliveries, according to our latest report ”E-commerce in Europe 2021”. In the UK, for example, 15 percent expect a delivery time of 1-2 days, compared to 10 percent last year. In Belgium, the corresponding figure is 18 percent compared to 11 percent last year. This may be related to the fact that a lot of new consumers – especially older ones – made their online shopping debut in the early stages of the pandemic and have now become accustomed to e-commerce, with increased demands as a result.

It’s also interesting to see in what way consumers in the different markets surveyed prefers to have their purchases delivered. In no less than nine of the studied countries, “Home delivery with signature requirement” is the most preferred delivery alternative. In Spain, for instance, 70 percent of online shoppers prefer this method. The second most popular choice is “Home delivery or delivery outside the door without signature requirement”. In Sweden and Norway “Delivery to my mailbox” by the mail carrier is the most preferred delivery method.
Finland, however, is the country that really stands out, as for Finnish shoppers, “Collect the product from a parcel machine” is their number one preference.

To learn more about the different European markets and what you need to know to succeed with e-commerce there, order your free copy of the ”E-commerce in Europe 2021” report.

Olof Källgren, Market Information Manager, Direct Link