For more than 50% of Scandinavian consumers, the cost of delivery is the major consideration when ordering online. In third place is the speed of delivery. So, the ability to choose where the shipment is delivered and the cost of delivery are important issues in the Scandinavian E-commerce market.
Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe consisting of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. These countries, together with Finland and Iceland, also form the Nordic countries. E-commerce in Scandinavia has its own characteristics.
Prefer shopping from native eCommerce platforms
Unlike most of the regions in the world where giants like Amazon & eBay dominate the market, the Nordic & Scandinavians prefer shopping from the native eCommerce platforms. Such unique shopping trends make it simpler for retailers to sell on Nordic marketplaces. The top marketplaces in the region include – Cdon, Elgiganten, Fyndiq, Zalando, and Wish.
Related: Strong E-Commerce Growth For IKEA
When it comes to delivery methods, there are some differences between countries. 34% of Danish customers prefer home delivery, with signature. While this is not the favored delivery method in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Delivery via mailbox is the preferred method for 31% of Swedes, and in Norway, it is even 44% of consumers.
Clothing, footwear and pharmacy most purchased products
Scandinavia is a bit of a remote area in Europe, surrounded by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, so it is not a very easy region to quickly gain success with ecommerce company newcomers. However, there’s still a lot of unused potential.
For the past decade, eCommerce in Scandinavia is surging and has touched an all-time high. In fact, the total market spendings on online shopping have spiked to 13 billion US dollars in just Sweden. The region opens up infinite opportunities for retailers to build and scale small-medium-sized businesses. And the best part is that you need not be a native Scandinavian to set a firm foot in these commerce-rich grounds.
While clothing and footwear are the most purchased products online with over 50% in Denmark and Norway, in Sweden pharmacy products are the most purchased products online with 69%, followed by clothing and footwear with 61%. Home electronics are also popular products, and around two million Nordic e-commerce consumers bought CDs last year.
Related: E-commerce in Scandinavia
Monthly purchases from international websites
Figures from ecommerceDB show that Norwegian consumers spent about 7 billion US dollars in 2020. Travel was the largest market segment by sales value. Sweden has the biggest ecommerce industry in the whole of Scandinavia and even the Nordics. Ecommerce consumers in Sweden spent a total value of about 13 billion dollars in 2020, while Ecommerce in Denmark was approximately 6 billion US dollars.
Over one-third (36%) of online consumers in Scandinavia make monthly purchases from international eCommerce websites. r, followed by home electronics. Around two million Nordic e-commerce consumers bought CDs that year.
Debit and credit cards are the preferred payment methods.
Related: Swedes Welcome Amazon
The Scandinavian E-Commerce Market – conclusion
eCommerce in Scandinavia is rapidly evolving and opens up ample opportunities for online sellers, in Scandinavia as well as in the rest of the world. Scandinavians love to shop and retail is shifting towards the online approach. Approximately1/3 of the Scandinavian population shop online.
The Scandinavian E-Commerce Market, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top) © Photo by Andrew Neel / Unsplash