Ecommerce in Sweden

Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, but it has never used the euro. Swedish people have a high per capita income and the country always ranks well on several lists about happiness, human development and democracy. Sweden has always been digitally literate, which gives the Swedish ecommerce an extra edge.

Content:

• Ecommerce events in Sweden
• Swedish ecommerce customers
• The ecommerce market
• Big online stores
• Latest ecommerce news from or about Sweden

Statistics

Ecommerce events in Sweden

Every year there are several ecommerce events being organized in Sweden. We have a handy ecommerce events calendar, where you can find all the major online retail events in Europe.

Ecommerce customers in Sweden

In Sweden, about 8 million people shop online. That’s a significant number when you consider that the country has less then 11 million inhabitants. Swedish consumers like online shopping because it is available 24/7, it can offer cheaper prices and often it is more convenient than in-person shopping. Like in many other countries, younger generations are purchasing more online than older ones.

In 2022, women between 25 and 34 years old purchased online the most. For men, the sweet spot is between 35 and 44 years old. When the income becomes higher, it is more likely that consumers buy online. Over 80 percent of shoppers with the highest income bought items online in 2022, comparing to 55 percent of shoppers with the lowest income.

Sustainable goods become more and more popular.

Swedish consumers like sustainable goods, especially the younger generations. Therefore, companies need to develop new strategies and product lines to meet this growing demand. For instance, H&M has acquired a majority stake in second-hand platform Shellpy to address the growing demand for sustainable fashion.

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PAYMENT METHODS – According to Rapyd.net, a payment service provider, mobile wallets, debit cards and buy now pay later (BNPL) are popular payment methods in Sweden. In their latest survey (May 2022) 51 percent reported using PayPal recently, 50 percent used a debit card and 48 percent used Klarna for a recent online purchase. Also Swish, an app-based payment method, is very popular, especially among younger consumers.

The ecommerce market in Sweden

Sweden has the biggest ecommerce market from Scandinavia. The share of retail sales done online had been steadily growing for many years. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, at the end of the lockdowns, a lot of consumers returned to high-street shopping. As a result, ecommerce dropped in 2022. Despite the post-pandemic decline, the ecommerce market in Sweden is still booming.

Swedish consumers love buying fashion online. In 2022, over 60 percent bought clothes and 46 percent bought shoes online. Other popular purchases are drugstore and health products (39 percent), cosmetics and body care (36 percent) and bags and accessories (29 percent).

As population ages, online spending will shift.

Also second-hand articles have been bought more and more online, especially in the fashion category. As the population ages, spending will probably shift from fashion to pharmaceuticals, health products, and leisure activities.

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Big online stores in Sweden

According to Shoponlina.com, Sweden’s biggest online store is Apotea.se. The store generated around 365 million euros in sales by 2020. Netonnet.se comes in second with revenues of 333 million of euros, followed by elgiganten.se with 305 million euros in revenues. The top three shops in Sweden together account for 10 percent of internet revenue.

Read all our articles about ecommerce in Sweden.