Ecommerce in Sweden to reach sales worth €4.6bn in 2014

Online sales in Sweden have increased by 15 percent during the second quarter of 2014. The forecast is that the ecommerce industry will be worth 42.5 billion Swedish kronor, or 4.6 billion euros, in 2014, which also represents a growth of 15 percent compared to last year.

The online sales in Sweden are developing very strong. Since the last quarter in 2011, the growth rate has been over 13 percent each quarter. During the second quarter of this year the growth rate was even 15 percent. But at the same time, more and more consumers are purchasing goods from foreign sites, the latest E-barometern shows.

This quarter’s data shows that just over one in four deliveries are estimated to come from abroad. So far this increased share of foreign ecommerce purchases seems to affect mainly Swedish online retailers who sell clothing and footwear. “Finding new customers and capture the consumers’ attention is critical for the continued growth of ecommerce in Sweden”, the companies behind the E-barometern Q2 2014 are saying.

Fast-growing product categories in Swedish ecommerce
The growth rate for clothing and shoes have slowed this year, in relation to how it developed during the period 2011-2013. During the second quarter this year, growth was strongest for toys and other children’s articles (+38%), building materials (+28%) and sports and leisure products (+16%). When looking only at the biggest product categories, it shows that growth remained strongest for consumer electronics; this product category saw its sales increased by 13 percent.

With 2 percent, the product category consisting of clothes and shoes showed, for the second consecutive quarter, a much slower growth rate than before. This is probably due to increased competition from foreign players.

Swedes love shopping online from foreign sites
The barometer also shows that 70 percent of consumers bought something online during the second quarter of 2014. Of these, 11 percent shopped online with their smartphone and 32 percent shopped online from foreign sites. It also shows that 27 percent of all ecommerce related shipments to consumers in Sweden came from abroad.

Search engines, comparison sites, friends and visits to physical stores are the most important sources for consumers when buying goods online. When only looking at the traditional advertising channels, product catalogs and promotions in the mailbox are indicated as the most important information sources.

The E-barometern is a study conducted by PostNord, in collaboration with the Svensk Digital Handel and HUI Research. It gets published quarterly and is based on a consumer survey and a business survey.