Nordic Passport 2016 - Hämta Business Region Skåne årsrapport

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Nordic Passport 2016
Cross-Border Trading Report
Your guide to international e-trading
A report researched & compiled by eCommerce Worldwide
Sponsored by
1
2
The Nordic Cross-Border Trading Passport 2016 is the
latest publication in a series of international trading guides
produced and maintained by eCommerce Worldwide, our sister
associations and supporters for a variety of key territories
around the globe. The UK passport is compiled in partnership
with IMRG, the UK e-retail association.
These Passports are designed to operate as comprehensive guides
for cross-border e-Trading, exclusively focusing on the B2C markets
in their subject territories.
The complete set of published Passports are available for download on the
eCommerce Worldwide website at ecommerceworldwide.com/countries
and on the websites of our approved publisher network
For more information please visit
www.ecommerceworldwide.com
or you can email
info@ecommerceworldwide.com
3
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CONTENTS
Foreword06
Executive summary
08
Territory overview
12
Political & socio-economic environment
23
Online & mobile statistics overview
24
Marketing & branding
35
Cross-border shopping
44
Optimising customer experience
47
Marketplaces52
Loyalty, vouchers & affiliates 53
Legal framework & regulation
54
Finance & payments
81
Logistics & delivery
85
References95
About Direct Link
96
About PostNord
98
About Ecommerce Worldwide
99
5
FOREWORD
supported by Direct Link UK
Sweden, Denmark, Norway & Finland - the countries
that form the Nordic region - have a long history
of distance-selling. Its very well developed
infrastructure makes the Nordics a booming
region for ecommerce activity.
Ecommerce in the region has experienced steady growth for
several years now. In fact, 75% of the Nordic population shopped
online during an average quarter in 2015. The total value of online
purchases made by Nordic residents in 2015 was in excess of €17bn.
6
You can find more information
about Direct Link UK at
www.directlink.com
Significantly, 40% of Nordic consumers
will have made purchases from a foreign
site in the last quarter. A full 25% (€4.2bn)
of total ecommerce trading comes from
international sellers.
As you might expect, this is particularly encouraging
news for those of us with a special interest in
the Nordic markets; Direct Link is 100% owned
by PostNord, the merged Swedish and Danish
national Post Offices. Through our combined focus
and activities - both in international markets and
on home soil in the Nordics, we see a vibrant,
expanding, yet relatively untapped market with
many significant elements that make it an attractive
but sound proposition for market entry and
sustained growth.
There are many similarities between the Nordics
and the top international e-retail markets,
especially the UK, which is viewed by many as
leader when it comes to ecommerce and omnichannel. Nordic consumers are similarly well
equipped with the tools and technology to make
buying online a simple, effective and rewarding
experience. High levels of internet use – coupled
with an increasing preference for ordering via tablets
and mobile devices - are two of the main drivers for
growth in the region.
The top three product categories from which Nordic
residents buy online are clothing & footwear, home
electronics and media. Cosmetics, skin & haircare
products and sport & leisure are also strong and
evolving favourites.
PostNord has, in the course of extensive research
over the past eight years, identified that while there
are some slight differences in the behavioural and
buying patterns of consumers in each respective
market, these are governed by choice or availability
of products. Nordic consumers are extremely brandsavvy – and will use technology extensively to
research their online purchases.
The relative maturity of each respective
domestic market is another factor driving
international ecommerce; whereas the Swedish
range has historically been good, the domestic
alternatives in Denmark, Norway and Finland
have made local consumers eager to buy online
from foreign sites.
Significantly, 40% of Nordic consumers will
have made purchases from a foreign site in the
last quarter. A full 25% (€4.2bn) of total ecommerce
trading comes from international sellers. This is
good news for non-Nordic retailers, especially
those in the UK, because many Nordic customers
still prefer to make their cross-border purchases
from UK sites – particularly the Danes, 46% of
whom will order from the UK in a typical quarter.
Finally, from a Direct Link and PostNord
perspective, it’s encouraging that a much
discussed topic within the ecommerce community
today is delivery options and the importance of
speed. We are delighted to be supporting this
excellent piece of work from eCommerce Worldwide
and look forward to discussing your thoughts
and delivery requirements for the Nordics at an
opportune moment in the near future.
Karin Falkentoft
Managing Director,
Direct Link UK
7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This cross-border trading passport looks at the Nordics, a combined market of
26 million people, with a GDP of $1.4trn which ranks the region as the 12th
biggest global economy.
Distance-selling has long been in the blood of the population, if for nothing else due to the sheer size of the
territory and low population density. With an average GDP per capita of $49,000, this is a relatively wealthy
region with each of the four countries covered here ranking in the top 10 ecommerce enabled territories
globally; ahead of both the UK and US.
This report covers the four countries collectively and in specific detail where one performs differently to the
others. One exception is a politically created region of Greater Copenhagen. This region is highlighted due
to the concentration of population, infrastructure, opportunity and business. Consisting of an area 300 km
around Copenhagen, it includes southern Sweden and has a population of over 9 million; one of the most
densely populated regions in the Nordics.
8
ONLINE & MOBILE
STATISTICS OVERVIEW
Amongst the EU28, the four countries of the Nordics (excluding
Iceland for the purposes of this report) have amongst the highest
levels of penetration of online shoppers; Norway is the highest at
circa 74%. All of the countries rank extremely well on the European
Commission’s (EC) Digital Scorecard, ranking countries on their
readiness and ability to conduct business digitally; on this measure
Denmark leads with an overall score of 65%.
Overall, ecommerce was worth €17bn in 2015 with Sweden
being the biggest market at nearly €6.5bn. On an individual basis,
Norwegians have the highest annual spend at an average €1,476
per head.
Fashion is the most popular online retail sector in the Nordics,
followed by media and home electronics.
Mobile device usage is growing rapidly across the Nordics region,
with both smartphone and tablet usage growing by more than 90%
since 2012. Travel is by-far the most popular vertical for purchases
via a mobile device while apparel and electronics are showing signs
of expansion. In response, Danish sites are most likely to have a
device responsive design (80%) – with Finnish sites the least likely
at 42%.
MARKETING AND BRANDING
Digital ad-spend is taking up a bigger proportion of overall business
expenditure but it isn’t expected to exceed 50% for some time, except
in Norway and Denmark which will both exceed this in 2017. In terms
of priority for this spend, email is still the consumer’s daily first digital
point of contact, followed by news and Facebook. Nearly a quarter of
merchants are seeing positive ROI from their social media spend,
with Facebook by far the most popular. YouTube has a place however
as do Twitter and Snapchat. Google dominates the search landscape
with over 90% penetration. Email still performs well but news about
products is the priority.
CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING
Cross-border shopping is worth an estimated €4.2bn, with the UK, US, Germany and China being
the biggest digital shopping destinations. The Norwegians and Finnish are most likely to shop abroad,
probably due to the choices available in their home market. Fashion and consumer electronics are
particularly big sectors as is demand for high-end and luxury products.
OPTIMISING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
There is still some reticence to share personal data with businesses, but there are signs this is
changing. Recommendation, particularly from friends, is a powerful motivator to purchase while
security, ease of purchase and ease of returns are all core expectations of the Nordics consumer.
One of the most common reasons for abandoning a purchase is the lack of a desired payment method
(34%). Currently though, the lack of a mobile-optimised experience doesn’t appear to be important,
but the uptake of mobile devices will probably change this attitude quite quickly.
9
TRUST & DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
A number of trust marks exist locally and are often particular
to a country. However, the launch of the European Union’s
(EU) Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) service means that
dispute resolution services are growing in importance and
ECC-Net has a presence in the region.
MARKETPLACES
A number of local marketplaces exist, either serving an
individual country or having multiple domains under the
same brand. For example, CDON.com in Sweden, and
Trendsales in the four Nordic countries.
LOYALTY, VOUCHERS &
AFFILIATES
The value of sales through affiliate advertising channels saw
19% growth in 2015. Advertisers are seeing strong ROI through
these channels and one network, Tradedoubler, has over
30,000 fashion bloggers running on its system.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK & REGULATION
EU regulation frames much of the legal landscape
for distance-selling in the Nordics. Norway,
even though only a member of the European
Free Trade Area (EFTA) and not of the EU,
still implements core legislation from the EU,
including data protection. All the countries have
10
strong rules around data protection, consumer
rights, intellectual property and contract law.
Particular care should be taken on the different
interpretations of data protection rules, especially
when looking at the use of counter-fraud tools,
cookies and marketing permissions.
PAYMENTS
Cards are not the only payment mechanism favoured in
the Nordics. Bank transfers and pay by invoice are equally
strong. 3D Secure is being introduced to combat Card Not
Present (CNP) fraud and PCIDSS requirements are in force.
Mobile-to-mobile payments are taking off and this is being
extended to B2C transactions.
LOGISTICS & DELIVERY
The sheer size of the region, at 121,000 sq km, creates its
own challenges, particularly with the length of coastline and
associated islands and fjords. However, with the majority of
the population in coastal areas and the central / southern
region, retailers wishing to start trading in this region
can prioritise. With good air and road links with not just
continental Europe but further afield, international deliveries
can compete with local availability and access a full range of
options, such as parcel lockers, click & collect and domestic
parcel services. An overall expectation of four days between
point-of-order and delivery is normal however, this window
is forever tightening as Nordics shoppers’ expectations
develop. This expectation includes the management of
returns where the legal requirement in the EU is a 14-day
grace period, so reverse logistics solutions need to be factored
into the overall ‘delivery’ offer.
PAY
CONCLUSION
Overall, the Nordic market offers international merchants lots
of opportunities for expansion. The population is engaged
with technology and increasing levels of innovation are
driving demand. One Finnish business runs stores that are
unmanned overnight but open to customers to self-serve.
If that can develop in the B2B marketplace then surely the
Nordics really are open for business.
11
Sweden
Finland
Norway
Denmark
TERRITORY OVERVIEW
The Nordics
Population: 26 million
Countries: Denmark; Finland; Norway & Sweden
(Iceland not included for purposes of this report)
Official language: See individual country profiles but English spoken widely
Gross domestic product: $1.4trn
12
Individually, each country of the Nordics may
not appear at the top of possible investment
opportunities for a merchant looking to expand into
new markets. However, combined, the World Bank
reports that they have the 12th biggest economy
with a population of just 26 million. Norway has
the highest GDP per capita of the four countries
covered in this report at $65,000. On average though,
the figure for the Nordics is nearly $49,000,
which still provides an attractive opportunity.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) released a report in March
of 2015 which showed the four countries of the
Nordics all ranking in the top 10 of those countries
where ecommerce provided the most opportunity.
The main characteristics measured by this report
were that the top countries tended to have smaller
populations, good access to telecommunications
and postal infrastructure (including IT resource),
and credit cards as a payment mechanism.
Country
Share of
population
having mail
delivered at
home (2012
or latest, per
cent)
Secure
servers per
1 million
people
(normalized,
2013)
Share of
individuals
with credit
card (15+, 2011,
per cent)
Share of
individuals
using internet
(2013 or latest,
per cent)
UNCTAD
Rank
B2C
E-commerce
Index value
Luxembourg
100
99
72
95
91.7
1
Norway
100
97
60
96
88.3
2
Finland
100
97
64
92
88.1
3
Canada
100
93
72
83
87.1
4
Sweden
100
96
54
95
86
5
Australia
100
95
64
83
85.5
6
Denmark
100
99
45
95
84.7
7
Republic of Korea 100
99
56
82
84.4
8
United Kingdom
100
94
52
91
84.2
9
Israel
100
82
80
73
83.9
10
Figure 1: Top 10 countries for ecommerce. Source: UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2014
In the following country profiles, a world ecommerce
ranking is displayed which is taken from the AT
Kearney 2015 Global Retail e-Commerce Index.
The metrics used to determine this ranking are
slightly different, including online market size,
consumer behaviour (openness to online),
growth potential and infrastructure. This system
favours larger, more established economies but
serves to highlight the global competition for
investment by merchants. Smaller markets can
often provide a better return on investment,
Country
Domains
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Finland
.se
.no
.dk
.fi
although the competitive landscape can be
significantly different. For international
merchants there is also the benefit that English is
widely spoken. While it is usually better to localise
the language of the website, this can be a longerterm aim as merchants get used to trading into
the territory.
Figure 2: Top level domains for
countries in the Nordics.
13
INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY PROFILES
SWEDEN
Based on population, Sweden is the largest country and potential marketplace in the Nordics. The majority
of the population is based in the southern half of the country where the climate is milder. The northern part
is more sparsely populated and heavily forested. Sweden was a founding member of EFTA and became a full
member of the EU in 1995. It hasn’t however joined the Euro but is part of the Schengen area.
World ecommerce rank: 16th*
Rank City Names
All People
1
Stockholm
1,253,309
2
Gothenburg
504,084
3
Malmo
261,548
4
Uppsala
127,734
5
Västerås
107,194
Population as % of total EU population: 1.9% (2014)
6
Örebro
98,573
GDP: €430bn (2014)
7
Linköping
96,732
Official EU language(s): Swedish
8
Helsingborg
91,025
Political system: Parliamentary Constitutional
Monarchy
9
Huddinge
90,182
10
Jönköping
83,202
Sweden’s top trading partners are:
Export: Norway, Germany and the UK
Import: Germany, Norway and the Netherlands
Capital: Stockholm
Geographical size: 438,574 sq km
Population: 9,644,864 (2014)
EU member country since: 1 January 1995
Seats in the European Parliament: 20
Currency: Swedish krona SEK
Schengen Area member since: 25 March 2001
14
* A
T Kearney 2015 Global Retail
e-Commerce Index
Country statistical profiles:
Key tables from OECD - ISSN 2075-2288 - © OECD 2015
COUNTRY STATISTICAL PROFILE: SWEDEN 2015
Unit
2012
2013
2014
43 869
45 298
3.8
44 586
45 926
1.7
45 153
46 719
2.2
-0.3
1.2
2.3
1.5
21.3
22.8
1.4
20.6
22.8
1.4
20.0
22.9
21.9
26.9
22.5
27.3
22.6
27.5
% of labour cost
42.9
43.0
42.5
% of GDP
% of GDP
41.4
46.3
39.3
43.8
40.8
44.5
Annual growth %
Annual growth %
%
0.9
0.6
1.59
-0.0
0.4
2.12
-0.2
0.6
1.72
SEK per USD
SEK per USD
8.82
6.78
8.81
6.51
8.95
6.86
'000 persons
%
% of population
% of population
9 519
0.7
16.8
19.0
9 609 |
0.9 |
16.5 |
19.9 |
9 698
..
17.2
19.5
PRODUCTION AND INCOME
GDP per capita
USD current PPPs
Gross national income (GNI) per capita
USD current PPPs
Household disposable income
Annual growth %
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Real GDP growth
Annual growth %
ECONOMIC STRUCTURE: SHARE OF REAL VALUE ADDED
Agriculture, forestry, fishing
%
Industry
%
Trade, transport, accommodation, restaurants,
%
communication
Finance, insurance, real estate, business
%
Other services (ISIC Rev.4 O - U)
%
TAXES
Taxes on the average worker
TRADE
Imports of goods and services
Exports of goods and services
PRICES AND INTEREST RATES
Inflation rate: all items
Inflation rate: all items non-food non energy
Long-term interest rates
PURCHASING POWER AND EXCHANGE RATES
Purchasing power parities
Exchange rates
POPULATION
Total population
Population growth rates
Youth population aged less than 15
Elderly population aged 65 and over
Last updated: 12 November 2015; disclaimer: http://oe.cd/disclaimer
..
|
e
Not available
Break in series
Estimated value
Source: OECD Factbook statistics. For explanatory notes,
see OECD Factbook 2014 (DOI: 10.1787/factbook-2014-en)
15
DENMARK
Denmark shares a land border with Germany but its capital, Copenhagen, is situated on Zealand; an island
that is connected by bridges with Jutland (mainland Denmark) and Sweden. In common with the other Nordic
countries, Denmark has a long coastline but also enjoys good road and rail links with continental Europe.
An early member of the EU, Denmark is known for its agricultural production and, more recently,
service-based economy. Denmark enjoys high levels of employment and a good social security system.
Rank City Names
All People
1
Copenhagen
1,153,615
2
Aarhus
237,551
3
Odense
145,931
4
Aalborg
122,219
5
Frederiksberg
95,029
Population as % of total EU population: 1.1% (2014)
6
Esbjerg
72,205
GDP: €257bn (2014)
7
Randers
55,780
Official EU language(s): Danish
8
Kolding
55,363
Political system:
Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
9
Vejle
51,177
10
Horsens
50,074
Denmark’s top trading partners are:
Export: Germany, Sweden and the UK
Import: Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands
Capital: Copenhagen
Population: 5,627,235 (2014)
EU member state since: 1 January 1973
Currency: Danish krone DKK
16
* A
e-Commerce Index
COUNTRY STATISTICAL PROFILE: DENMARK 2015
Unit
GDP per capita
USD current PPPs
USD current PPPs
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Real GDP growth
Annual growth %
%
Industry
%
Trade, transport, accommodation,
%
restaurants, communication
%
%
TAXES
% of labour cost
TRADE
% of GDP
% of GDP
Annual growth %
Annual growth %
Producer Price Indices (PPI): manufacturing
Annual growth %
%
Purchasing power parities
DKK per USD
Exchange rates
DKK per USD
Indices of price levels
OECD = 100
EMPLOYMENT
Employment rate in population aged 15-24
%
%
%
POPULATION
Total population
‘000 persons
%
% of population
% of population
.. Not available
| Break in series
2012
2013
2014
43 565
44 566
43 797
45 365
44 889
46 182
-0.7
-0.5
1.1
1.8
18.6
1.4
18.5
1.4
18.0
23.3
23.5
23.8
24.7
27.0
25.2
27.0
25.4
27.0
38.5
38.2
38.1
48.6
54.0
48.5
54.3
48.3
53.7
2.4
1.8
3.1
1.40
0.8
1.3
1.3
1.75
0.6
0.9
-0.5
1.33
7.66
5.79
130
7.67
5.62
136
7.59
5.61
137
55.0
81.9
60.8
53.7
82.0
61.7
53.7
82.0
63.2
5 592
0.4
17.6
17.6
5 615 |
0.4 |
17.3 |
18.0 |
5 525
..
17.4
18.2
17
NORWAY
The largest country in the Nordics by GDP, Norway stretches from the North Sea in the south, to the Barents
Sea in the north. With the second-longest coastline in the world, at over 83,000 km (only Canada has longer),
long distance communications often involve flying or ferries; many smaller communities are on islands or
cut-off from land routes by mountains. This presents its own challenges in moving goods and people but,
being a relatively prosperous country, services are reliable. Norway is a member of EFTA and while not a
member of the EU, is part of the Schengen area. The Schengen agreement allows for the free movement of
EU citizens throughout the area without visas.
Norway’s top trading partners are:
Export: Germany, UK, Netherlands,
Sweden and Belgium-Luxembourg
Import: Sweden, Germany, China,
UK and Denmark
Capital: Oslo
Population: 5,200,000 (2014)
GDP: €508.1bn (2014)
Official EU language(s): Bokmal Norwegian &
Nynorsk Norwegian
Political system:
Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
European Free Trade Area member country since:
3rd May 1960
Currency: Danish krone DKK
Schengen Area member since: 2001
18
Rank City Names
All People
1
Oslo
580,000
2
Bergen
213,585
3
Trondheim
147,139
4
Stavanger
121,610
5
Drammen
90,722
6
Fredrikstad
72,760
7
Kristianstad
63,814
8
Sandnes
63,032
9
Tromsø
52,436
10
Sarpsborg
52,159
* A
e-Commerce Index
COUNTRY STATISTICAL PROFILE: NORWAY 2015
Unit
GDP per capita
USD current PPPs
USD current PPPs
Household disposable income
Annual growth %
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Real GDP growth
Annual growth %
%
Industry
%
%
communication
%
%
TAXES
% of labour cost
TRADE
% of GDP
% of GDP
Annual growth %
Producer Price Indices (PPI): manufacturing
Annual growth %
%
Exchange rates
NOK per USD
EMPLOYMENT
%
%
%
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D
Mln USD
POPULATION
Total population
‘000 persons
%
% of population
% of population
..
Not available
|
Break in series
e
Estimated value
2012
2013
2014
66 358 65 635
66 904 66 353
4.4
3.0
64 837
66 306
2.9
2.7
0.7
2.2
1.3
35.3
1.6
34.0
1.7
32.4
17.5
17.3
17.8
18.1
22.0
18.9
22.4
19.2
23.0
37.4
37.3
37.0
27.7
40.6
28.6
38.8
29.6
38.3
1.6
2.8
2.10
1.5
2.0
2.58
3.1
1.4
2.52
5.82
5.88
6.30
52.7
84.6
70.9
52.4
84.1
71.1
50.9
83.9
72.2
5 054
5 168
..
5 019
1.3
18.4
15.5
5 080
1.2
18.3
15.8
5 137 |
1.1 |
18.1 |
16.0 |
19
FINLAND
Finland shares land borders with Russia and Sweden, with an extensive coastline on the Baltic Sea. By land
mass, Finland is the eighth-largest in the EU but is also the most sparsely populated. Industry spans forestrybased products, technology and some industry. Its export-based economy and small population means that it
has a relatively high GDP per capita and good standard of living.
Finland’s top trading partners are:
Rank City Names
All People
Export: Germany, Sweden and Russia
1
Helsinki
558,457
Import: Sweden, Germany and Russia
2
Espoo
256,760
Capital: Helsinki
3
Tampere
202,687
4
Vantaa
190,058
5
Turku
175,945
6
Oulu
128,618
7
Lahti
98,826
8
Kuopio
89,104
9
Jyvaskyla
85,026
10
Pori
76,772
Population: 5,451,270 (2014)
Population as % of total EU population: 1.1 % (2014)
GDP: €205.2bn (2014)
Official EU Language(s): Finnish, Swedish
Political system: Parliamentary Republic
EU member country since: 1 January 1995
Currency: Euro
Member of the Eurozone since: 1 January 1999
20
* A
e-Commerce Index
COUNTRY STATISTICAL PROFILE: FINLAND 2015
Unit
GDP per capita
USD current PPPs
USD current PPPs
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Real GDP growth
Annual growth %
%
Industry
%
%
communication
%
%
TAXES
% of labour cost
TRADE
% of GDP
% of GDP
Annual growth %
Annual growth %
%
Exchange rates
EUR per USD
Indices of price levels
OECD = 100
EMPLOYMENT
%
%
%
POPULATION
Total population
'000 persons
%
Total fertility rates
Children
% of population
% of population
..
Not available
|
Break in series
e
Estimated value
2012
2013
2014
40 209
40 419
40 017
40 157
39 987
39 943
-1.4
-1.1
-0.4
2.7
20.5
22.2
3.0
20.5
22.0
2.8
20.3
22.1
22.8
25.2
23.0
25.4
23.8
25.3
42.5
43.1
43.9
40.9
39.5
39.8
39.0
38.7
37.9
2.8
2.3
1.88
1.5
1.0
1.86
1.0
1.5
1.45
0.78
116
0.75
123
0.75
126
43.3
82.0
58.2
40.2
81.0
58.7
43.0
80.4
59.2
5 413
0.5
1.8
16.5
18.5
5 440 |
0.5 |
1.8
16.4 |
19.1 |
5 465
..
..
16.4
19.7
21
Largest share
of international
business
Helsinki
Oslo
NORWAY
21%
21%
17%
12%
Companies with international presence
Foreign owned companies
Stockholm
SWEDEN
24%
27%
20%
24%
14%
17%
11%
19%
Copenhagen
Large companies (> 100 FTSE)
DENMARK
Population, aged 15-64
Scandinavian capitals incl. 300 km
radius from city centre.
FINLAND
40%
35%
53%
45%
GREATER COPENHAGEN
The Greater Copenhagen Collaboration is a political platform for promoting regional collaboration and
economic growth. The mayors and regional chairpersons of eastern Denmark lead the Collaboration.
In close dialogue with business and other key players in Greater Copenhagen, the Greater
Copenhagen Collaboration launches strategic initiatives to generate economic growth and create
jobs in Greater Copenhagen.
Greater Copenhagen is a metropolitan region that spans eastern Denmark and Skåne in southern Sweden,
with the 20Km Oeresundbridge connecting the two countries since 1998.
The 79 municipalities in Greater Copenhagen are home to 3.9 million inhabitants, many of whom work in
highly skilled jobs representing a large target market for international merchants, both as potential customers
and, longer-term, perhaps employees.
From a demographic and delivery perspective, the region has the highest density of population in
the Nordics. Nine million inhabitants live within the 300km radius of Copenhagen. Across the wider
Nordic region, of the total population of 26 million, 20 million live within 300km of the four Nordic capitals;
not including the Copenhagen area figures, this equates to an average of 3.6 million people per capital region.
Copenhagen Airport is the largest airport for passenger, cargo and express companies in the Nordics.
Currently catering for 26 million passengers per year and expected to increase to 40 million, the airport
is served by all the major international and domestic airlines. A lot of the passengers come from southern
Sweden. The airport also acts as a major cargo hub for global logistics providers such as DHL, Fedex,
Kuehne & Nagel and PostNord.
87% of the population in Greater Copenhagen speak English and it serves as a major gateway to the rest
of the Nordics and the wider European continent.
Source: Copenhagen Capacity is the organisation for investment promotion and business development in
Greater Copenhagen. With a large network in the region, Copenhagen Capacity specialises in developing
and presenting business opportunities to international companies, investors and talent and in facilitating
their implementation. Services are available to all companies free of charge. www.copcap.com
Invest in Skåne is the regional business promotion agency for Southern Sweden. Invest in Skåne connects
international companies with business opportunities in Southern Sweden and helps Swedish companies in
Southern Sweden to internationalise their business. All consultancy services are free of charge. The organisation
is part of the marketing organisation called Business Region Skåne, which is owned by the regional council –
Region Skåne – and the municipalities of Skåne. http://www.investinskane.com/
22
POLITICAL & SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ENVIRONMENT
Governments of the Nordic region run on a system of ‘negative parliamentarianism’.
This is where the majority of elected members of parliament do not have to be in
government, rather they do not oppose it.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden are constitutional
monarchies, where the role of head of state is a
king or a queen. The role is more ceremonial with
elected officials running the country. Finland is a
republic with an elected president as head of state.
The Finnish president has executive powers on areas
such as foreign policy and military decision-making.
Social care in the Nordics is of a high standard
and while there are differences between each of
the countries, the welfare state encourages social
mobility, high quality health care and other free
or subsidised public services. This quality of care
necessitates high levels of taxation but by
embracing free market capitalism and quality
education, each of the countries is able to maintain
high levels of employment. Economic activity is also
encouraged through private ownership, good wage
levels and free trade. For example – while spending
is high in the provision of public services, many of
the services are provided by private organisations.
Combined, this model of high levels of social
security and free market principles is often referred
to as “the Nordic Model”.
The Nordic countries currently face a number of
challenges. Their social and welfare model is coming
under pressure from a typically Western issue; an
ageing population. With more citizens relying on
state-funded services there are issues around how
this might be sustained longer-term. Immigration
provides one answer as, typically, it is younger
families and individuals looking to migrate to the
Nordics; often attracted by the higher standard of
living. However, world events have seen a massive
increase in the number of people looking to migrate
to northern Europe; with hundreds of thousands
attracted to the Nordics, threatening the short-term
viability of the social system.
At a country level, Norway might at first glance
suffer from the global downturn in oil prices.
However, while the sovereign wealth fund is
impacted, the overall economy switches to focus
on other areas, such as public investment projects.
The net impact in 2015 was continued growth of
approximately 1.5%.
Denmark and Finland are facing productivity
challenges, particularly where welfare payments
are at a level that means that work isn’t always an
attractive option and all four countries are facing
issues around integration of migrants into the
workforce.
Overall however, the Nordic region is in generally
good financial shape, with a strong well-educated
consumer base and on average, high levels of
disposable income.
23
ONLINE OVERVIEW
While this passport groups the four countries together as the ‘Nordics’,
it is obvious from various datasets that they each have their own identities.
The following chart from the Danish Payments Council / Eurostat highlights,
in the latest official comparison data available, that they are all advanced
adopters of technology. Norway, Sweden and Denmark are in the top three for
countries surveyed for penetration of online shopping amongst the population.
Finland is only slightly behind in 7th place with approximately 65% of the
population having shopped online.
Percent
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Figure 3: Percentage of population that shop online at least once during 2012.
Source: Danish Payments Council / Eurostat
As part of their Digital Single Market project, the EC
publishes regular score-cards showing the adoption
levels of technology amongst member states.
Reporting on weighted scores, it shows the Nordics
performing well in terms of digital adoption, both in
terms of government, commercial and citizen usage.
Denmark ranked highest in the scorecard closely
followed by Sweden and Norway with Finland
a respectable fifth. This points to a marketplace
that not only has the infrastructure to support
a digital economy, but also a high degree of
utilisation by consumers.
24
Romania
Italy
Bulgaria
Greece
Lithuania
Cyprus
Portugal
Estonia
Croatia
Hungary
Latvia
Poland
Spain
Malta
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Belgium
Slovakia
Ireland
Austria
Iceland
France
Netherlands
Germany
Finland
UK
Luxembourg
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
0
70
1. Connectivity
2. Human Capital
3. Use of Internet
4. Integration of Digital Technology
5. Digital Public Services
60
weighted score
50
40
30
20
10
De
nm
Sw ar
e k
N No de
et r n
he w
rl ay
Fi and
Un
ite B nla s
d el nd
Lu Kin gium
xe gd
m o
Li bo m
th ur
ua g
Ir ni
Ge ela a
rm nd
a
M ny
Es alt
t a
Auonia
s
Eu
F tria
ro
pe Po ran
an rt ce
Un uga
io l
n
Cz
Sp ...
ec
a
h La in
Re tv
p ia
Sl ubl
ov ic
Sl en
o i
H vak a
un ia
g
Po ary
la
Cy nd
p
Cr ru
oa s
ti
I a
Gr taly
Bu eec
Ro lgar e
m ia
an
ia
0
Figure 4: Digital Economy and Society Index.
Source: EC digital scorecard: February 2016
Data from Norden.org illustrates the relatively high
percentage of consumers from each of the Nordic
countries that have purchased online. At first glance it
would appear that growth of consumers making internet
purchases has slowed. However, with the base line being
so high, it is probably more representative of a maturing
trend. It appears that the vast majority of consumers
are already making purchases online; the challenge for
industry now is to encourage them to spend more of their
retail budget through digital devices.
PostNord reported in a 2016 survey that ecommerce was
valued at €17.1bn in 2015. The same report also suggested
that, on average, 13.9 million consumers shopped online
every quarter. With the largest population, it is no
surprise that Sweden was the largest contributor to this
overall figure at €6.494bn. Sweden was considerably
ahead of Norway at €4.378bn and Denmark at €3.614bn.
Base: Have made purchases
online during the quarter
2013 (%) 2014 (%)
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
77
65
73
73
78
68
77
75
Figure 6: Internet purchases by individuals by
reporting country and time.
Source: Nordic Statistics, norden.org
SWEDEN
DENMARK
NORWAY
FINLAND
NORDICS
Total, national currency
SEK 61,391m
DKK 26,971m
NOK 38,786m
EUR 2,608m
-
Total, EUR
EUR 6,494m
EUR 3,614m
EUR 4,378m
EUR 2,608m
EUR 17,094m
EUR 313
EUR 291
EUR 369
EUR 249
-
Average per person and quarter, EUR
Figure 7: Total ecommerce in the Nordics during 2015.
Source: PostNord Nordics ecommerce Report 2016
25
At a consumer level, this equates to Norwegian
consumers having the highest average individual
annual spend online at €1,476, with Swedish
consumers at €1,252, Denmark at €1,164 and
Finland at €996.
yet also the third smallest population. These figures
probably reflect the amount of choice the individual
domestic markets currently offer, while the Swedish
have been found to be strong advocates for digital
and have taken well to online shopping.
While these numbers are approximations based on
data from different sources, they do highlight some
areas for consideration. Sweden has the lowest level
of internet penetration out of the four countries,
but second highest average spend and largest total
market. Norway has by-far the highest annual spend
Looking at where shoppers spend their money,
clothing is the leading category in all Nordic
countries according to research by PostNord.
Media is the next biggest sector with consumer
electronics and health & beauty following
close behind.
Base: Have made purchases
online during the quarter
SWEDEN
DENMARK
NORWAY
FINLAND
NORDICS
Clothing / Footwear
40%
37%
37%
41%
39%
Home Electronics
29%
30%
32%
33%
30%
Media
43%
32%
38%
37%
38%
Car / Boat / Motorcycle Accessories
7%
6%
7%
8%
7%
Children’s goods / Toys
11%
12%
8%
7%
10%
Sport / Leisure Articles
13%
15%
18%
15%
15%
Health / Beauty
30%
21%
24%
19%
24%
Figure 8: Favourite categories for online purchase in the Nordics during 2015.
Source: PostNord Nordics ecommerce Report 2016
Nordics consumers benefit from access to a good
range of online merchants. Every country has a
different list of the top 10 online stores with very
little crossover, except in the international stores
that they visit.
The data that follows is from a TNS / Net survey
in 2014 showing top online shopping destinations
by percentage market share amongst the shoppers
surveyed. The key brands to watch, especially in
the international space, are Amazon, CDon,
eBay, HM.com and Zalando. CDon and Komplett
are particularly interesting brands worth
investigating further.
Sweden
Domestic stores
Percentage
Foreign stores
Percentage
Cdon.com
Adlibris.se
Ellos.se
Netonnet.se
Bokus.se
Tradera.se
Webhallen.se
Ginza.se
Blocket.se
Inkclub.se
8.1 %
8.1 %
2.2 %
2.2 %
2.0 %
1.9 %
1.4 %
1.3 %
1.2 %
1.1 %
eBay.com
Amazon.co.uk
Asos.com
Etsy.com
Beautybay.com
iTunes.com
Pixmania.com
Thomann.com
Zalando.com
Laredoute.com
5.8 %
5.7 %
1.2 %
0.9 %
0.8 %
0.7 %
0.7 %
0.6 %
0.5 %
0.3 %
26
Denmark
Domestic stores
Percentage
Foreign stores
Percentage
Cdon.com
Coolshop.dk
Smartguy/-girl.dk
HM.com
Saxo.dk
Elgiganten.dk
Proshop.dk
Zalando.com
Ellos.dk
DSB.dk
2.1 %
1.4 %
1.3 %
1.2 %
1.1 %
1.0 %
1.0 %
0.9 %
0.8 %
0.8 %
Amazon.co.uk
eBay.com
Cdon.com
iTunes.com
Dealextreme.com
Play.com
Zalando.com
Nike.com
Feelunique.com
Pixmania.com
7.3 %
2.0 %
1.8 %
1.0 %
0.6 %
0.5 %
0.4 %
0.4 %
0.4 %
0.1 %
Domestic stores
Percentage
Foreign stores
Percentage
Komplett.no
Cdon.com
Norwegian.no
Platekompaniet.no
Haugenbok.no
Netthandelen.no
HM.com
Bokklubben.no
Finn.no
Ellos.no
8.8 %
3.6 %
2.0 %
1.7 %
1.5 %
1.5%
1.4 %
1.3 %
1.3 %
1.2 %
Amazon.com
eBay.com
Play.com
Dealextreme.com
Cdon.com
Zara.com
Hotels.com
Strawberry.net
Applestore.com
HM.com
9.0 %
8.4 %
2.1 %
1.4 %
0.6 %
0.4 %
0.4 %
0.4 %
0.3 %
0.3 %
Domestic stores
Percentage
Foreign stores
Percentage
Verkkokaupa.fi
Netanttila.fi
Hobbyhall.fi
Huuto.net
VR.fi
Ellos.fi
Cdon.fi
HM.com
Eos.com
Veikkaus.fi
5.3 %
2.5 %
2.4 %
2.3 %
2.0 %
1.7 %
1.6 %
1.5 %
1.4 %
1.0 %
Adlibris.com
eBay.com
Steam.com
Zalando.com
HM.com
Cdon.com
Zooplus.com
Nelly.com
Amazon.co.uk
Booking.com
6.7 %
2.9 %
1.8 %
1.0 %
0.9 %
0.9 %
0.6 %
0.6 %
0.4 %
0.4 %
Norway
Finland
27
Demographics
In terms of shopper demographics, data from payments company DIBS shows
interesting differences in relation to shopping frequency depending on age
and country. In all countries, apart2012
from Sweden, the most frequent online
Total
1.1
1.6
shoppersTotal
are 30-44 years1.6
old. In Sweden
however, it is the
45-59 age group
Male
Male
1.2
1.7
1.7
who are the most prolific.
Female
Below 30 years
30-44 years
45-59 years
60+ years
1.5
1.8
2.3
1.4
0.9
Sweden
Total
Total
Male
Male
Female
Female
Below
Below3030years
years
30-44
years
30-44 years
45-59
45-59years
years
60+
years
60+ years
2012
2012
1.3 1.6
1.3
1.7
1.3 1.5
1.2
1.8
1.4
1.6
1.4
2.3
0.9
0.9
Denmark
Total
Total
Male
Male
Female
Female
Below
30 years
Below
30 years
30-44
years
30-44
years
45-59
years
45-59 years
60+60+
years
years
1.4
2.0
2.1
1.4
0.8
1.21.6
1.21.7
1.21.4
1.32.0
1.32.1
1.31.4
0.9
0.8
2012
2012
1.31.1
1.3 1.2
1.3
1.0
1.2 1.3
1.4 1.4
1.6
1.2
0.9
0.7
1.11.2
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.6
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.3
1.0
0.9
0.7
Female
Below 30 years
30-44 years
45-59 years
60+ years
1.0
1.3
1.4
1.2
0.7
Norway
Total
Total
Total
Male
MaleMale
Female
Female
Female
Below
Below
30years
years
Below
30 30
years
30-44
years
30-44
30-44
yearsyears
45-59
years
45-59
years
45-59
years
60+
years
60+ years
60+ years
2012
1.1
1.0
1.6
1.3
1.6
1.0
0.7
2012
2012
1.11.11.6
1.3
1.21.7
0.91.5
1.0
1.1 1.8
1.3
1.5 2.3
1.4
1.01.41.2
0.7
0.7
0.9
1.21.1
1.6
1.31.0
1.7
1.11.6
1.4
1.21.3
2.0
1.41.6
2.1
1.41.0
1.4
0.7
0.7
0.8
Finland
TotalTotal
MaleMale
Female
Female
Below
30 years
Below
30 years
30-44
30-44
yearsyears
45-59
45-59
yearsyears
60+ years
60+ years
2012
1.3 1.1
1.3 1.3
1.3
0.9
1.2 1.1
1.4 1.5
1.6
1.0
0.90.7
2012
Figure 9: Average number of online purchases by demographic and each country in the Nordics.
Total
1.1
1.2
Source: DIBS’S Annual Report on ecommerce, Mobile Commerce and Payments 2015
Male
Female
Below 30 years
30-44 years
45-59 years
60+ years
1.3
0.9
1.1
1.5
1.0
0.7
Geography
also has a role to play
impacting access to
markets, both physical
and digital.
28
1.3
1.1
1.2
1.4
1.4
0.7
With the exception of Denmark, which has a
relatively flat landscape and very good road
networks, the Nordics suffer from having large
areas with sparse populations. Norway has a
particular challenge in that its landscape is very
mountainous, with the second-longest coastline in
the world and lots of small inhabited islands – so
providing good vehicular access is clearly an issue.
1.2
1.2
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.3
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.4
0.9
0.7
MOBILE OVERVIEW
It is clear when looking at the availability of fixed lines, mobile and internet, the majority of the population of
the Nordics has good access to connectivity. This fuels adoption of technology and creates the environment
that encourages not just digital commerce, but cross-border commerce as well. The internet provides access
to a global resource for discovery and consumption. The Nordics represent a market that has all of the
foundations for international, digital commerce.
The table below helps illustrate the importance of mobile communications and therefore mobile configured
websites. Due to the challenging geography in the region the more remote parts of these countries rely on
mobile networks for internet access.
Country
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Fixed line telephones
Mobile telephones
Internet access
Total (m)
Total (m)
Per 100 people
3.82
1.88
0.64
1.16
12.3
7.1
7.6
5.9
127
128
139
115
Total (m) Percentage of
Population
8.7
89.1
5.4
96.1
5.1
94
4.9
96.2
Figure 5: Telephone and Internet services in the Nordic countries.
Source: CIA World Fact Book; March 2016
Although mobile communications are particularly important in remote areas, all four countries have
concentrations of their populations in small areas so there isn’t a direct correlation between users accessing
the internet via mobile devices and their remoteness. The below OECD figures do illustrate a high level of
internet access via smartphones suggesting that consumers in urban and otherwise well-connected areas
still access online shops through mobile devices. The very fact that this is a measurement of the use of
smartphones also shouldn’t be a surprise; the main functionality and purpose of having such a device is
not to make calls, but rather to utilise the functionality derived from being able to access the internet
on the move.
Global Rank
Country
% of users accessing
4
6
7
10
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Finland
81.4
80.2
78.6
74.0
The OECD notes that the data excludes laptops,
netbooks and tablets but includes mobile/smart
phones, media or games player and e-book reader.
Figure 10: 2014 OECD rankings – internet access by smartphones.
Source: OECD
The global rank also serves to highlight how advanced Nordic consumers are in the adoption of
smartphones yet, although the usage of mobile devices is growing, it is also important to note that
(as the following graphic illustrates) desktops are still an important component in the digital journey.
In many countries, desktops are often the first point of contact when researching activities associated
with a consumer’s ‘digital’ life. In Finland, this is the case for over half of the connected population
while in Sweden and Norway, a mobile device is the preferred choice.
29
Nordics
Total
Personal computer
Work or school computer
Mobile device
Tablet
40%
15%
35%
9%
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Finland
34%
15%
43%
8%
33%
15%
37%
14%
40%
12%
37%
11%
58%
19%
16%
7%
Figure 20: Device used for first online interaction of a day.
Source: Salesforce.com state of marketing survey, Nordics 2014
The age of the customer segment will also have an impact but this is better planned at a brand level,
where customer insight can inform investment priorities.
In general however, across the Nordics, mobile adoption is gaining pace and should certainly be part
of a merchant’s development roadmap, making full consideration of the mobile shopper’s experience
both for browsing and completing online purchases.
A survey by YouGov, commissioned by payments company DIBS, looked at buying behaviours across the
Nordics and showed there has been a dramatic increase in the use of mobile devices (smartphone and tablet)
for making payments with the number of users who have made a transaction in the past six months
increasing by over 90% between 2012 and 2015.
Year
Norway (%)
Sweden (%)
Denmark (%)
2012
2013
2014
20
29
35
16
28
40
21
32
36
2015
2012-2015
38
90
42
163
40
90
Figure 11: Showing mobile device users who have made a purchase via these devices in the last 6 months.
Source: YouGov/DIBs survey 2015
These figures do combine smartphones and tablets as mobile devices. However, it is known from other
territories that tablet use is typically in the home and represents a displacement activity; replacing the
use of other technology such as laptops, desktops or even telephone ordering from a catalogue. High levels
of internet access via smartphones indicate a lot of potential for growth in ‘on the move’ transactions.
The same survey also highlights very similar consumption patterns across Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
As we saw earlier – for online shopping across all devices – clothing, media and consumer electronics are
the most popular sectors. When shopping on mobile devices travel is by-far the biggest individual sector but
clothing and consumer electronics still retain a strong presence. Swedish consumers are ahead in the clothing
sector while Norwegians lead in consumer electronics.
30
How is your online spending via smartphone and tablet distributed? (Last 3 months?)
60%
40%
20%
0%
Electronics
Home consumables Interior Decorating
Norway
Travel
Media
Denmark
Clothing & footwear
Health care
Services
Sweden
Figure 12: Mobile transaction patterns in the Nordics.
Source: DIBS’S Annual Report on eCommerce, Mobile Commerce and Payments 2015
There is an interesting split between mobile transactions by smartphone / tablet, as illustrated by the
Adobe Digital Index. Focusing purely on the travel sector, smartphones accounted for around 7% of
mobile device transactions in Norway and Sweden, 5% in Denmark and 3% in Finland. As a rough guide,
in this study, about one third of mobile transactions are carried out by smartphone.
The British, Irish
Norwegians and
Swedish are the most
mobile shoppers.
Expected mobile share of
online holiday sales
10%
Un
i
te
d
Ki
ng
do
m
Ire
la
nd
N
or
w
ay
Sw
e
Au den
s
De tra
nm lia
Un
a
ite Sp rk
d ain
S
Th tat
ai es
la
H Ja nd
on p
g K an
N Ca ong
e
N the nad
ew rla a
Z nd
Si eala s
ng n
d
M apo
al re
ay
sia
I
t
a
Fi ly
Ge nlan
rm d
a
Ru ny
ss
Sw Fr ia
itz an
er ce
Be lan
lg d
Au ium
st
Ch ria
i
Br na
a
Po zil
la
nd
5%
Phone
Tablet
Figure 13: Expected m-commerce share of online holiday sales.
Source: Adobe Digital Index 2015
Using Norway as an indicator, Apple smartphones hold a slim majority over Android devices.
While not covering the whole region the numbers do reflect other geographical comparisons.
On this basis, merchants would be advised to consider the balance that their brand sees in other
territories when looking at mobile design elements.
31
Q2 2014
Q2 2015
Apple / iPhone
34%
36%
Samsung
30%
33%
Sony Ericsson
9%
11%
Nokia
12%
9%
HTC
5%
3%
LG
3%
2%
Motorola
-
-
Siemens
-
-
4%
4%
Other
Figure 14: Market share of mobile phones by
manufacturer in Norway.
Source: TNS Gallup Norway InterBuss Q2 2015
A similar survey in Denmark showed that Apple has a significant lead in terms of handsets and by operating
system; even with all of the other OSs added together.
APPLE
47%
SAMSUNG
SONY
8%
NOKIA
HTC
24%
7%
6%
2% LG
2% Huawei
3% Other
Figure 15: Smartphone manufacturer market share in Denmark.
Source: IAB Denmark / TNS Gallup June 2015
When considering the optimisation of the mobile experience, it is worth understanding what local
merchants are doing in the area. A recent study by the Nordics Smarter eCommerce Group showed that 80%
of Danish retailers use a responsive site to optimise the customer experience. App usage is quite low at 6%.
Sweden demonstrates similar characteristics while nearly a quarter of Finnish merchants are utilising apps.
How do you optimize your mobile experience?
FI
DK
Responsive - 42%
No optimization - 23%
Apps - 23%
Not relevant at the moment - 12%
32
Figure 16: How Nordics
retailers optimise the mobile
shopping experience.
Source: Nordics Smarter
eCommerce Group 2015
Responsive - 80%
No optimization - 9%
Apps - 6%
Not relevant at the moment - 5%
With regards to the age profile of smartphone users, not too much can be inferred from this profile.
The challenge with this metric is that ownership doesn’t equate to usage; it is very difficult to buy a ‘dumb’
phone with a mobile contract. It does however highlight market potential and, for certain brands, taking age
into account might actual enable them to encourage uptake by their customers.
Consumers owning a smartphone by age
100%
94%
90%
91%
80%
75%
73%
55%
50%
25%
18-24
years old
25-34
years old
35-44
years old
45-54
years old
55-64
years old
65+
years old
Figure 17: Consumers owning a smartphone by age.
OTHER MEDIA
Technology usage has shifted consumption patterns around all different kinds of media, from print to
television. In many territories, TV viewing has been hit hard as other pastimes compete for consumers’
free time. In the Nordics however, the net impact has been minimal. The data points in the following
table show peaks in certain years, thought to be the result of major sporting activities such as football.
Additionally, certain territories have seen an increase in Pay-TV subscriptions and the streaming of
programmes to digital devices has also helped consumers. Users are now much more in control of curating
their own content and viewing when convenient to them. This does offer challenges to advertisers but
increasing multi-screen usage, where a TV viewer will often have a tablet to hand, is improving opportunities
in the advertising space.
DENMARK
FINLAND
ICELAND
NORWAY
SWEDEN
(AGE 3+)
(AGE 10+)
(AGE 12-80)
(AGE 12+)
(AGE 3+)
2004
162
167
151
166
151
2005
152
169
147
164
146
2006
105
169
149
156
154
2007
148
166
126
154
157
2008
167
177
183
174
160
2009
189
176
158
184
166
2010
201
178
141
183
166
2011
198
178
136
178
162
2012
195
183
128
175
164
2013
180
182
118
168
159
2014
173
184
130
174
153
Figure 18: TV viewing time (minutes / day) in Nordic countries.
Source: TNS Gallup Danmark / Norge 2014
33
These wider media consumption trends can also be seen in the numbers
of users signing up for subscription services. Grocery subscriptions
are a niche market at present, aimed at high-end customers and music
streaming is replacing CD purchases, particularly where there are local
players such as Spotify in Sweden and WiMp in Norway.
% What products or services have
you subscribed to online?
Norway
Denmark
Sweden
33%
29%
37%
14%
39%
28%
TV/Video
Streaming
Music
Streaming
23%
9%
16%
5%
19%
4%
Magazines
& Books
Groceries
Figure 19: Subscription service usage in Nordics 2014.
Source: DIBS’S Annual Report on ecommerce,
Mobile Commerce and Payments 2015
Magazines and newspapers have been hit by free online content but
TV / video streaming is on the increase, with many mobile networks
providing subscriptions to these services as part of the mobile contract.
34
MARKETING & BRANDING
As with most global markets, there is a massive and rapid swing in expenditure
from offline to online. Even in the online arena, new technologies are changing
spending patterns and investment priorities. For example, social media is of
growing importance while user generated content and programmatic advertising
are playing key roles in getting brand messages out to consumers. As with
all investments however, it is important to ensure a positive ROI and this is
no different when targeting the Nordics. Deloitte published a report in 2014
highlighting marketing costs, margin and other KPIs experienced by Swedish
online merchants.
E-tailer Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Entry Level Average
Leading
4.1%
1.4%
0.9%
Operating margin
-3.0%
3.0%
6.0%
Gross margin
15%
30%
45%
Repeat customer rate
17%
27%
52%
% of sales from repeat customers
24%
41%
59%
Average Order Value (AOV) (SEK)
150
750
9300
AOV Repeat Customer (SEK)
210
1300
9500
Marketing Cost
40%
12%
8%
Site Conversion rate
0.1%
2.3%
4.0%
Shopping cart abandonment rate
92%
54%
27%
Total payment solution and processing costs
Transaction cost as a % of turnover
Operational
Marketing
Figure 21: Typical Nordics e-retailer key performance indicators.
Source: Deloitte “Omni-Channel retail; A Deloitte point of view” and Redeye - 2014
Key insights include how average conversion rates increase with the sophistication of the business.
For a merchant trading into the Nordics, an average conversion rate of 2.3% and checkout abandonment rate
of circa 50% sounds reasonable until brand awareness is built up; even big global brands struggle with local
traction when first launching. The data also highlighted the importance of repeat customers, particularly
where costs for maintaining the relationship are lower than acquiring as they typically spend more annually.
35
With acquisition costs increasing, marketing managers need to understand how shoppers react to
different marketing channels – in order to overcome low brand awareness in new markets initially
as well as the challenges around how to communicate with consumers who are becoming increasingly
distracted by more stimuli.
Data from Strategy Analytics in 2015 shows the Nordic countries all appearing in the global top 10 of
advertising spend per capita. Additionally, in terms of market size, the constituent countries all appear
in the bottom 10.
This indicates a number of factors, including the market’s openness to advertising practices, the challenges
that brands have in getting heard and the overall costs of advertising in these territories.
United States
$567
Australia
$486
Norway
$472
Denmark
$379
$362
United Kingdom
$361
Sweden
Germany
$311
Canada
$310
$309
Japan
$294
Finland
South Korea
$253
$224
France
$152
Italy
$127
Spain
Czech Republic
$122
Argentina
$96
$88
Brazil
$76
Russia
South Africa
$73
$60
Poland
$54
Mexico
$41
Turkey
$35
China
India
$5
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
Figure 22: Average advertising spend per capita in 2014.
Source: Strategy Analytics 2015 Global Advertising Forecast.
From a digital perspective, information from Adcolony indicates that a larger proportion of ad-spend
goes to digital channels while Finland still sees the majority of spend going through traditional channels.
The longer-term trend is for more spend to go through digital and, compared to other territories,
these estimates look a little conservative.
Country
2014 (%)
2015 (%)
2016 (%)
2017 (%)
2018 (%)
2019(%)
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
Norway
42.1
30.8
23.30
38.4
44.60
33.30
25.60
42.60
47.00
34.80
27.60
45.60
49.30
36.10
29.50
48.00
51.30
36.90
31.40
50.50
53.00
37.90
33.40
53.00
Table 1: Digital ad-spend as a percentage of total ad media spend per country.
Source: Adcolony.com February 2016
36
So, where to spend the budget? Digital ad-spend can sometimes be found to be more efficient than other
channels. However, this will depend on the merchant’s proposition and, for some, a hybrid of online and
offline spend would be most appropriate. For the purposes of this report, the focus will be on digital channels.
So – through which technologies and channels should it be implemented?
A 2014 marketing survey in the Nordics by Salesforce.com looked at a number of factors. One interesting
insight is the first digital touchpoint of the day for Nordic consumers. Email ranked as first for all territories
followed by news and Facebook.
Nordics
Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
News Site
My company’s website
Search engine
Entertainment site
Other
Total
47%
18%
1%
0%
2%
19%
4%
5%
2%
2%
Sweden
Norway
48%
17%
1%
1%
3%
18%
4%
4%
3%
2%
38%
20%
0%
0%
2%
32%
3%
1%
1%
2%
Denmark
52%
24%
0%
0%
1%
11%
4%
4%
1%
3%
Finland
51%
15%
1%
0%
1%
16%
3%
10%
2%
2%
Figure 23: First digital touchpoint of the day for Nordic consumers.
When assigning budgets and priorities for marketing into the Nordics, it is also useful to understand
consumer engagement with the various communication channels. The Salesforce.com marketing survey
highlighted penetration rates on three of the main marketing platforms.
Email ranked highly across the region in terms of number of online consumers who have subscribed to
at least one company’s email list. An average of 83% of the online population of the Nordics had subscribed.
59% of the same user-base are fans of a brand on Facebook and 16% follow them on Twitter.
37
83% SUBSCRIBERS:
Nordic online consumers who have
provided their email address to at
least one comapny for the purpose of
receiving permission-based emails.
84%
66%
58%
88%
81%
78%
59% FANS:
Nordic online consumers with an
active Facebook account who have
liked at least one company or brand
on Facebook.
64%
53%
15%
21%
17%
13%
16% FOLLOWERS:
Nordic online consumers with an
active Twitter account who follow
at least one company or brand
on Twitter.
Figure 24: Subscribers, fans and followers in the Nordic countries.
Understanding how to connect with different generations of consumers at various times throughout the day
is key to building a solid marketing strategy. Knowing which devices each audience uses and building your
communication to optimise for these experiences is essential to keeping your customers engaged.
Targeting younger consumers through mobile-optimised content and Facebook offers the highest potential
for getting good returns on marketing investment, while for consumers aged 45 and over email and news
channels provide a more effective choice.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Overall, social media covers a wide range of channels, often differing in terms of target audiences and levels
of interaction. Nearly a quarter of Nordic retailers are seeing a good ROI from social media activities and
advertising. A further 43% of merchants are expecting to see ROI at some point in the future.
Facebook is the most popular social media platform
in the Nordics. YouTube however, also has a
strong user-base and represents some interesting
opportunities for brand communication; either
directly or via video bloggers (vloggers).
47% Social media marketing is producing ROI
43% Social media marketing will eventually produce ROI
30% Social media marketing is unlikely to produce ROI
3% Other
Figure 25: Nordic e-retailer expectations for social media ROI.
38
Unique Daily Visits to Social Media Sites in Scandinavia
Country
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Norway
2.1 million
37,000
1 million
45,000
Denmark
3 million
30,000
1 million
120,000
Sweden
4.1 million
75,000
1.6 million
100,000
Figure 26: Daily visits to social media websites in Scandinavia.
Source: mvfglobal.com 2015
Research from Buzzador supports this. From their community, Buzzador report that Facebook is by-far
the most popular social media channel with 90% of the Norwegians surveyed using it at least once a day,
if not more regularly. 42% of Swedish respondents are using Instagram daily.
Each of the channels offer their own core benefits. Facebook is about fairly private communities where
personal recommendation is at its most powerful. Twitter and blogs are more like broadcast mediums,
useful for brand building and influencing, rather than directly impacting sales. Twitter reports that users
in Finland currently prefer using laptops and PCs rather than mobile devices while 69% of Swedish Twitter
users watch videos on the platform.
100%
Questions: How often do you use the following
social media? Answer: Once a day or more often
90%
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Denmark
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
st
a
Re
a
In
Fa
c
eb
oo
k
gr
am
Fo
ru din
g
m
/C Blo
om
gs
m
un
ity
Tw
itt
e
Go r
og
Ow le+
n
Bl
og
Ot
he
Li
r
nk
ed
Pi In
nt
er
es
Tu t
Fo mbl
r
ur
sq
ua
re
0%
Figure 27: Nordic consumers who use social media at least once per day.
Source: Buzzador user survey 2014
39
60%
Share of teenage internet users
52%
50%
46%
46%
41%
40%
40%
38%
30%
28%
26%
24%
22%
20%
10%
0%
Ireland
Sweden
Belgium
Canada
United
Kingdom
United
States
France
Saudi
Arabia
Germany
Spain
Figure 28: Share of mobile teen internet users in selected countries who are active Snapchat users as of Q1 2015.
Source: Statista.com
Sweden has the second-highest penetration of teen snapchat users, behind Ireland. This doesn’t suggest that
there are more users in this demographic than in the US, merely that a higher proportion of ‘mobile’ teens use
the app. According to a 2015 report by DR Medieforskning, nearly half of all 12-19 year-old Danes are using
Snapchat daily while nearly a quarter of 20-29 year-olds are doing the same; a total user-base of over 800,000.
Social media usage in Norway follows a similar pattern, with Facebook the biggest network with 3.3 million
users. Snapchat, Instagram and Google+ also have substantial user-bases, with most users having accounts
across multiple platforms.
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
(MILLIONS)
% OF INTERNET
USERS
Facebook
3.3
80.7%
Snapchat
1.8
44.3%
Instagram
1.5
37.2%
Google+
1.3
31.9%
LinkedIn
1.2
29.5%
Twitter
1.2
28.7%
Pinterest
0.5
11.7%
Figure 29: Norwegian social media usage 2015.
Source: emarketer / Ipsos Norway 2015
While most commentators report on the younger user-base of Snapchat, Norway and Denmark have
seen a marked increase in older subscribers; opening up wider possibilities for marketers.
40
18-29
90.0%
82.0%
86.0%
30-39
70.0%
54.0%
62.0%
40-59
43.0%
33.0%
38.0%
60+
15.0%
7.0%
11.0%
Total
48.0%
40.0%
44.3%
Female
Male
Total
Figure 30: Profile of Snapchat users in Norway as a percentage if internet users.
Source: emarketer / Ipsos Norway 2015
With a range of communication channels available to brands, it is interesting to explore what motivates
Nordic consumers to follow a brand, either through email subscriptions or social channels. Keeping abreast
of developments at the brand is the most popular and obvious reason for a consumer to follow a brand.
In Norway however, it is about keeping in-touch with product offerings and services.
To receive alerts related to developments within the company, association or organization
42%
For more information related to my hobbies, interests etc.
Sweden
For a quick and easy way to keep my finger on the
pulse of the brand/company
15% followers
40%
N = 160 consumers who follow at least one brand
To receive alerts related to developments within the company,
association or organization
Norway
53%
50%
43%
17% followers
54%
To keep up to date with the company’s products, services or offerings
52%
Denmark
To receive alerts related to developments within
the company, association or organization
21% followers
37%
To receive alerts related to developments within the company,
association or organization
Finland
To keep up to date with the company’s products,
services or offerings
13% followers
59%
48%
36%
36%
Figure 31: Why consumers
follow a brand, by country.
Norwegian social media
usage 2015.
Source: salesforce.com State of
marketing report - Nordics 2014
41
For social media communications, brands should remember the core benefits of each channel or platform and
combine that information with the preferences shown by consumers in each of the territories. For example,
Snapchat in Sweden is showing interesting promise for brands looking to engage with a younger audience
while Facebook works across all of the Nordics for an older audience. Twitter is a good way of broadcasting to
ambassadors and influencers while YouTube shows increasing promise for vloggers and brand engagement.
Consumers in Sweden, Norway and Denmark seem to be ahead of their Finnish cousins in terms of social
uptake, but they are catching up fast.
SEARCH
As with most other western markets, Google dominates the search market with the
only other search player of note being Bing.
Country
Google (%)
Yahoo! (%) Bing (%)
Other (%)
Norway
Denmark
Sweden
Finland*
91
95
92
96
0
0
0
0.77
4
3
6
5
2
2
2
Figure 32: Search market share in Nordics
Source: mvfglobal and *statsmonkey.com 2015
While this means that most global merchants will be used to using the tools and techniques required for this
search landscape, key differences should be noted and localisation is key. Local market insight should be
sought, probably on a country-by-country basis. This should also extend to natural speakers being sought to
help with adword campaigns, translation and SEO.
EMAIL MARKETING
Successful email marketing is based on having a quality database of customer
contact information. The next step is to better understand their motivators to
purchase and ideally a customer relationship management system (CRM) which
includes other data points such as purchase history or browsing history.
Typically, the most successful ‘call to action’ in a campaign to gather email addresses is usually around
providing access to offers, such as discounts or free delivery. In the Nordic countries however, this does
not appear to be the case.
According to a Salesforce.com survey in 2014, the main reason for providing a company with an email address
is to keep up-to-date with developments at the organisation. The survey also showed that 83% of online
Nordic consumers are subscribed to the email list of at least one company.
While Norwegian, Danish and Finnish subscribers all suggest that the motivation for signing up to an email
list isn’t to access ‘free stuff’, it is the primary reason that they will remain subscribed. Swedish subscribers
however rate receiving information about the brand as their number one reason for remaining subscribed.
58% of Swedish and Norwegian subscribers have made a purchase from a promotional email – as well as 57%
of Finnish and 49% of Danish consumers. Interestingly, the top reasons for Swedish consumers to read emails
are all about information. This might give some clues as to the tone and content of promotional emails aimed
at this customer base.
42
39%
34%
I shop with this company or brand on a regular basis
Sweden
To receive alerts related to developments within
the company, association or organization
84% subscribers
31%
N = 1,057 consumers who follow at least one brand
40%
To recieve discounts and money-off promotions
Norway
39%
37%
81% subscribers
47%
To keep up to date with the company’s products, services or offerings
Denmark
38%
78% subscribers
48%
Finland
I shop with this company or brand
on a regular basis
88% subscribers
44%
33%
29%
Figure 33: Why consumers subscribe to a brand’s email list, by country. Norwegian social media usage 2015.
Source: salesforce.com State of marketing report - Nordics 2014
DIRECT MAIL
An area often missed by digital-enabled merchants is the effectiveness of a well-constructed direct mail
campaign. As a region, the Nordics are no different. PostNord reported in their 2015 Direct Mail report,
DR-monitorn 2015, that 6 out of 10 Swedish consumers are open to seeing more promotional offers via
the mail. Looking at some detail, 44% want to receive coupons and 29% like receiving product samples.
Directories, or collections of products, merchants and offers in one document, are particularly popular with
43% of Swedish consumers saving the directories between editions; increasing the ‘stickiness’ of a campaign
and likelihood of a sale being made. The same survey also highlighted that 68% of Swedish recipients are
engaging with the mail so even if a purchase isn’t the first follow-up action, direct mail still provides a useful
way to build a brand. When responding to the survey, 31% said that they recalled the advertising as being via
mail, versus 13% via email.
To keep this in context, it is probable that the response rate would be higher on email when the
follow-on purchase is taking place via website.
These numbers focus on the Swedish market but consumer behaviour around direct mail is very
similar across the Nordics. For the digital merchant trading into the region, direct mail is certainly
a marketing communications channel that shouldn’t be ignored and can perhaps be combined
with other marketing formats.
43
CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING
As a target market for international merchants, the overall size of the market is viable and made more
so by the fact that the selection of brands and products available locally to customers might be limited.
As a result and, combined with the geographical challenges, Nordic consumers are used to shopping
at a distance (including cross-border).
In their latest Nordic ecommerce report, PostNord have shown cross-border purchases were worth over
€4.2bn with Norwegians the most likely to purchase from a merchant based in another country.
Total (€)
Nordics
Sweden
Denmark
Norway
Finland
4,226 m
1,270 m
808 m
1,287 m
861 m
Table 2: Total spent by Nordic online shoppers with foreign websites in 2015.
Source: PostNord Nordic eCommerce Report 2016
The same report also highlighted the penetration of online shoppers who shop cross-border. Norway has
by-far the largest cross-border shopping group, while a similar proportion in Finland indicates a lower
overall market value. Sweden at 32% perhaps shows the most potential for growth although the availability
of domestic brands might be a reason for the lower levels of cross-border shopping.
Nordics
Sweden
Denmark
Norway
Finland
40%
32%
36%
50%
49%
Table 3: Percentage of Nordic online consumers who have purchased from a foreign website.
For general imports the Nordics’ main trading partners are Germany, China, Russia, the Netherlands and
(for Norway) the UK. However, for online shopping, according to PostNord, the UK is the most popular
international shopping destination followed by Germany and then jointly by China and the US.
This is interesting as it indicates that Nordic consumers are more likely to purchase from brands outside of the
region, where as it might have been assumed that the local market would have been more attractive. Part of
the reason for this is that Nordic brands are more likely to have a local presence in each of the four countries,
so sales with these companies do not necessarily register as ‘cross-border’.
23%
17%
36%
23%
1%
23%
7%
25%
Table 4: Graphic showing most popular international shopping destinations for online
customers in the Nordics.
Source: PostNord eCommerce Survey 2016
44
Providing more detail, the PostNord report also highlighted the country preferences by each of the Nordic
states. The marked difference in the amount of cross-border trade between Norway and the US can perhaps
be explained in part by the number of expat US citizens working in the oil, gas and shipping industries.
Base: Have purchased goods online from
abroad during the quarter
SWEDEN
DENMARK
NORWAY
FINLAND
NORDICS
United Kingdom
34%
46%
38%
27%
36%
USA
24%
18%
36%
15%
23%
Germany
27%
30%
13%
31%
25%
China
24%
18%
31%
20%
23%
-
13%
20%
19%
17%
Denmark
7%
-
13%
3%
7%
Norway
2%
1%
-
2%
2%
Finland
1%
0%
0%
-
1%
Sweden
Figure 34: Online consumers preferred cross-border shopping destinations.
Source: PostNord eCommerce Report 2016
With regards to the age of Nordic online consumers who are happy to shop cross-border, there is little
difference between them according to research by Bring.
Have you bought products from foreign online stores?
50+ years
30%
50+ years
38%
50+ years
30%
18-30 years
58%
50+ years
24%
18-30 years
60%
Denmark
Finland
30-50 years
52%
18-30 years
66%
Norway
30-50 years
54%
Sw
30-50 years
84%
res?
50+ years
30%
50+ years
24%
18-30 years
60%
18-30 years
66%
d
Norway
30-50 years
54%
18-30 years
48%
Sweden
30-50 years
84%
30-50 years
45%
Table 5: Breakdown by age of Nordic online consumers who shop cross-border.
Source: Bring 2014
45
40
36%
38%
50
60
61%
65%
70
As might be expected, price is a key motivator
for purchasing from a foreign merchant’s website.
While 63% of the survey sample questioned by DIBS
indicated that price was the main reason for crossborder shopping, only 10% purchased cross-border
because of lower taxes; indicating a disconnect
between product price and taxes / duties by
consumers. This could have an impact on
post-sale customer service if customers end up
being charged more than they expected,
especially at point of delivery.
Product will be used there
Other
Lower taxes
Lower prices than physical shops
Product/service not available in physical stores at home
Product/service not available in webshops at home
Lower prices than webshops at home
0
4%
6%
10
10%
20
30
Reflecting overall online trends, the most popular
cross-border categories include fashion and
consumer electronics. Finnish consumers are
particularly keen on purchasing fashion, with 38% of
online consumers having done so. Norway leads the
way in media consumption, with 24% having made a
purchase in this manner. Interestingly, this category
includes books which have still performed strongly in
previous years and many of the big media providers,
such as Apple, are international.
Table 6: Reasons online Nordic
consumers cite for shopping
cross-border.
Source: dibspayment.com 2014
Base: Have purchased goods online from
abroad during the quarter
SWEDEN
DENMARK
NORWAY
FINLAND
NORDICS
Clothing / Footwear
31%
27%
29%
38%
31%
Home Electronics
17%
21%
23%
23%
20%
Media
14%
22%
24%
18%
19%
Car / Boat / Motorcycle Accessories
9%
6%
6%
8%
7%
Children’s goods / Toys
5%
6%
7%
4%
5%
Sport / Leisure Articles
12%
14%
11%
13%
12%
Health / Beauty
11%
12%
17%
11%
12%
Figure 35: Popular categories for cross-border shopping.
46
OPTIMISING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Consumer confidence
Confidence and trust are often one and the same. This is no different in the
Nordics and particularly where a foreign brand looks to trade into the region.
In the main, most barriers to purchasing online / cross-border are the same in
any country. What we do see though are subtle differences. Swedish consumers
seem to be more trusting than Finnish ones, but they also differ on what factors
provide this confidence.
The following graphic shows that in Finland at least, there is still a lot of reticence to share personal data,
such as an email address, with a business.
Email address
49%
8%
26%
17%
Address
32%
5%
39%
25%
Phone number
3%
15%
38%
45%
Would definitely share
Would probably not share
Wouldprobably share
Would definitely not share
Figure 36: Finnish consumer attitudes to exchanging their email address for promotional offers.
Source: Fonecta / IROResearch / emarketer 2015
Buzzador, a Nordics-based, community product review website surveyed its user-base and found that,
across all Nordics, a friend’s recommendation was the biggest influencer when choosing a brand to shop with.
Danish shoppers were particularly influenced in this way while consumer opinions and expert reviews also
ranked highly.
10
8.3
Ads on radio
2.4
2.7
2.7
2.5
Ads on social networks
2.9
3.0
2.8
2.8
4.3
4.3
4.0
3.9
3.6
Ads on TV
Ads in newspaper
4.0
4.1
4.5
5.2
4.9
5.5
5.0
Branded website
5.9
5.6
5.5
5.7
5.7
Expert reviews online
Consumer opinions online
2
Recommendation (buzzador)
4
Recommendation (friend)
5.3
5.3
6
6.2
7.0
6.4
6.9
7.0
7.8
8.2
8.2
8
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Denmark
0
Figure 37: Factors impacting a customer’s choice of brand.
Source: Buzzador user survey 2014
47
On product recommendations, it is widely acknowledged that consumers trust other consumers before brands.
As the price point increases, so does the value of customer reviews. Danish consumers regularly look for
customer-generated reviews before making a purchase. The majority of Consumers in the other territories
also make use of customer reviews as part of the decision-making process. For an international brand, usergenerated content should be another ‘hygiene’ factor; another standard element of the customer experience
providing trust to the international customer.
80%
73%
70%
66%
64%
60%
57%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Denmark
Table 7: Customer use of online reviews before making a purchase over €57.
Source: Buzzador
A 2014 survey by Bring highlighted security as the most important consideration for consumers shopping
online, particularly in Norway where 79% of shoppers ranked this as their main concern. Simple payment
solutions and clear product descriptions and images rank equally. Norwegian consumers also favour low
prices over free returns, suggesting that ‘up-front’ savings are important and with the other elements above
in place, returns would be expected to be lower. This might not hold true in all product categories however.
Norway 89%
Security
Simple payment solution
Good product information and pictures
Good delivery options
Low prices
Free returns
Free exchanges
Free shipping
Popular brands
Recommendations from other buyers
Attractive design
No login
Mobile-adaptive website
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Denmark 11%
Sweden
Table 8: Elements of an online service that affect a consumers decision to purchase.
Source: Bring, 2014
The low importance of a mobile-optimised experience might be a surprise but other datasets show how this
view has changed since when the survey was carried out in 2014.
48
Reinforcing concerns around simple payment methods, the following graphic highlights payment method
availability as the biggest concern by respondents to a DIBS survey. The report also pulled out other key
areas that impact the customer journey and conversion rates. Notable points include ease of registration,
unclear terms and processing of the payment.
34%
Didn’t offer desired payment method
Complicated registration
30%
Unclear terms
28%
Processing of payment
28%
24%
Technical difficulties
20%
Insufficient product info
19%
Low trust
4%
Not possible to collect product
0%
10%
5%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
(%) Reasons to discontinue a purchase
Figure 38: Nordic consumers common reasons for abandoning a purchase.
Source: dibspayment.com research 2014
Many of these elements are common requirements for any online merchant, trading domestically or
cross-border. For international businesses though, their importance increases as consumers look for
additional reassurance before making a purchase.
While not specifically about the Nordics, the following data points taken from the Nielsen Global Trust in
Advertising Survey show some interesting trends for brands trading into Europe. As mentioned previously,
another customer’s comments carry significantly more weight than information on a brand’s website.
Customer-generated content also scores highly when compared to other channels. Adverts seen in some of
the digital channels, such as mobile and social, score particularly badly in terms of trust. The benefits of both
though come to the fore when they are combined with a friend’s recommendation on a social network.
ASIA PACIFIC
EUROPE
AFRICA/
MIDDLE EAST
LATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
RECOMENDATIONS FROM PEOPLE I KNOW
85%
78%
85%
88%
82%
BRANDED WEBSITES
78%
54%
76%
75%
61%
EDITORIAL CONTENT, SUCH AS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
71%
52%
71%
74%
63%
CONSUMER OPINIONS POSTED ONLINE
70%
60%
71%
63%
66%
ADS ON TV
68%
45%
70%
72%
63%
BRAND SPONSORSHIPS
67%
43%
73%
70%
57%
ADS IN NEWSPAPERS
63%
44%
69%
72%
65%
ADS IN MAGAZINES
62%
43%
65%
70%
62%
BILLBOARDS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
60%
40%
64%
63%
57%
EMAILS I SIGNED UP FOR
60%
41%
59%
65%
64%
TV PROGRAM PRODUCT PLACEMENTS
60%
35%
64%
64%
53%
ADS BEFORE MOVIES
59%
38%
57%
62%
56%
ADS ON RADIO
54%
41%
62%
68%
60%
ONLINE VIDEO ADS
53%
33%
55%
52%
47%
ADS ON MOBILE DEVICES
50%
26%
49%
48%
39%
ADS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
50%
32%
57%
54%
42%
ADS SERVED IN SEARCH ENGINGE RESULTS
50%
36%
52%
58%
49%
ONLINE VIDEO ADS
48%
27%
49%
46%
41%
TEXT ADS ON MOBILE PHONES
47%
22%
41%
39%
37%
Table 9: Global trust in advertising channels.
Source: Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey, Q1 2015
49
TRUST & DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Utilising local trust marks can be a way to encourage that first transaction;
reassuring consumers that if something goes wrong, there is someone who will
help to rectify the situation. It is important to select the scheme that suits the
products and business of the merchant. There may also be legal requirements in
certain territories about which programmes a merchant must be part of.
Early in 2016, the EC took the Online Dispute Resolution platform live. This system isn’t in itself a resolution
system but rather a signpost for cross-border consumers to find a resolution service in the home territory of
the merchant (assuming they are based, or have an office, in the EU). The services, called Alternative Dispute
Resolution (ADR), aren’t necessarily trust marks but can act as intermediaries where a customer and merchant
can’t agree on remedial action.
webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/
ECC-Net is an EU-wide network aimed at providing consumers with advice on
a range of issues. They are part funded by local government and the EC.
ECC Net – European Consumer Centres Network
www.konsumenteuropa.se
The following are trust marks run either as organisations in their own right or
as part of another organisation’s services. For example, the trade association for
online retail in Norway runs a trust mark for online merchants.
50
Sweden
Denmark
www.ehandelscertifiering.se
www.tryggehandel.se/
www.emaerket.dk
Norway
Finland
www.tryggehandel.no
www.ecommercefinland.org/trustmark.html
www.asml.fi
51
MARKETPLACES
Marketplaces are a good mechanism for foreign merchants to test the market
in new territories. Although the costs associated with each sale might be higher,
local consumers have confidence in the marketplace brand and it will be easier to
match local trading requirements.
This list highlights some of the bigger local marketplaces which may be worth considering.
Fyndiq AB is a Swedish fast-growing ecommerce
company that, since its inception in 2010,
established links with over 1,500 traders who
together sell over 500,000 products in categories
such as fashion, baby, beauty & health, electronics,
sports & leisure, entertainment, mobile & tablet
PCs, home etc.
Atosho, established in Copenhagen in 2011,
has created a new way for digital publishers to
tap into ecommerce revenue and sell products
without users ever leaving the site, at the same
time providing a unique sales channel for
ecommerce retailers.
Trendsales is Denmark's largest fashion bazaar
with the purchase, sale and exchange of branded
and designer goods to those who love fashion and
shopping. Trendsales acts as a contact facilitator
between private buyers and sellers, and there
are over 150 different categories with branded
clothes, accessories, designer furniture, clothing,
computers, mobile phones and much more.
The Swedish CDON Marketplace has over 2
million active users and sells products from
other merchants as well as its own inventory.
The majority of the goods are second hand, but
many individuals and companies sell new and
unused branded goods. Trendsales have specific
websites for the Nordic countries:
Trendsales.no
Trendsales.se
Trendsales.de
Trendsales.fi
52
Tradera (eBay) Tradera.com is one of the
leading online commerce services in Sweden,
with over 2.5 million members and stores, 1.3
million visitors per week and over one million
listings. Although Tradera welcomes members
from all over the world, most are Swedish.
LOYALTY, VOUCHERS & AFFILIATES
In common with other markets, Nordic consumers value the ability to get a ‘good’
deal and, while this may involve direct communication with a brand, often the
discovery part of the journey starts elsewhere. For example, the advertising
network Tradedoubler has 30,000 bloggers on its network in the Nordics. Much
of these are focused on the fashion vertical. The value of sales through these
advertising channels has seen 19% growth across the region in 2015 while Sweden
on its own has witnessed slightly lower growth at 13%.
This marketing channel utilises affiliates to communicate offers, such as vouchers and discount
codes alongside more in-depth content. Advertisers are seeing ROI in the order of 8.4x and in Sweden,
an average order value of €82.76 in the fashion sector.
Other insight from Tradedoubler indicates that mid to high end fashion is particularly popular in the
Nordics and luxury is growing in importance.
Vouchers, used in the right way, can drive loyalty but care should be taken that this doesn’t create a fleeting
relationship with a customer. Where possible, price sensitivity should be replaced with a loyalty based on
other areas of the proposition, such as customer service, range and selection.
Affiliates are a good way to drive traffic to a merchant’s website and a local network can assist an international
brand looking to develop market awareness. Creating the right affiliate proposition can ensure that quality
traffic is driven to the merchant, thereby maximising the ROI.
53
LEGAL FRAMEWORK & REGULATION
Supported by NJORD Law
OVERALL
Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland
are very closely interconnected economies
albeit all four functioning under varying
legislative provisions. All four are based
on the civil law system.
Key legislation
The table below contains some key legislation to consider before
you begin trading in The Nordics. Please note that the table is
not an exhaustive list and that is limited to the legislation at
force at any given time.
For more information contact us on (+45) 33 12 45 22
or email copenhagen@njordlaw.com
54
Disclaimer
This section of the eCommerce
Worldwide Nordics Passport is provided
for general information only and does
not constitute legal or other professional
advice. Neither eCommerce Worldwide
nor Njord Law Firm owes any duty of
care to any reader of this section of the
Passport document. You should consult
a suitably qualified lawyer on any
specific legal problem or matter.
SWEDEN
Topic Area
Relevant Regulations
Purpose
Privacy and Data Protection
(a) The Personal Data Act
(1998:204) came into force and
replaced the out-dated Swedish
Data Act from 1973. The Personal
Data Act is based on Directive
95/46/EC which aims to prevent
the violation of personal integrity
in the processing of personal data.
To regulate the processing of
personal data by businesses and
other organizations.
Effects
All organisations that are responsible for processing personal data (data controllers) have to comply with
eight data protection principles set out in the PDA.
The Personal Data Act applies to those controllers who are established in Sweden. As a main rule,
Swedish law is also applicable when a controller from a third country (i.e. a country outside the EU
and EEA) uses equipment, for example terminals and questionnaires, situated in Sweden for the
processing of personal data. In such cases, the controller must appoint for himself an agent who is
established in Sweden. The agent is equated with a controller when applying the Personal Data Act.
Further details can be found in the online version of this document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
55
Topic Area
Purpose
(b) Sweden refused to implement
the Data Retention Directive
2002/58/EC for a long period,
finally adopting it on 21 March
2012. It came into effect on 1 May
2012.
To regulate, amongst other things,
unsolicited electronic direct
marketing to individuals.
Also regulated is the use of
cookies (and similar technologies)
by websites.
Effects
The Personal Data Act applies to those controllers who are established in Sweden. As a main rule,
Swedish law is also applicable when a controller from a third country (i.e. a country outside the EU
and EEA) uses equipment, for example terminals and questionnaires, situated in Sweden for the
processing of personal data. In such cases, the controller must appoint for himself an agent who is
established in Sweden. The agent is equated with a controller when applying the Personal Data Act.
Topic Area
Purpose
(c) European General Data
The European Data Protection
Directive (Directive 95/46/EC)
implemented in Sweden by the
Personal Data Act, is likely to be
superseded by a pan-European
Data Protection Regulation in the
coming years.
Protection Regulation
Effects
The European General Data Protection Regulation when enacted will impose more onerous obligations
on organisations that process personal data.
Topic Area
Purpose
(d) Act on Contract Terms in
consumer relationships (Contract
Terms Act, of 15 Dec. 1994
(1994:1512), passed to implement
the EU Unfair Consumer Contract
Terms Directive (93/13/EC).
The legislation is in place to
ensure the reasonableness of
terms in consumer contracts
and to ensure consumers are not
treated unfairly when entering
into contracts with businesses.
Effects
The assessment of the reasonableness of a contract term is dealt with in the legislation. Certain limited
exclusions of liability are allowed under this legislation. The review of content relates to all contracts
(B2B, B2C, P2P), also individually negotiated terms are subject to review.
56
Topic Area
Purpose
(e) Council Regulation (EEC) No.
2913/92, which established the
Community Customs.
The CPRs are in place to protect
consumers from misleading
commercial practices committed
by traders.
Effects
Certain contract terms are prohibited and others are restricted in their operation to ensure
consumers are protected. Further details can be found in the online version of this document
at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
Topic Area
Purpose
(f) Consumer Purchase Act
1990:932
The act applies to contracts
between traders and consumers
and implement the provisions of
the EU Consumer Rights Directive
into the Swedish law.
Effects
The Consumer Purchase Act applies to distance selling contracts, imposing a number of
requirements on traders, and in some areas these requirements diverge significantly from
the previously applicable regulations.
Topic Area
Purpose
(h) Sales of Goods Act (SFS
1990:931) and 1980 Vienna
Convention on Contracts for
international sales of goods
This legislation is in place is to
protect consumers when entering
contracts for the purchase of
goods from businesses.
Effects
The SGA currently ensures consumers are protected over goods they have purchased in terms of:
• satisfactory quality;
• fitness for purpose;
• goods sold by sample; and
• goods sold by description
57
Topic Area
Purpose
(i) Supply of Goods and Services
Act 1985:716
This law applies to contracts for
services between traders and
consumers for the provision of
varied services and utilities.
Effects
The SGA currently ensures consumers are protected over goods they have purchased in terms of:
Topic Area
Purpose
(j) Act on electronic commerce and These regulations detail certain
other information society services requirements imposed on online
(2002:562)
traders.
Act (2003:389) on Electronic
Communication
Electronic Commerce (EC
Directive) Regulations 2002
Effects
Online traders must:
• provide certain information about themselves and how contracts concluded through electronic means
will be made;
• ensure commercial communications are clearly to identifiable as such; and
• acknowledge receipt of an order placed via technology without undue delay and by electronic means,
as well as provide the recipient with appropriate means to correct any errors prior to
placing the order.
Topic Area
Purpose
(d) Brussels Regulation (44/2001)
and Rome I (Regulation
593/2008)
EU legislation protecting
consumers who contract with
companies directing activities into
the consumer’s member state.
Effects
A company will be considered to be directing its activities if - by any means - it directs commercial
or professional activities into a member state; this will include sales into a European member state
via websites.
58
Topic Area
Purpose
Advertising
(a) The Marketing Act (2008:486)
The act sets out the regulatory
standards which advertising and
marketing material must comply
with in Sweden.
Effects
Marketing that contravenes good marketing practice under Section 5 is to be regarded as unfair and
or misleading if it appreciably affects or probably affects the recipient’s ability to make a well-founded
transaction decision.
Topic Area
Purpose
Advertising
(b) Distance and Doorstep Sales
Act (2005:59)
The Act applies to contracts
where the contract is concluded
as a distance contract or offpremises contract.
The Act do not cover certain types
of contract, including: gambling,
financial services, construction,
package travel or timeshare
contracts
Effects
Distance selling marketers must:
• make clear the location and identity of the marketer;
• include information on: price (including tax and delivery costs), delivery times, communication
charges at higher than standard rates, limitations on the offer etc.;
• provide written information on cancellation rights, return conditions, guarantees/after-sales services,
complaints procedures;
• refund money promptly (subject to conditions);and
• fulfil orders within 30 days unless longer is agreed.
Topic Area
Purpose
Digital Signatures &
Authentication
E-Signature Directive 1999/93/EC
was published on 19 January 2000
and implemented into the Swedish
law by Act on Qualified Electronic
Signatures
Directive 1999/93/EC aims to
ensure the free movement of
electronic signatures, supporting
services and products by
confirming the legal status of
electronic signatures.
Effects
59
Topic Area
Purpose
Authentication
Government Ordinance on
Qualified Electronic Signatures
(2000:833)
The Swedish National Post and
Telecom Agency is appointed
supervisory authority of this
regulatory framework.
Government Ordinance on the
financing of the National Post and The Regulation seeks to improve
Telecom’s operations (1999:836)
trust in electronic transactions and
encourage the use of electronic
Post and Telecom Agency’s
signatures to help create a fully
regulations on fees according to
integrated digital single market.
the Act on Qualified Electronic
Signatures (2000:832)
The Technical Conformity
Assessment Act (1992:1119)
Effects
The Framework sets out rules for the use of trust services (electronic identification and signature) and
establishes a legal framework for electronic signatures (for natural persons), electronic seals (for legal
persons), electronic time stamps, electronic documents, electronic registered delivery services and
certificate services for website authentication.
Topic Area
Purpose
Intellectual Property
(a) Act on Copyright in Literary
and Artistic Works (1960:729)
This Act is the main legislative
source for both copyright and
unregistered design right.
The Act sets out when such works
will be protected and allows the
owner to prevent others from
infringing those rights.
Effects
Copyright seeks to protect the form of expression of ideas. Typically, unregistered designs are purely
functional items, although items with aesthetic appeal can also be protected.
Topic Area
Purpose
(b) Act on Mediation in Certain
Copyright Disputes (1980:612)
These acts of legislation widen
the scope of the Act on Copyright
in Literary and Artistic Works
and in particular in contentious
matters and intellectual creations
overlapping with different
intellectual property rights.
Design Protection Act (1970:485)
Effects
Copyright in a work is not infringed by the use of a quote from the work where it is used for criticism,
review or otherwise, provided that the work meets certain criteria.
60
Topic Area
Purpose
(c) Trademark Act (2010:1877)
This Act establishes a monopoly
right in registered trademarks in
Sweden. This means that only the
owner of the trade mark can use it
in the course of trade.
Effects
The Act provides for the registration of trade marks at the Intellectual Property Office, as well as the
enforcement of those trademarks. Further details can be found in the online version of this document
Topic Area
Purpose
(d) Design Protection Act
(1970:485)
This Act protects rights in
registered designs as monopoly
rights.
Effects
Only the design owner can use or exploit the registered design. Further details can be found in the
online version of this document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
Topic Area
(e) The Patents Act (1967:837)
(version in force from July 1, 2014)
Purpose
This legislative framework
protects monopoly rights in
patents, giving the owner of the
Defence Inventions Act (1971:1078)
patent the right to use and exploit
Act on the Right to Inventions by an invention industrially.
Employees (1949:345)
It also deals with certain
Act on Plant Breeders’ Rights
exceptions, labor law related
(1997:306)
provisions and procedural aspects
of the patent law.
Act on the Patent Appeals Court
(1977:729)
Act on the Protection of
Topographies for Semiconductor
Products (1992:1685)
Effects
These Acts set out when such a monopoly right subsists in a patent and when it may be infringed, as
well as available defences for such infringement.
61
CORPORATE FORMS,
INCORPORATION & OTHERS
(a) Limited Companies
The Swedish limited liability company
(Sw. “Aktiebolag”, AB) is the most
common type of company organization
in Sweden.
Swedish legislation provides for two types
of companies with limited liability
(joint stock companies):
• Private Limited Liability Company
(Sw. Privat Aktiebolag) and
• Public Limited Liability Company
(Sw. Publikt Aktiebolag)
Capital Requirement
For a private limited company the minimum capital
requirement is SEK 50,000 compared to SEK
500,000 for a public limited company. The share
capital may be stated in either SEK or in EURO.
To have the share capital stated in EURO the
company must have its accounts denominated in
EURO as well. All shares in a limited company must
have the same value, but the voting power may vary.
No class of shares is allowed to have more than 10
times the voting power of another class of shares.
All shares in a company must be fully paid up
before the company can be registered. Only public
companies may issue shares or other securities
to the public. The company is not considered as a
legal entity until it is registered with the Swedish
Companies Registration Office
(Sw. “Bolagsverket”).
Branch office form is available but is not considered
a separate legal entity. Other forms of incorporation
are sole proprietorship, private partnership, general
partnership, limited partnership, foundation and
economic association.
• Corporate tax rate presently at 22%.
• Value Added Tax (VAT) 25% with a few exceptions.
• Employment contracts are mandatory.
Labour market is regulated by both legislation
and collective bargaining agreements. Dismissal for
cause or redundancy is possible, but will usually
be negotiated with Trade Union. Wrongful dismissal
could result in punitive damages of up to 32
monthly salaries.
62
(b) Sole Proprietorship
(Sw. “enskild näringsverksamhet”)
The structure is an unincorporated business, which
means that it is not a separate legal entity and has
only one owner. The owner has unlimited liability
for all debts and there is no separation between the
owner’s private and business debts.
(c) Private partnership
(Sw. “enkelt bolag”, ”EB”)
In a private partnership the business is conducted
under a common business name and the partners
are equally liable. As the private partnership is not a
legal entity, it can neither hold property nor contract
in its own name. It cannot sue under its own name
in the courts, and similarly it cannot be sued under
its own name.
(d) General partnership
(Sw. “handelsbolag”, ”HB”)
This partnership is based on an agreement between
two or more partners (individual or corporate) and
constitutes a legal entity The partners operate under
a common name. The general partnership can hold
property, can contract in its own name and can sue
and be sued. The partners are jointly and severally
liable for partnership debts. A general partnership
must be registered with Bolagsverket, otherwise it
will become a private partnership.
(e) Limited partnership
(Sw. “kommanditbolag”, “KB”)
This partnership is a form of General Partnership
but has, besides one or more general partners who
are jointly and severally liable, one or more limited
partners whose liability are limited to the amount
of their capital contribution. It is usual that the
general partner is a limited company. It enjoys the
same property rights as a eneral Partnership and
constitutes a legal entity. Private, general and limited
partnerships are regulated by the General and
Private Partnership Act (Sw. “Lag (1980:1102)
om handelsbolag och enkla bolag”, “HBL”).
DENMARK
Topic Area
Purpose
The Act on Processing of Personal
Data, Act no. 429 of 31st May 2000
(entered into force on 1st July 2000
to implement the European Data
Protection Directive 95/46/EC),
amended most recently by Act no.
639 of 12th June 2013.
personal data obtained through
electronic data processing,
and for the non-electronic
processing of data included in
electronic registers, by businesses,
governmental institutions and
The above Danish Data Protection
Act is complemented by other
legislation, such as the Danish
Marketing Practices Act no. 1216 of
25th September 2013, as amended
by Act no. 1460 of 17th December
2013
Effects
The Danish Data Protection Act regulates the data processing activities of individuals or companies,
whilst ensuring the protection of personal integrity belonging to individuals subjected to personal data
processing. The Act thus regulates the balance between data processors’ need to process and transfer data
information and the individual person’s right to privacy. Processing includes all types of automated data
processing conducted by data processors, including TV-surveillance and systematic processing of both
private and financial data. Data processing of private nature conducted by individuals is not regulated by
the Act.
Personal data is broadly defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person,
cf. Section 3 in the Danish Data Protection Act. Further details can be found in the online version of this
document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
63
Topic Area
Purpose
The Act on Electronic
communications networks and
services, no. 128 of 7th February
2014, as amended by Act no.
741 of 1st June 2015, and the
Order no. 1148 of 9th December
2011 regarding requirements
for information and consent
for storage of or access to
information on end-user terminal
equipment, implementing central
EU Directives 2002/58/EC as
amended by Directive 2009/136,
and Directive 2009/140.
To regulate unsolicited electronic
direct marketing to individuals,
including protecting individuals’
private sphere regarding the use of
cookies and similar technologies
utilized by websites.
The Danish Marketing Practices
Act no. 1216 of 25th September
2013, as amended by Act no. 1460
of 17th December 2013
Effects
If an organization sends unsolicited (i.e. not specifically requested) electronic direct marketing
communications by fax, telephone or electronic mail (including SMS) to individuals, it will need to
comply with the legislation on the area.
The Danish Business Authority acts as an independent regulatory body in accordance with the
legislation in the area of telecommunications, carrying out tasks concerning regulation of internet and
telecommunications and spectrum administration. Further details can be found in the online version of
this document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
Topic Area
Purpose
European General Data Protection The European Data Protection
Regulation
is likely to be superseded by a
pan-European Data Protection
Regulation in 2016. A draft of the
European General Data Protection
Regulation was presented by the
European Commission in January
2016
Effects
The European General Data Protection Regulation, when enacted, will impose more onerous obligations
on organizations that process personal data. The aim of the Regulation will be to harmonize current data
protection laws in place across EU member states and is part of the EU Data Protection Reform of 2012.
The new Regulation will enhance business opportunities as it will directly dictate the legal requirements
to EC countries
64
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
The Danish Contracts Act no.
193 of 2nd of March 2016, and
the Danish Consumer Contracts
Act no. 1457 of 17th December
2013, both implementing the
EU Unfair Consumer Contract
Terms Directive (93/13/EC) and
the subsequent Directive on
Consumer Rights (2011/83/EC)
The legislation on the area is in
place to ensure the reasonableness
of terms in consumer contracts
and to ensure consumers are not
treated unfairly when entering
into contracts with businesses.
Effects
The assessment of the reasonableness of a contract term is dealt with in the legislation on the area of
consumer protection.
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
To regulate the principles of fair
marketing practices
Effects
The Danish Marketing Practices Act includes a Section on consumer protection, seeking to consider
and protect consumers in general and includes provisions regarding e.g. marketing towards children and
young persons, and obligatory compliance to not mislead consumers. Further details can be found in the
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
The Danish Sale of Goods Act no.
, implementing parts of Directives
93/13 and 99/44
Effects
The provisions in the Sale of Goods Act relating to business-to-consumer sales are mandatory and aim to
protect the consumer in the sales relationship. These must therefore only be deviated provided that the
consumer is given a better legal position under the sales agreement than under the provisions in the Act.
65
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
The Act on Information Society
These regulations detail certain
Services including certain aspects requirements imposed on online
of Electronic Commerce, no. 227 of traders.
22nd April 2002, implementing the
E-Commerce Directive 2000/31
Effects
The Danish Act regarding Electronic Commerce includes a general duty for which online traders
must provide certain information, such as name, address, electronic address etc. Furthermore, price
information and general business conditions must be presented in a clear manner, including cost of
delivery, and all commercial communication must be clearly identifiable as such. Acknowledgement
of a placed order must be concluded and available via electronic means without delay, we well as the
opportunity to give the consumer appropriate means to correct any errors prior to placing the order.
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
Brussels Regulation (44/2001) and
Rome I (Regulation 593/2008)
Effects
A company will be considered to be directing its activities if - by any means - it directs commercial
or professional activities into a member state; this will include sales into a European member
state via websites.
Topic Area
Purpose
Advertising
The Act on Radio- and Television
Broadcasting Services, no. 255 of
20th March 2014, as amended by
Act no. 1517 of 27th December 2014
These pieces of legislation set
out the regulatory standards
which advertising and marketing
material must comply with in
Denmark, including broadcast
media, print media, website
content and posters.
Effects
Advertising must be clearly identifiable, no matter the medium it is presented in, in such a way so that
the receiver is made aware of the advertising element within the advertisement. Further details can be
found in the online version of this document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
66
Topic Area
Purpose
Digital Signatures and
Authentication
The Act on Electronic Signatures,
no. 417 of 31st May 2000, as
amended by Act no. 718 of 25th
June 2010, implementing the
E-Signature Directive 1999/93
To promote a safe and effective
use of electronic communication
and to ensure the free movement
of electronic signatures,
supporting services and products
by confirming the legal status of
electronic signatures.
NOTE: Regulation 910/2014 on
Electronic Identification and
Trust Services for Electronic
Transactions in the Internal
Market will repeal the E-Signature
Directive 1999/93/EC, applying
from 1st July 2016
The Regulation seeks to improve
Effects
Topic Area
Purpose
Trademark Act no. 192 of 1st
March 2016
The trademark legislation
establishes a monopoly right in
registered trademarks in Denmark,
meaning that only the owner of
the trademark can use/exploit it.
Effects
The Act provides for the registration of trademarks at the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, as
well as the enforcement of those trademarks. Further details can be found in the online version of this
Topic Area
Purpose
The Design Act no. 189 of 1st
March 2016
The legislation protects rights in
registered designs as monopoly
rights.
Effects
Registration is done by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. Further details can be found in the
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Topic Area
Purpose
The Copyright Act no. 1144 of 23rd
October 2014
source for both copyright and
unregistered design right. The Act
sets out when such works will be
protected and allows the owner
to prevent others from infringing
those rights. An exemption for
parody may be provided.
Effects
The owner of literary or artistic work is given copyright and thus monopoly to make use of the
work by reproducing it and making it available for the public in original or modified form, in translation
or adaptation. As a general principle, the copyright monopoly right endures until
|70 years from the owner’s death.
Topic Area
Purpose
The Patents Act no. 191 of 1st
March 2016
This Act protects monopoly rights
in patents, giving the owner of the
patent the right to use and exploit
an invention industrially.
Effects
Patents are registered at the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. Further details can be found in the
Topic Area
Purpose
Intellectual property rights
legislation in general, good
marketing practices principle
Effects
The Marketing Practices Act also states that businesses must respect the intellectual property rights of
creators and providers of copyrighted materials, trademarks, patents and design rights information and
other intellectual works in order to avoid infringing such rights and facing legal proceedings.
68
Corporate forms in Denmark:
A/S
Application
Registration
Capital Contribution
Liability
Management
Accounting
Tax
ApS
Middle-sized and large
Small and middle-sized
companies
companies
Must be registered at the Danish Commerce
and Companies Agency register
Min. DKK 500,000
Min. DKK 50,000
Limited to the value of shares subscribed
Mandatory two-tier system Optional one- or two-tier
with either a Board of
systems with either
Directors or a Supervisory
• one CEO or
Board of minimum 3
• a Board of Directors and at
persons and at least one
least one Executive Officer
Executive Officer
Annual financial statements audited by an accountant
Corporate income tax rate of 22%
I/S
Small companies
No registration
requirements
No requirements
Full liability,
generally 50 / 50
At least two
members in
partnership
No requirements
Personal income
taxation
69
NORWAY
Topic Area
Purpose
(a) Personal Data Act 2000
(PDA) (passed to implement
the European Data Protection
Directive 95/46/EC)
personal data by businesses and
Data protection in Norway is
regulated and enforced by the
Norwegian Data Protection
Authority which also produces
guidance and best practice
guidelines for compliance with the
legislation
Effects
Topic Area
Purpose
(b) Electronic Communications Act To ensure efficient, affordable
2003 (ECA) (passed to implement and modern electronic
Directive 2009/136/EC)
communications services.
The ECA also regulate the use of
cookies (and similar technologies)
by websites.
Effects
The ECA regulates the use of cookies (and similar technologies) on websites. Further details can be found
in the online version of this document at www.ecommerceworldwide.com
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Topic Area
Purpose
(which is implemented in Norway
by the Personal Data Act 2000)
Regulation in the coming years.
Effects
on organisations that process personal data.
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
(f) Right of Cancellation Act
2014 (RCA) (implementation of
Directive 2011/83/EU)
The RCA apply only to contracts
where the contract is concluded as
a distance contract or off-premises
contract.
The RCA do not cover certain
types of contract, including:
gambling, financial services,
construction, package travel or
timeshare contracts.
Effects
The Cancellation Act, which apply to distance selling contracts, impose a number of requirements on
traders, and in some areas these requirements diverge significantly from the previously applicable
regulations. Further details can be found in the online version of this document
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
(h) Consumer Purchase Act 2002
(CPA)
Effects
The CPA currently ensures consumers are protected over goods they have purchased in terms of:
71
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
(j) Electronic Commerce Act 2003
These regulations detail certain
requirements imposed on online
Effects
Online traders must:
• provide certain information about themselves and how contracts concluded through electronic means
will electronic be made;
• ensure commercial communications are clearly to identifiable as such; and
• acknowledge receipt of an order placed via technology without undue delay and by means, as well as
provide the recipient with appropriate means to correct any errors prior placing the order.
Topic Area
Purpose
Advertising
(a) Marketing Practices Act of
2009 (MPA)
The MPA codes set out the
regulatory standards which
advertising and marketing
material must comply with
in Norway.
The MPA applies to the control of
marketing, commercial practices
and contract terms, and require
traders to follow good business
practices in their transactions.
Effects
Advertising which is considered to be unfair or misleading will be in breach of the MPA.
The MPA also deals with commercial practices affecting children.
Complaints made to the Consumer Ombudsman and the Market Council will either be resolved
informally or, following a formal investigation, a marketer will be asked to amend or remove any
non-compliant advertising.
Topic Area
Purpose
Authentication
E-Signature Act (ESA)
The ESA aims to facilitate
the safe and effective use of
electronic signatures by laying
down requirements for qualified
certificates, for the issuer of
these certificates and for secure
signature creation devices.
Effects
72
Topic Area
Purpose
Authentication
Regulation 910/2014 on Electronic
Identification and Trust Services
for Electronic Transactions in the
Internal Market has repealed the
Regulation (EU) 910/2014 will
apply in the EU from 1 July 2016,
and most likely be implemented in
Norwegian legislation.
Effects
The Regulation sets out rules for the use of trust services (electronic identification and signature) and
establishes a legal framework for electronic signatures (for natural persons), electronic seals (for legal
persons), electronic time stamps, electronic documents, electronic registered delivery services and
certificate services for website authentication.
Topic Area
Purpose
(a) The Patents Act 1967
source for patent rights.
Effects
Patents seek to protect new inventions. Further details can be found in the online version of this
Topic Area
Purpose
(b) Copyright Act 1961
These Regulations widen the
scope of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1998. They
provide broader protections for the
quoting of copyright works and
provide an exemption for parody.
Effects
Anyone who wilfully or negligently violates the Copyright Act can be sanctioned or
imprisoned up to three months. Further details can be found in the online version of this
73
Topic Area
Purpose
(c) Trade Marks Act 2010
This Act establishes a monopoly
right in registered trademarks in
Norway. This means that only the
owner of the trade mark can use it
/ exploit it.
Effects
Topic Area
Purpose
(d) Designs Act 2003
This Act protects rights in
registered designs as
monopoly rights.
Effects
CORPORATE FORMS & INCORPORATION
The main corporate forms in Norway are:
1. Limited liability companies (AS) In this form of company, the personal assets of the directors and
shareholders are protected. It must have a minimum share capital of NOK 30 000. The liability of the
individual shareholders is limited to the amount – if any – outstanding of their shares. Only one director
is required and there need only be one share.
2. Public limited companies (ASA) This form of company has more regulation imposed upon it than a limited
liability company, and it must have a minimum share capital of NOK 1 000 000.
3. General partnership with mutual liability (ANS): This corporate form has unlimited liability, so the
partners or individuals may become liable for all the debts and liabilities of the business. In a partnership,
each partner will be individually responsible for all such debts and liabilities
Corporate taxable profits (ordinary income) are taxed at a flat rate of 27%. The income tax year normally runs
from 1 January to 31 December, with assessments being issued in autumn of the following calendar year.
Companies engaged in production and pipeline transportation pay special national income tax in addition to
ordinary tax.
74
FINLAND
Topic Area
Purpose
(a) Henkilötietolaki 1999/523
• Personal Data Act
Implements the Directive
95/46/EC
The objectives of this Act are to
implement, in the processing of
personal data, the
• Finland
protection of private life and the
other basic rights which safeguard
the right to privacy, as well as to
promote the development of and
compliance with good processing
practice.
Effects
The provisions of the Act apply to the processing of personal data, unless otherwise provided elsewhere
in the law.
Namely, the Act Applies to;
• the automatic processing of personal data. Also other processing of personal data where the data
constitutes or is intended to constitute a personal data file or a part thereof.
• the processing of personal data where the controller is established in the territory of Finland, or
otherwise subject to Finnish law.
Where the Controller is not established in the territory of a Member State of EU, the act applies where
the controller uses equipment located in Finland in the processing of personal data, except where the
equipment is used solely for the transfer of data through the territory. In this case the controller shall
designate a representative established in Finland.
Does Not Apply;
• To the processing of personal data by a private individual for purely personal purposes or for
comparable ordinary and private purposes.
• To personal data files containing, solely and in unaltered form, data that have been published
by the media.
75
Effects
Key Concepts;
• Personal Data means any information on a private individual and any information on
his / her personal characteristics or personal circumstances, where these are identifiable
as concerning him /her or the members of his/her family or household.
• Processing of Personal Data means the collection, recording, organisation, use, transfer,
disclosure, storage, manipulation, combination, protection, deletion and erasure of personal data,
as well as other measures directed at personal data.
• Duty of Care: The controller shall process personal data lawfully and carefully, in compliance with
good processing practice, and also otherwise so that the protection of the data subject’s private life
and the other basic rights which safeguard his/her right to privacy are not restricted without a basis
provided by an Act. Anyone operating on the behalf of the controller, in the form of an independent
trade or business, is subject to the same duty of care.
• Defined Purpose of Processing: It must be appropriate and justified to process personal data in the
operations of the controller. The purpose of the processing of personal data, the regular sources of
personal data and the regular recipients of recorded personal data shall be defined before the collection
of the personal data intended to be recorded in the file or their organisation into a personal data file.
The purpose of the processing shall be defined so that those operations of the controller in which the
personal data are being processed are made clear.
• Exclusivity of Purpose: Personal data must not be used or otherwise processed in a manner
incompatible with the purposes referred to in section 6. Later processing for purposes of historical,
scientific or statistical research is not deemed incompatible with the original purposes.
Sensitive data:
• The processing of sensitive data is prohibited.
Personal data are deemed to be sensitive,
if they relate to or are intended to relate to:
• Race or ethnic origin;
• The social, political or religious affiliation or
trade-union membership of a person
• A criminal act, punishment or other criminal
sanction
• The state of health, illness or handicap of a
person or the treatment or other comparable
• The sexual preferences or sex life of a person; or
• The social welfare needs of a person or the
benefits, support or other social welfare
General Prerequisites for Processing:
Personal data shall be processed only if:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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5. There is a relevant connection between
the data subject and the operations of the
The data subject has unambiguously
controller, based on the data subject being a
consented to the same;
client or member of, or in the service of, the
The data subject has given an assignment
controller or on a comparable relationship
for the same, or this is necessary in order to
between the two (connection requirement).
perform a contract to which the data subject is
6. The data relate to the clients or employees of
a party or in order to take steps at the request
a group of companies or another comparable
of the data subject before entering into a
economic grouping, and they are processed
contract;
within the said grouping
Processing is necessary, in an individual case,
7. Processing is necessary for purposes
in order to protect the vital interests of the
of payment traffic, computing or other
data subject;
comparable task undertaken on the
Processing is based on the provisions of an
assignment of the controller
Act or it is necessary for compliance with a
8. The matter concerns generally available data
task or obligation to which the controller is
on the status, duties, or performance of a
bound by virtue of an Act or an order issued
person in a public corporation or business,
on the basis of an Act;
and the data is processed in order to safeguard
the rights and interests of the controller or a
third party receiving the data
Topic Area
(b) Tietoyhteiskuntakaari 917/2014 The objective of the Act is to foster
(Implements Directive
the supply and use of electronic
2002/58/EC)
communications services
and to ensure that everyone
across Finland has access to
communications networks and
services at reasonable conditions.
The Act also aims to ensure the
confidentiality of electronic
communication and the
protection of privacy.
- Information Society Code
- Finland
Purpose
Effects
• Direct Marketing to Natural Persons:
Direct marketing by means of automated calling systems, facsimile machines, or email, text, voice,
sound or image messages may only be directed at natural persons who have given their prior consent.
• Saving data on the use of a service on the user’s terminal device and the use of such data:
The service provider may save cookies or other data concerning the use of the service in the user’s
terminal device, and use such data, if the user has given his or her consent thereto and the service
provider gives the user comprehensible and complete information on the purposes of saving or using
such data.
Topic Area
Purpose
Regulation in the coming years.
Effects
on organisations that process personal data. Further details can be found in the online version of this
77
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
(d) Kuluttajansuojalaki 1978/38
The Act seeks to regulate on
the offering, selling and other
marketing of consumer goods
and services by businesses to
consumers. The Act applies
also where a business acts as an
intermediary in the transfer of
goods or services to consumers.
Implements the EU Unfair
Consumer Contract Terms
Directive (93/13/EC)
Effects
The Finnish Consumer Protection Act Regulates on Various Fields:
Chapter 2. Regulation on Marketing
No conduct that is inappropriate or otherwise unfair from the point of view of consumers shall be
allowed in marketing. Marketing that does not convey information necessary in respect of the health
or economic security of consumers shall always be deemed unfair. Marketing must clearly show
its commercial purpose and on whose behalf marketing is implemented. The Seller is prohibited in
delivering the goods to the customer, if the goods are not expressly ordered. Comparison of the goods
to the competitors products is acceptable as long as the information on the competing products are not
false or misleading.
Chapter 3. Regulation on Contract Terms
In general the Contracts are binding. However, the concept of ‘Social Civil Law” has been accepted into
the Finnish Contract Law. The consumer is kept as a weaker party of a contract where the contract has
been made between a consumer and a trader. The EU Directive on unfair terms in consumer contracts
(93/13/EEC) has been implemented by the Consumer Protection Act.
Chapter 5. General Provisions on the Sale of Consumer Goods
The section 5 applies where the seller is a business, and the buyer is a consumer. A contract provision,
which differs from what has been laid down in the Consumer Protection Act to the detriment of a
Customer shall be void. For example where a warranty has been granted to a product, the restriction of a
warranty right is not possible, and the Consumer has always the right to invoke the failure in the product,
and rely on the warranty that was granted at the time the purchase took its place.
Chapter 6. Door-to-door selling and Distance Selling (E-Commerce)
The Chapter 6 regulates on the 14 days money back guarantee. Opposite to the other types of business,
the consumer bears the right of returning the product without further explanation in 14 days time.
The Consumer is the one bearing the costs caused by the returning of the goods. After receiving the
notification of the withdrawal, the Seller is to return the paid money without delay.
Topic Area
Purpose
Consumer Protection
(d) Brussels Regulation (44/2001)
and Rome I (Regulation
593/2008)
Effects
78
Topic Area
Purpose
Authentication
Regulation 910/2014 on Electronic
Identification and Trust Services
for Electronic Transactions in the
Internal Market has repealed the
Regulation (EU) 910/2014 will
apply from 1 July 2016.
Effects
Topic Area
Purpose
(a) Tavaramerkkilaki 1964/7
(a) Trademark Act
(b) Patenttilaki 1967/550
(b) Patents Act
(c) Tekijänoikeuslaki 1961/404
(c) Copyright Act
(d) Mallioikeuslaki 1971/221
These acts are the main legal
source for the rights that the right
holders of trademarks, patents,
copyrights and design rights bear
in Finland.
(d) Design Act
Effects
79
CORPORATE FORMS IN FINLAND.
The various company forms in Finland are: proprietorship (toiminimi);
partnership (avoin yhtiö); limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö);
limited company (osakeyhtiö) and cooperative association (osuuskunta).
Proprietorship
The simplest and most popular way to start in business is to operate as a private entrepreneur
using a company name. Decision-making and responsibility in the company belong with the
entrepreneur, and the company may employ workers as in other forms of business. For part-time
entrepreneurship it is often beneficial to start as a proprietorship. Starting business in this way is
speedy and uncomplicated.
Partnership
A partnership is formed when two or more individuals agree to it by signing a
partnership agreement. The partners have equal status in all the company’s operations
and are personally responsible for company decisions, liabilities and debts.
Limited partnership
A limited partnership differs from an ordinary partnership in that in addition to one or more
accountable partners there is at least one sleeping partner, i.e. a participant in the company
who generally acts as an investor.
Limited company
Establishment of a limited company requires at least one individual or corporation, and its
minimum share capital is 2,500 Euros. The share capital is divided into shares. A shareholder’s
voting power, profit and liability depend on how many shares they own.
COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
A minimum of three persons can form a cooperative association, which is a company owned
by its members. Each member has one vote in cooperative association meetings. The liability
of the members for the cooperative association’s obligations (for example, debts) is limited to
their investment of share capital.
• Some entity forms including the limited company and the cooperative society are independently
liable to pay income tax as taxpayers. Their receipts of income is taxed as income attributable
to the entity itself.
• Corporate income tax rate is 20 %.
• If a limited liability company distributes dividend to its shareholders, the shareholder-beneficiaries
will be taxed as provided by specific rules.
• If the corporate entity is an association or a foundation promoting for the public good, any receipts
of business income or income derived from real property will be taxable. If an association or foundation
is not deemed as an entity promoting for the public good, it is liable to pay 20 % tax on all income.
The previous tables are provided for general information only and do not constitute legal or other professional
advice. Please contact NJORD Law Firm on any specific legal matter regarding corporate formation and legal
requirements in any of the above jurisdictions.
80
FINANCE & PAYMENTS
Payments overview
For many international merchants, accepting payments online means accepting
payment cards; debit, credit or pre-paid. The Nordics however have very different
preferences between each of them. Norway and Denmark are heavy users of cards
for payments online while bank transfer is much more prevalent in Finland.
In Sweden, cards and open invoice have very similar market penetration.
E-com
Turnover (goods)
Card
Bank Transfer
Direct Debit
eWallet
Mobile
Invoice
34%
27%
1%
5%
1%
32%
21%
48%
0%
5%
1%
25%
84%
6%
0%
4%
0%
6%
60%
13%
1%
6%
1%
19%
43 BSEK
22 BSEK
29 BSEK
35 BSEK
Table 10: Highlighting preferred payment methods buy Nordic territory.
Source: Postnord; HUI; Worldpay; Redeye and DIBS.
Card fraud is of concern to consumers but 3D Secure (Verified by Visa and MasterCard Securecode) has been
widely adopted and the Payment Card Industry Security Standard (PCIDSS) is applied in the Nordics.
Open invoice is a key payment method in Sweden. This process involves a third-party providing the merchant
with a facility by which they can receive the money quickly, often at point of purchase. The service provider
then provides a credit facility to the consumer. Sometimes this might involve paying in full once the product
has arrived, or a variable period over which the credit can be paid off. There is a cost to the customer for this
service but it provides them with the confidence that if something is wrong, then they haven’t paid for the
product. The third-party also takes the credit and fraud risk, at a cost to the retailer but, unlike with cards,
there is no chargeback risk. This is certainly a service worth consideration by international merchants.
In some countries, open invoice can be difficult due to the availability of personal data for credit scoring
purposes. Denmark has some challenges in this area.
Bank transfer is a popular method in Finland and Sweden. This service sees the consumer making a ‘push’
payment from their bank account to that of the merchant. Again, this provides consumers with additional
confidence as they feel more in control of the transaction. As there are a large banks in Finland and Sweden,
it is worth using a partner that can aggregate these services as part of the checkout process.
e-Wallets currently have modest usage in the Nordics although this is increasing as m-commerce grows.
81
SALES TAX (OR VAT) AND DUTIES
Each of the countries covered in this report have slightly different requirements around registration and
charging of sales tax, VAT and duties.
All have mandatory registration requirements for foreign businesses selling into each of the countries,
although the sales value (excluding VAT) threshold is different for each:
Sweden
Finland
Denmark
Norway
Currency
SEK
EUR
DKK
NOK
Threshold
320,000
35,000
280,000
50,000
There may also be a requirement for businesses trading into these countries via distance selling to have a
local representative for VAT purposes. In some cases, these local representatives issue the invoices for sales
involving VAT.
The four countries in this report each have their own tax authority, the websites for which are listed here:
Norway
Denmark
Standard rate at 25%
National Tax Authority: www.toll.no
National Tax Authority: http://www.skat.dk
Sweden
Finland
National Tax Authority: www.skatteverket.se
National Tax Authority: www.vero.fi
Due to the complexities of complying with this subject area across the four countries, it is advised that
merchants looking to trade into one or more of the Nordic countries seek professional advice before trading.
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PAYMENT TYPES IN THE NORDICS
Danish national debit card
now combined with Visa.
Open invoice system that also
provides more traditional payment
services as well. Available in the
Nordics and internationally.
Enables bank transfers,
locally and internationally,
including from savings as
well as current accounts.
Available in Sweden, consumers
can set up an account with
Payson which holds their banking
and card details. Using the
Payson system, they can then
make payments to other account
holders, which can be people or
businesses, by sending an email.
This avoids having to input or
send card details. Funds are also
held in escrow until goods are
despatched giving customers
further confidence.
Bank Axess in Norway allows
customers to make bank-to-bank
transfers using their registered
details; usually their social
security number and online
banking ID. A payment service
provider (PSP) offering access
to the system will display the
required login in data fields as
part of their checkout process; the
customer doesn’t need to leave
the webshop and go to their bank
account to make the payment.
Swish – set up by the Swedish
banks – was originally designed to
allow people to make payments to
each other via their mobile phone
numbers. Now available
for ecommerce transactions.
• On average, half of all Swedes
above 16 are now using the
service
• More than 3.7 million users
• Average Swish amount between
private users: €53.20
MobilePay by Danske Bank is a similar system to Swish where people
can pay each other by using the mobile phone number as the identifier.
MobilePay is also available for ecommerce transactions.
• More than 2.8 million Danes use MobilePay
• Two thirds of users are not customers at Danske Bank
• 2,700 webshops accept MobilePay
• More than 90 million MobilePay transactions take place per year
• Largest ecommerce transaction so far is €7,033
As with most territories, making a range of payment methods available to consumers helps with both
confidence and choice. Accepting cards in the Nordics will allow most consumers to make a purchase but
would not allow a merchant to take advantage of the whole market. As it stands, offering acceptance for cards
and bank transfer will open up more than two thirds of the online market. If the focus is Finland, then open
invoice is a must. Understanding potential customers in a territory will better inform the final decision on
what mix of payments to accept.
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FRAUD
Security is the biggest concern for online consumers and this fear is heightened
when they are looking at a foreign merchant’s website. Introducing local payment
methods and joining a trust mark scheme goes a long way to helping the consumer;
but what is the risk for merchants looking to trade into these territories?
Often card fraud is perpetrated from other territories and these are known and included in the risk
management tools that PSPs and merchants are already running. The Nordics don’t represent a
particularly high risk in this area and as the following research by go2checkout.com shows,
Norway, Sweden and Denmark score as some of the lowest fraud risk areas globally (by IP address
of perpetrators). That’s not to say the risk doesn’t exist, it’s just that the region isn’t seen as a hotbed
of card fraud at present.
Highest Fraud
Lowest Fraud
Indonesia (-1703)
Pakistan (-859)
Romania (-515)
Malaysia (-437)
Israel (-269)
Sweden (50)
Mexico (69)
Norway (69)
Denamrk (74)
Costa Rica (77)
Belgium (82)
-2000
-1500
-1000
-500
0
Figure 39: Countries with most and least fraud levels ranked by buyers IP address.
Source: go.2checkout.com/fraudindex
Merchants trading into any country should be aware of the ‘friendly fraud’ risk. For example,
denial by customers that a delivery didn’t arrive, it was damaged on arrival or that the wrong
number of goods were sent. These activities should be monitored as normal and action taken
via delivery agents and payments partners.
84
500
LOGISTICS & DELIVERY
Although made up of four separate and distinct
countries , there are sufficient similarities to treat
Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as a collective
e-retail market from a logistics perspective. This is
notwithstanding the fact that Norway is not part of
the EU but is part of EFTA, allowing it to share many
of the EU’s freedoms and regulations.
The Nordics present some interesting logistics issues for retailers
wishing to reach all of its consumers with a total population of
approximately 26 million spread over an area of 120,000 sq km,
including hundreds of islands. However most of the population is
concentrated in the south and in coastal areas.
85
Figure 39: Urban rural typology
based on urban ranking, population,
density and land cover
Source: www.nordregio.se
LOGISTICS CHOICES TO REACH THE NORDICS
Non-Nordic retailers have a number of ways to reach this market.
Post
Direct Link is a fully-owned subsidiary of PostNord, the merged Swedish and Danish post offices, offering
a gateway to the Nordics through customised B2C delivery and distribution solutions. It can reach 100% of
addresses in all four Nordic countries and offers a choice of options with light goods directly to the customer’s
mailbox, a collection point or home delivery with a ‘leave in safe place’ option.
Direct Link operates facilities in the UK, Germany, US, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia providing
services with the following transit times (subject to point of origin):
• Merchandise Mail – untracked items up to 2 kilos – 3 to 5-day delivery
• Merchandise Mail Plus – fully tracked up to 30 kilos – 3 to 5-day delivery
• MyPack – fully tracked with SMS & email notification – 2 to 6-day delivery for items between
0-20 kilos with insurance and integrated returns
• Merchandise Mail Returns – packages up to 2 kilos
In addition to using the local postal service provider as the final delivery agent, retailers will be
able to access services through their own domestic postal providers.
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From the UK for example, Royal Mail provides the following service options / delivery time ranges which
vary by country (example – small parcel weighing 500 grams and valued under £20):
• Royal Mail International Tracked / Tracked
and Signed – 3 to 5 days’ delivery
• Royal Mail International Standard
3 to 5 days’ delivery
• Royal Mail International Economy
delivery aim within 15 days
• Parcelforce Worldwide globalexpress
1 to 2 days’ guaranteed – tracked
• Parcelforce Worldwide globalpriority
from 3 to 5 days’ delivery – tracked
• Parcelforce Worldwide globalvalue
4 to 9 days’ delivery aim – not tracked
Note: Royal Mail services have a 2 kilo maximum weight limit.
Global carriers
There are a number of global carriers able to provide collection, distribution and delivery into the
Nordics (using their own operations or local partners). The main ones are:
UPS - Offers a range of services and delivery times to the Nordics subject to country of origin and
the specific destination
• UPS Express Plus – 1 to 2 business days
delivery by 09:00
• UPS Express Saver – 1 to 2 business days
delivery by end of day
• UPS Express – 1 to 2 business days
delivery by 12:00 noon
• UPS Standard – 3 to 5 business days
delivery during the day
The example service times above are from the UK.
Fed Ex – Offers two main services to the Nordics with delivery times subject to country of origin and the
specific destination:
• International Priority – 1 to 3 business days
• International Economy – 2 to 5 days
DHL – Offers one main service option, namely – Export Express Worldwide – guaranteed delivery by the
end of the next possible working day. As an example, from the UK to the Nordics this will typically be the
next working day subject to the exact delivery address.
TNT – Offers a range of international services to the Nordics starting from next day by 09:00 subject to
country of origin and the specific destination. As an example, from the UK:
• 09:00 Express – Denmark
• 10:00 Express – Denmark and Sweden
• 12:00 Express – Norway and Sweden
• Express – Next day – all countries
• TNT does not offer its lower cost
day-defined Economy Express service
from the UK to the Nordics
DPD – DPD is particularly of note in the Nordic market because PostNord (the postal service provider for
Sweden and Denmark) is a strategic partner and its delivery partner in all four countries. It offers a range of
service options to the Nordics with the examples below showing transit times from the UK in business days:
Denmark
DPD Classic
DPD Air Classic
DPD Express
DPD Direct
Europe
200 countries
200 countries
Selected
3
3 to 4
2
5
Finland
5
3 to 5
2 to 3
7
Norway
6
3 to 6
2 to 4
N/A
Sweden
5
3 to 5
2 to 3
6
In respect of e-retail deliveries perhaps the two most interesting services are:
• DPD Classic which includes DPD Predict, a predelivery advice notification which is a service
feature generally welcomed by online shoppers
• DPD Direct which is DPD’s own branded direct
access solution (see section – Direct access) offering
lower cost consignment + kilo rate pricing, customs
clearance, tracking and a returns service for
unwanted items.
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Domestic carriers
Direct access
In addition to the global carriers above (which will
also be domestic carriers in most markets), in many
countries domestic carriers based in the retailer’s
own market will often accept online retail orders
and ship them to the Nordics.
Direct access describes a solution used to
consolidate volumes from different senders to
achieve better air transport rates. Consolidated
orders are shipped to the destination country
where they are handed to local partners for the
final delivery.
Domestic carriers will sub-contract the onward
shipment, often to the global carriers or postal
service, but for a retailer with a contract with a
domestic carrier this can be a natural starting point
for accessing services to the Nordics. Retailers
already having a service contract with a domestic
retailer should start by finding out what options
they provide and can use this as a benchmark.
Service times will vary depending on the line
haul arrangements in place and the service
partner chosen.
Direct access operators provide a managed service
that can include:
• In-transit tracking
• Customs clearance (where required) – often
‘wheels up’ in advance of arrival
• Multiple points of entry – reducing ‘in-country’
line haul costs and lead times
• Calculation and payment of duties and delivery
charges in advance of order and despatch
• HTS (Harmonised Tariff Schedule)
code classification
• Tracked returns – for unwanted and
undeliverable items
Where a retailer has sufficient volume to be able
to contract with a direct access operator there
is the opportunity to get a ‘courier’ level service
at less than ‘courier’ prices, usually paying a per
consignment + per kilo rate.
There are a growing number of companies providing
such services to the Nordic countries. In the UK
for example these include wnDirect (Denmark,
Finland and Sweden) and P2P Mailing (Trak-Pak –
all countries – delivery range 2 to 6 working days’
subject to destination).
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Parcel brokers
Customs and clearance
Parcel brokers provide smaller retailers with a way
to access better pre-contract rates through postal
operators, global and domestic carriers and direct
access providers.
The delivery operator selected will be able to
provide full details and advice on the necessary
documentation and processes and some can go
further by pre-clearing orders while the goods are
in-transit or at the start of their journey using a
consumer duty paid process. This can be done
using the HTS code assigned to each product
category and can reduce delivery times and
remove a potential barrier of having the goods
held when they arrive in country.
Parcel brokers do not offer all carrier options, only
those that choose to contract with them, but in the
UK for example companies such as Parcel2Go and
Parcel Monkey provide this channel into the Nordics
using most of the carriers mentioned above and
others including Asendia and World Economy.
Integrators
Retailers with a reasonable volume of orders going
to the Nordics may wish to consider the option of
parcel management service integrators who can
provide immediate integration with a wide range of
service providers delivering into the Nordics market.
These will include most of the options already listed
(excluding parcel brokers) and many others.
The retailer will need to have or enter into a contract
with the delivery service providers they choose but
then the integrator will offer the ability to allocate
orders to the most appropriate service – using
agreed business rules – printing labels and customs
documentation, providing tracking and helping
to manage returns. For smaller retailers some
integrators also offer their own parcel broker option
that can help obtain better rates.
Retailers are therefore advised to specifically
ask what their chosen delivery partner can do
to facilitate customs clearance and duty
calculation / collection.
Packaging
E-retailers looking to enter the Nordic market
should be aware of any particular packaging
requirements, though depending on the specific
goods being exported, these requirements can vary
greatly and, depending on the industry, regulations
are often administered and enforced by different
government bodies.
When contemplating packaging rules and standards,
retailers should refer to the packaging regulations for
their specific industry.
Providers of such services include MetaPack,
ITinSell, Electio and Consignor which particularly
serves the Nordic market and with whom PostNord
and Direct Link specifically offer all their services.
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Delivery in the Nordics
Any retailer wishing to win sales from Nordic consumers needs to appreciate the delivery services that are
provided to them by domestic Nordic retailers because these will provide direct competition.
The local postal services will be widely used by local retailers:
PostNord was formed as a merger between Post Danmark (Denmark) and Posten AB (Swedish Post) and now
provides domestic ecommerce delivery services to both countries:
Sweden
• Standard – a next-day collection service where the customer is notified by SMS or letter that the parcel is
available for collection
• Home Parcel / Hempaket – a tracked,
home delivery service where the customer is contacted the next working day after despatch to nominate a
delivery day and 2 to 3-hour timeslot. A 17:00 – 21:00 evening option is also available in some areas.
• Express Parcel – a next-day delivery service by 10:00 with a collection option available
Denmark
• The BtC (consumer delivery service in Denmark) is still provided under the Post Danmark brand and is
a standard overnight delivery (Monday to Friday) to almost all locations. It is a tracked solution and Post
Danmark give the customer the option to sign up for its Modtagerflex solution which enables them to
nominate their delivery preference (home, work, safe-place or pick up) with an SMS or email notification
in advance of delivery
• The pick-up option extends to 1,250 locations including post offices and locker stations (Pakkeboksen)
MyPack is PostNord’s click & collect network covering all four Nordics countries, providing a 1 to 3-day
delivery service with email / SMS customer notification to advise the customer when the order is ready for
collection. The service comes with a COD payment option and the ability to check not only name and address,
but also that the recipient’s personal identity number is the one stated during the order (Sweden only).
For shoppers in Denmark, MyPack provides an additional deliver to home option as well as collection.
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Posten Norge (Norway Post) provides services to
e-retailers through its Bring brand which extends
across all four Nordics countries, accessing the local
services in each country and branded as follows:
• CarryOn HomeShopping – for despatches from
within Europe (from where it offers a service),
a single parcel rate service with delivery to door
or service point / post office
• CarryOn HomeShopping BulkSplit – for
dispatches from within Europe (from where it
offers a service), a bulk transportation service and
relevant customs clearance into the country of
destination for despatches of 20 parcels or more
with delivery to door or service point / post office
For its ‘home’ markets of Norway and Finland,
Bring provides its home service which offers a
fixed price per parcel:
Norway – only available to the larger cities
in Norway.
• If the recipient is not home at delivery, the parcel
is delivered to the nearest post office and a
notification provided by card in the mailbox
• There is no pre-delivery advice provided as
standard with this service
• Deliveries are made Monday to Friday between
17:00-19:00
This B2C option should be compared for service and
price against the general parcel service, available
through the post office offering a standard 2 to 3-day
delivery although some areas take up to 5 days. It is
normal for the recipient to collect the parcel from
the local post office or post in shop although for an
additional charge, delivery to the door is offered.
Home delivery is provided in most towns and cities
for delivery between 09:00 and 17:00 on a day preselected by the customer. For this service option the
customer will receive notification that the order is
on its way and, on the day of delivery, a call 30–60
minutes in advance of delivery.
Both home and pick-up service options come with
full tracking but unlike the collection option, Cash
On Delivery (COD) is not available for home delivery.
Finland
• Before a delivery attempt is made, the recipient is
contacted by phone in order to agree the day on
which they want their parcel delivered
• Deliveries are scheduled Monday-Friday between
09:00 and 21:00
• If the recipient cannot be reached by phone they
will be sent a letter with information regarding
their parcel and asked to get in touch to arrange a
day and time for delivery
• Bring does offer a number of optional services
to support its business services above, including:
• Flex Delivery – allows the sender to capture the
recipient’s safe-place instructions to allow home
deliveries to be left without signature (Denmark
and Sweden)
• e-Advising – allows the sender to pass on the
recipient’s mobile phone / email details to allow
pre-advice of delivery or notification that a pickup can be made (otherwise by letter)
• COD
Posti Group (Finland Post) provide both home
delivery and pick-up options for the Finnish
ecommerce market.
Home delivery services are offered at a price
premium in Finland:
• Express Flex – a tracked service for delivery
to the customer’s selected address after one or
two working days but always by appointment.
The customer’s address AND phone number must
be shown on the label. If after two call attempts
the customer cannot be reached, a call-back
request is left and the parcel retained for the week
of delivery plus two further weeks before being
returned to the sender if not delivered
or collected
• Small Item – for parcels up to 2 kilos and 250
x 353 x 30 mm. These will usually be delivered
within two weekdays of dispatch, with the normal
letter mail. A non-signature service, the item
will be left in the mailbox but if it is too large,
the customer will have to collect it
The lower cost option is usually for the customer to
collect their parcel:
• Economy – for delivery to the recipient’s selected
postal outlet by 16:00 the next working day with
collection until 17:00 that day or for two weeks
afterwards. The customer is sent an SMS message
(or letter if no mobile phone number is provided)
advising that the order is available for collection
from a dedicated area in their chosen outlet
martPost uses Posti Parcel Points – lockers
S
where customers can choose to have their parcels
delivered. Some shoppers may already have
registered free for the My Pick Up Point option to
have all of their parcels delivered to a particular
locker location. Currently only available in Helsinki
and Utsjoki although the network is
being extended.
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Exceptions
Nordic consumer delivery requirements
Due to the geography and population dispersal in
the region, there are often exceptions to delivery
standards, services offered and price differences.
As such a cross-border retailer serving Nordic
customers must take care to accurately reflect
its service offer, carefully signposting where the
customer can find this information. It is good
practice to make such information easily found from
the homepage and each product page and certainly
before the customer reaches the checkout stage.
When a retailer is deciding on the delivery offer to
provide it is important to consider the needs and
wants of Nordic online shoppers and to recognise
that any importing retailer is competing with
domestic retailers already meeting these needs.
Additional services
In addition to providing delivery services, some
of the companies above offer services for crossborder e-retailers with sufficient volume to take
advantage of them; including third-party logistics,
local marketing and customs clearance (Norway
in particular).
Any overseas retailer must consider their delivery
offer against the context of this local service
landscape because this influences the needs and
expectations of Nordic consumers.
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Overall Nordic consumers expect to get deliveries
within four days of order but, as with most markets
the trend is for this to be reduced. Recent research
by PostNord sets the average expectation as 4.3
business days across the region with Danish
consumers being the most demanding.
Current consumer expectations by country are:
• Sweden – 4.3 days with 9% of consumers wanting
delivery within 2 days
• Denmark – 3.3 days with 20% of consumers
wanting delivery within 2 days
• Norway – 4.4 days with 7% of consumers wanting
• Finland – 4.9 days with 18% of consumers wanting
Although some sort of delivery to home is the
preferred option for most consumers, Nordic
shoppers are prepared to be more flexible in their
use of alternative delivery services than most other
developed ecommerce markets. A retailer wishing to
serve Nordic consumers should recognise that they
particularly want a choice between home delivery,
PUDO / locker and postal (letterbox) options.
Home (total)
Home – mailbox
Home 09:00 – 17:00
Home – evening (at extra cost)
Click & collect (PUDO)
Click & collect (locker)
Click & collect (retailer’s store)
Work
Other
Sweden
Norway 4
Denmark
Finland Nordic
Region
53%
46%
5%
2%
40%
49%
44%
3%
2%
37%
3%
1%
4%
8%
1%
4%
56%
28%
24%
4%
10%
13%
5%
7%
8%
39%
30%
7%
2%
42%
10%
2%
1%
7%
50%
39%
9%
2%
34%
4%
2%
5%
This data suggests that when delivering to home
the ability to leave the parcel in a mailbox or
other safe-place is important and there should
be an option for the customer to provide delivery
instructions. Delivery requiring a signature,
when someone must be at home is significantly
less popular, perhaps because many of the local
delivery providers require the customer to agree
to a fixed day and time.
In order to accept online orders when they are
not home, Nordic shoppers are significant users
of click & collect solutions where, with the exception
of Denmark, manned PUDO locations are the
most popular.
Unlike some other markets such as the UK, click &
collect from the retailer’s store is not widely used,
perhaps due to the concentration of major retailer
brands in the main conurbations.
As further evidence of Nordic consumers’
willingness to use alternative delivery options, they
are amongst the first to start using ‘in-car’ delivery.
This is where the delivery carrier is authorised to
use a digital key to open the boot / trunk of the
customer’s car and leave the parcel.
The customer must register for this service and
provide an approximate location for where the
car will be on the day the delivery is expected.
This allows the carrier to route the parcel to the
right local depot. From there the driver is guided
to the exact location by GPS.
This solution is being pioneered in the Nordics
by Volvo and, following limited trials, has been
commercially available in Sweden since
November 2015.
Click & collect service providers in the Nordics with
whom shoppers are familiar include all those shown
in the section above. At the time of writing the main
cross-border click & collect networks operating
in Europe – namely UPS (Access Points), DHL
(PakStations) and myHermes Parcelshops –
do not have a presence in the Nordics.
4. The Pocket Guide to Cross-Border E-Commerce 2015/16 (Asendia) confirms this order of preference for the
Norwegian market:
• 25% at home
• 55% collection points
• 4% retailers store pick up
• 12% at home – evening
• 2% locker / transport terminal
• 2% work
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Returns
EU consumers have a statutory right to return
goods within 14 days which means that as well as
it being good practice to provide a transparent and
efficient returns solution, there is a legal imperative
too. When selecting their delivery partner for the
Nordics, retailers should find out what arrangements
they can make for returns.
Nordic consumers will need:
• A simple and transparent returns process
• A convenient way to drop-off the parcel or have it
collected. Options in the Nordics include:
• PostNord MyPack Returns – drop-off locations –
all countries
• BRING Pick Up – ad hoc returns collection – all
countries
• To be kept informed on the progress of their return
• Be advised when their refund is being made,
possibly including duty repatriation
Some operators will arrange for the return to
be sent back to the country of origin where it
can be delivered back to the originating retailer
to be processed:
• Direct Link will arrange for returns to be sent back
to the country of origin, working with companies
like ReBound to provide a ‘send back from
Nordics’ service
• BRING provides its CarryOn HomeShopping
BulkReturn service with this aim and some
direct access operators also offer local returns
management where parcels are consolidated to be
repatriated in bulk
94
Building on this is the option for returns to be fully
processed in-country and some operators may
provide in-country returns centres where the return
can be locally validated, quality controlled and the
refund issued. This then may allow consolidated
orders for return to stock, disposal or even, when
there is sufficient demand, for the goods to be
retained in-country and used to fulfil another
local order.
To help retailers manage the returns process
these same operators are developing white
label / multilingual returns portals matching
up the original order with the return.
Such portals make it is easier for the customer to
make returns, offering multiple payment options
such as customer- or retailer-paid. The customer
can print the label, see when a return has been
received and when their refund is due.
Operators providing such services in the UK
include wnDirect and ReBound.
REFERENCES
This report uses content from a variety of sources, as set out in the list below.
Many of these sources are available to the general public, and can be consulted
for further information surrounding a specific topic.
The sources consulted include, but are not limited to:
• adcolony.com
• fanceta.fi
• salesforce.com
• adobe.com
• fdim.dk
• skat.dk
• asendia.co.uk
• go.2checkout.com
• skatteverket.se
• atkearney.com
• ipsos.com
• statista.com
• avalara.com
• mvfglobal.com
• statsmonkey.com
• bring.com
• nationalbanken.dk
• strategyanalytics.com
• buzzador.com
• nielsen.com
• tns-gallup.dk
• cia.gov
• njordlaw.com
• tns-gallup.no
• copcap.com
• nordiccommercegroup.com
• tnsglobal.com
• deloitte.com
• oecd.org
• toll.no
• dibspayment.com
• postnord.com
• tradedoubler.com
• ec.europa.eu
• redeye.com
• unctad.org
• emarketer.com
• vero.fi
• worldpay.com
DISCLAIMER
This document is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal, investment or other professional advice
on any individual matter. Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that the information given in this document is accurate,
eCommerce Worldwide accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or misleading statements, and no warranty is given or responsibility
accepted as to the standing of any individual, firm, company or other organisation mentioned. Publication as well as commercial and
non-commercial transmission to a third party is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from eCommerce Worldwide. The views
expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of eCommerce Worldwide.
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ABOUT DIRECT LINK
100% owned by PostNord, the merged Swedish
and Danish Post Offices, Direct Link are experts
in creating borderless B2C ecommerce solutions
for global deliveries of packets and parcels.
We can deliver your goods and direct mail to
every address in the Nordics – and indeed the
world. With light goods delivered directly to your
customer’s mailbox.
We customize solutions that expand our client’s markets worldwide. As part of PostNord,
the leading supplier of communication and logistics solutions in the Nordics, we combine
entrepreneurial flexibility with corporate stability.
• Established in the UK market since 1995
• Efficient & flexible bespoke billing
• Broad and varied customer base
• Comprehensive management reporting
• Proven track record as an ecommerce
distribution partner
• Continually introducing an enhanced and improved
service offering
• Sound reputation as quality service provider
• Mail and parcels sent directly to 192 countries
worldwide on a daily basis
• Extensive range of products to suit different
requirements
• Nordic Specialists – with unrivalled level of
expertise and knowledge of the booming markets in
Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland
96
Direct Link supports e-retailers by combining unique products to create bespoke delivery solutions.
Mypack is a secure B2C service that gives 100% coverage in the Nordics for parcels and packages
up to 20 kilos. Full tracking, sms/email notification and compensation are all standard features.
Mypack items are delivered for collection at around 6000 branded, professional looking service
points across the Nordic region. Consumers have options to select their preferred and most
convenient collection point address.
Sweden and Denmark also have home delivery options; Homepacket in Sweden can be used for
bulky items like bicycles and Danish consumers can also opt for a ‘leave safe’ option. Mypack also
boasts an easy and efficient route for integrated returns.
Merchandise Mail Plus offers a choice of three service levels:
Level 3 is a tracked, ‘signed for’ service for items from 0-30kilos which can be delivered to most
countries worldwide. Deliveries of small – medium sized articles are generally delivered to door at
the first attempt and will be notified / kept for two weeks at the local post office or collection point.
Merchandise Mail Plus also has an integrated returns service to help streamline your logistics
process for unwanted items.
Level 2 is ideal for items distributed to and within Europe and to key destinations around the world.
When the item arrives in country we generate an email notification to confirm that the order has
been handed over to the local post office for last mile delivery. This gives peace of mind and reduces
calls to your customer service centre.
Level 1 is a cost-efficient service for low value items sent worldwide. Direct Link send confirmation
that the item has been received for further processing.
Market Entry – marketing and distribution often run in parallel. Direct Link helps e-retailers find
new customers both via traditional addressed and un-addressed Direct Mail – which is still a very
popular and cost effective medium to generate new business in the Nordics – and which can also
be combined with digital marketing to great effect.
Commitment to Excellence
As a seasoned partner for e-retailers, Direct Link understands that creating smart delivery solutions
is only half the story. Transparency and visibility of your customer’s packages until they are in safe
hands is vital. To achieve this, we have created a unique world-wide tracking system called Tracked
Plus.
Offering simple access and functionality www.directlinktrackedplus.com allows you and your
customers an efficient window to view each package en-route from the point of sending to
secure delivery. If further support is needed, our dedicated customer service team is there to help.
Specially trained to understand and deal with ecommerce deliveries queries quickly and effectively,
Direct Link commits to a high level of Customer Service.
As specialists, we recognise that International Delivery is a complex arena, brimming with different
alternatives and intricate rules. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and discussing your
delivery requirements at an opportune moment in the near future.
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ABOUT POSTNORD
PostNord was formed as a merger between Post Danmark (Denmark) and
Posten AB (Swedish Post) and now provides domestic ecommerce delivery
services to all countries in the Nordics. In the UK, Europe, USA and Asia Pacific
region, PostNord is represented by the fully owned subsidiary Direct Link.
We deliver! PostNord is the leading supplier of communication and logistics solutions to, from and within
the Nordic region. We also manage the postal service to households and businesses in Sweden and Denmark.
Through our expertise and strong distribution network, we are laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s
communication, ecommerce and logistics in the Nordic region. In 2015, the Group had 35,000 employees
and sales of about SEK 40 billion. The Parent Company is a Swedish public limited company headquartered
in Solna, Sweden. Visit us at www.postnord.com.
PostNord is both the largest and preferred choice of partner for ecommerce in the Nordic market.
Our comprehensive offering includes a host of services within products distribution, marketing and
customer communication.
We make everyday life easier for ecommerce companies. With a coordinated, Nordic-customized service
offering within logistics and the broadest distribution network in the region, we help bring e-retailers and
end-customers closer together. PostNord has around 6,000 distribution points evenly spread across Sweden,
Denmark, Norway and Finland. In Sweden and Denmark, our mail carriers also visit every household and
business each business day.
PostNord is also active beyond the Nordic region through subsidiary company Direct Link, which offers
distribution solutions to countries all over the world. Direct Link helps ecommerce companies from around
the globe to do business in the Nordic market by offering everything from market analysis and direct
marketing to fulfilment, goods distribution and returns processing. Find out more at www.postnord.com
98
ABOUT ECOMMERCE WORLDWIDE
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retailers with all the information, and resources, they need to develop
cross-border strategies for entering new markets around the world.
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Nordic Passport 2016
Cross-Border Trading Report
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Published May 2016
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Nordic Passport 2016 - Hämta Business Region Skåne årsrapport

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