More than four out of five Finnish online shoppers mention free deliveries (83%), free returns (84%), a straightforward return process (86%) and delivery speed (85%) as important considerations in choosing an online store, reveals a new online shopping survey commissioned by Posti and conducted by Kantar TNS.
“Expectations are increasing among Finnish consumers. They want online stores to offer fast deliveries. They also believe returns should be free and easy. The demands of today’s consumers reflect the global competition between online retailers. Many international online stores pay for the delivery of the purchased items, making delivery free of charge for the consumer,” says Sami Finne, heading the International eCommerce Business at Posti.
According to the survey, Finnish online shoppers consider accurate product descriptions and images (93%) as the most essential feature of an online store. They also place a high priority on being able to choose a suitable payment method (89%) and pickup point (89%).
Finne says Posti has responded to consumer needs in various ways, including investments in the Posti Parcel Locker network, which is the most comprehensive network of its kind in Finland.
About half of the respondents indicated that being able to choose home delivery on evenings or weekends (50%) and an express delivery option (48%) are at least somewhat important to them. In Finne’s view, online retailers’ investments in new delivery methods are an integral aspect of enhancing the customer experience. Posti has responded to these expectations by improving its delivery services.
“We have expanded our Saturday Delivery service and extended our delivery times. Same-day delivery has become more commonplace. During the Christmas season, we will also introduce Sunday Delivery in the capital region. We will hire more than 3,000 Christmas helpers for the Christmas season all around Finland,” Finne adds.
The seasonal sales campaigns of international online retail have led to an earlier start to the Christmas season in Finland as well.
“Singles’ Day, which started in China, is celebrated on November 11. It has already surpassed Black Friday in global sales. Finnish online stores and brands can also benefit from the phenomena seen in international e-commerce. Even though the competition is global, our study shows that nearly four out of five (77%) Finns rate online stores having a Finnish-language website as at least somewhat important,” Finne says.
According to Posti’s survey, the greatest growth potential in Finnish online retail lies in clothing, footwear and accessories as well as electronics and information technology. Approximately half of Finnish online shoppers intend to increase their online purchases, or start making online purchases, in these categories within the next two years.
Posti’s 2018 online shopping survey
The data was collected via the Kantar TNS Forum online panel in June–July 2018.
The target group for the study consisted of Finnish internet users between the ages of 18 and 79.
The total number of respondents was 2,121.
