E-commerce in Sweden experienced robust growth over the summer months, according to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce's latest E-commerce Indicator. Turnover for June reached SEK 15.3 billion, while July saw SEK 13.7 billion, marking increases of 4 percent and 16 percent respectively compared with the same months last year.
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'We are pleased that both June and July were relatively strong months for many e-commerce companies. It was a much-needed given that the end of spring was weak. But the fact remains. For e-commerce to truly come back, consumers' purchasing power must be strengthened, and we are not quite there yet,' said Per Ljungberg, Innovation Manager at Svensk Handel.
The proportion of consumers shopping online remained consistently high, with over 70 percent of Swedes purchasing via e-commerce, mirroring figures from June and July 2024. The growth in sales is attributed primarily to an increase in average purchase amounts per consumer, which reached their highest levels since the pandemic year of 2021.
Despite the positive figures, Svensk Handel warned of ongoing challenges:
'While there is much to be happy about in the June and July figures, there are still clouds of concern. We see how e-commerce purchases from abroad have cemented themselves at high levels, which unfortunately means that Swedish consumers have become accustomed to shopping from platforms such as Temu and Shein. In addition to being harmful to the environment, it can also, in the worst case, be directly dangerous for the consumer himself. We will continue to demonstrate this in the future,' Ljungberg added.
The report highlights that while summer sales growth is encouraging, sustainable recovery in the Swedish e-commerce sector will rely on strengthened domestic purchasing power and ongoing consumer confidence. Cross-border online shopping remains a significant factor, posing both environmental and safety considerations.
Swedish e-commerce companies are therefore advised to balance the optimism from rising turnover with a strategic focus on domestic demand and responsible growth, in line with broader trade and consumer protection policies.
More information:
Svensk Handel
[email protected]
www.svenskhandel.se
