Online commerce in Estonia has grown by over 50% since 2017, according to SEB Bank, with the market share of online merchants increasing to 11% over the same period. Much of the growth comes from relatively recent types of e-commerce, such as ride-sharing and food delivery services, with large, international e-stores seeing the largest increases.
At the same time, the amount spent per purchase has fallen a little, from EUR 40 in 2017 to EUR 33 in 2019, according to the research, which refers to SEB customers themselves.
“E-shopping statistics show that the number of online purchases has gone up, which means that e-commerce has to a great extent become a part of our daily lives; however, smaller amounts are on average spent per purchase,” said Ainar Leppanen, SEB board member.
“It also appears that Estonians are adept users of payment instruments, as bank links, credit and debit cards as well as the SEB virtual card and secure payment provider PayPal are all popular means of transfer. All our customers have found a payment instrument they find most convenient,” Leppanen added.
The most popular online shopping platforms Estonian residents were major international online marketplaces like Alibaba, Aliexpress and Amazon.
Slightly over 40% of residents use local online stores.
“What is certain is that online commerce is developing rapidly and is increasingly winning over Estonian shoppers, too. I am particularly thrilled for Estonian merchants, whose market share of online purchases has grown from 6% in 2017 to 11% as of the end of 2019. This has undoubtedly been facilitated by the launch of new amenity services, which are generally paid for online,” Leppanen noted.
“The fastest-growing areas are ride-sharing and food delivery services, and distinct growth can also be seen in online purchases from supermarkets that provide home delivery,” Leppanen said.
SEB’s study into online purchases is based on the bank’s survey of customers’ e-commerce habits and an analysis of online card payments spanning the period 2017 to 2019. (ERR/Business World Magazine)