The growth of e-commerce accelerated towards the end of the year 2017, and we estimate that the volume growth will continue at the rate of 10 percent this year, as well. In Finland, the growth of e-commerce can be seen especially in the growing number of parcel lockers.
We are reacting to the growth by expanding our parcel locker network to residential and office properties. According to a survey by International Post Corporation, Finns differ significantly from other Europeans in how they prefer to receive their parcels. For example, 22% of Finnish consumers prefer to have parcels delivered to parcel lockers. The corresponding figure for consumers in other countries was 4%.
According to research by the Finnish Commerce Federation, Finns purchased goods online worth a total of EUR 4.9 thousand million in 2017. According to the Finnish Commerce Federation, this shows a growth of approximately 8 percent, i.e. approximately EUR 360 million, from the previous year.
Finns are active and experienced online shoppers
Footway, a Sweden-based shoe store that opened an online store in the Nordic countries in 2011, has also noticed the activeness and experience of Finns.
Finns are highly experienced, easy customers. They only contact us if they really need help,” says Pär Mosegaard, Product Manager of Footway’s sales.
Posti already reacted to the growth of e-commerce years ago. Parcel services together with their supply chain are constantly being developed to be more efficient. For instance, the Saturday Delivery service, which is currently available in larger cities, speeds up the supply chain. The service area of Saturday Delivery will be expanded later this year, and, in the fall, same-day deliveries will be initiated in larger cities.
" We are also significantly expanding our pickup point network in order to make picking up parcels easier and smoother than ever. Home deliveries can be arranged everywhere", says Business Manager Ranja Pasivirta, who is responsible for Posti’s international parcel deliveries.
Developing a logistics partner is vital for an online retailer
Finding a reliable partner can be vital for a company seeking to enter a new market. Finding a reliable partner can be vital for a company seeking to enter a new market. Footways entry to the finnish market was not always smooth, partly due to the company's fast evolvement. Together with Posti, Footways fast-paced approach sees no stopping.
Posti has shown great interest in offering even better services to our customers.”
Footway also appreciates the agility of its partner
Mosegaard points out that the whole chain must work fluently in order to serve e-commerce customers. The website must be easy to use and attractive, purchasing must be easy and deliveries must be quick.
Quick deliveries also make the customers recommend the online store to their friends or praise Footway in social media.
Currently Footway has a warehouse in Helsingborg, Southern Sweden, and the company promises that its Finnish customers will receive their products in 2–4 days from the order. The delivery time can be even shorter in the future.
We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our delivery time. It is one of the most important factors by means of which e-commerce can be increased. We are enthusiastic about being able to deliver products to our customers even quicker,” Mosegaard says. Posti is our innovative partner and offers customer-oriented services.
