With 57.3% of the population in the Nordic region using smartphones this year, based on eMarketer estimates, it may not come as a surprise that consumers there are turning to their mobile devices in increasing numbers when shopping online. Nevertheless, much of the activity on mobile phones and tablets still takes place in the form of research before a purchase, and there is significant room for mcommerce growth as consumers in the Nordics continue to prefer computers when it comes to completing purchases on the web.
According to July data from communications and logistics provider PostNord, 9.3% of digital buyers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden combined had made a digital purchase via mobile phone in the three months leading up to polling. An additional 17.1% had done so via tablet, but laptops and desktops were still the most popular devices, used by 55.3% and 38.7% of respondents to buy items online in the same time period, respectively.
Data released in September 2014 by Bring is consistent with PostNord’s findings. When it asked digital buyers in the Nordic region which device they used for their most recent web purchase, an overwhelming majority said it was a PC or Mac. Finland had the highest share of respondents who made their last purchase via computer, at 90%, and Norway had the lowest, at 81%.
Only 4% of digital buyers in both Denmark and Finland said they used a mobile phone to complete their latest digital purchase, while the same was true of just 5% and 6% in Norway and Sweden, respectively. Though tablets fared slightly better, between 6% in Finland and 13% in Norway, it was clear that there was plenty of room for mcommerce growth in each of the four countries.
It should be noted, however, that data from both Bring and PostNord include only purchases of physical goods and exclude services, such as transport tickets and digital downloads, both of which tend to be popular purchases to make via mobile device.
In fact, DIBS Payment Services found that travel was the second most popular product category among mcommerce buyers in Sweden, purchased by 32% and 30% of male and female respondents in the Q3 2014 survey, respectively. While media products trailed somewhat behind (27%) among female mcommerce buyers there, they were the most-purchased items among men, at 34%.
via eMarketer
