Shoppers lag behind mature Western European markets, such as the UK
Consumers in Sweden are straddling the fence when it comes to hunting for gifts online during the holiday season, according to an October poll of adult internet users and ecommerce companies in Sweden conducted by communications and logistics solutions provider Posten. The survey found that consumers were split roughly into thirds when it came to shopping for Christmas purchases online, with about one-third planning to do so, one-third planning not to and the remaining third unsure of their plans.
However, it seems a safe bet that the number of online shoppers and buyers will climb as holiday shopping picks up, thanks in part to an internet penetration rate that puts over 90% of the population online according to Statistics Sweden.
Six in 10 Swedish companies reported to Posten that their online sales had seen a year-over-year increase in Q3 2012. And when asked whether they had bought anything on the internet in the past three months, about 70% of internet users answered in the affirmative.
Internet users in Sweden still have some catching up to do with other Western European countries such as the UK, where online shopping is already an entrenched behavior. A September survey from media planning and buying firm Kinetic found that 90% of internet users in that country planned to shop online for their holiday gifts in 2012, and that more than half planned to purchase a majority of presents via the internet.
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