Every Second Swede Has Changed How They Shop Online From Abroad

DHL's E-handelskollen 2024 shows that 46 percent of Swedes have changed their purchases from foreign websites in the past year. 8 out of 10 buy from foreign e-retailers. At the same time, more than one in three Swedes have shopped directly on social media. Parents and younger generations are driving the changes around cross-border e-commerce and social selling.

Cross-border e-commerce is increasing more than ever before. In E-handelskollen 2024, DHL maps consumer behavior and how to shop online from abroad.

"It's no news that we are shopping more online from abroad, but the fact that almost every second Swede has changed their buying habits is remarkable. Especially since there are about the same number of people who have increased and decreased their foreign purchases," says Johan Widman, Director eCommerce DHL Freight Sweden.

- E-handelskollen 2024 provides insights to e-retailers about how consumers divide their purchases between Swedish and foreign e-retailers, as well as what perception and understanding consumers have of where goods are sent from and where the e-retailer is based. By understanding these dynamics, we can hopefully help e-retailers adapt their strategies to better meet consumer needs and expectations," says Johan Widman.

The survey also strengthens the image of social selling as a growing force in e-commerce. More than one in three Swedes have shopped directly via social media, and in Generation Z (born 1997-2012) and Millennials (born 1981-1996), one in two have done so. Purchases via social media are also more often spontaneous, and here it is mainly younger generations and parents with children at home who are responsible for the spontaneous purchases.

“Advertising and marketing are increasingly integrated into users' feeds on social platforms, and with the time we spend on social media, it becomes natural that we make more of our purchases there. For example, we can see that purchases via TikTok are increasing rapidly among younger generations. A contributing factor to the increase in purchases from abroad may be that foreign e-retailers and e-commerce sites have invested particularly in using the changing media landscape and building customer relationships through social media. There are things to learn from here," says Anna Swahn, Head of Marketing & Communications DHL Freight Sweden.

Parts of E-handelskollen 2024 – Cross-border e-commerce

We are increasingly shopping online from other countries

• 82 percent of Swedes have shopped from foreign e-retailers in the past year
• 36 percent buy from abroad more than once a month
  
• Every second Swede (48 percent) has shopped from China
• China, followed by Germany and the United States, are the countries we shop from the most
• Our age plays a role in where we shop from. Older generations are buying more from Germany, while younger people, for example, are buying more often from the United States.
  
• Lower prices, a wider range of products and aggressive advertising contribute to us shopping abroad
  

Changed consumption behaviour – most prominent among younger people

• 46 percent have changed their online purchases from abroad in the past year
• The proportions that have increased and decreased their e-commerce from abroad are equally large
  
• Younger generations are the ones who have changed the most in buying behavior and who account for the largest increase
  
• 1 in 5 in Generation Z state that they buy from foreign e-retailers every day or week
  
• 40 percent of all parents state that they have increased their e-commerce from abroad.
  
• 64 percent of parents with children at home buy from abroad more often than once a month, compared with 26 percent for consumers without children at home.
  

Social media purchases are on the rise

• More than one in three Swedes (38 percent) have made purchases directly via social media in the past year
• Half of Generation Z and Millennials have shopped via social media
  
• 58 percent of parents with children at home have bought this way, compared to 24 percent of consumers without children at home
  
• Spontaneous purchases via social media are becoming more common, mainly among younger generations
  
• Instagram and Facebook still dominate, but purchases via TikTok are growing rapidly among younger people
  

Low awareness of where you shop online, but knowing the country of origin is important for many

• 68 percent of Swedes state that it is very or fairly important to know from which country you are buying
• Only 28 percent say that they are very aware of where they are shopping from
  
• One in three Swedes has shopped from a website in the belief that it was Swedish, only to later discover that it was a foreign-based e-commerc
  
• 58 percent say they prefer to shop from Swedish e-retailers, while only 6 percent prefer to buy from abroa
  
• The older you are, the more important it is to know the country of origin of e-commerce
  

About DHL's report
E-handelskollen 2024 is based on data collected (via survey) from 5,000 e-commerce consumers, proportionally distributed:

• Aged 18-78 year
• All over Sweden
  
• Between men and women

The response period has been 31 March - 20 April 2024.

The purpose of the survey has been to map how e-commerce consumers shop divided between Swedish and foreign e-retailers and what perception and understanding they have of where goods are sent from and where the e-retailer is based.

The report also includes insights and advice for e-retailers from experts in export, logistics, and digital strategies.

Download the report