The SEB Bank has conducted an E-commerce survey in the three Baltic countries for the first time, finding that 43% of Estonian shop online on a monthly basis.
Convenience and savings of time were cited as the main reasons for E-shopping in all three Baltic States. Younger people were also more likely to appreciate the broader selection of goods than did respondents from older generations.
Most frequently purchased items include clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics and health and beauty products. Latvians and Lithuanians are slightly more active monthly online shoppers at 46%, as against 43% in Estonia. Among Estonia’s regions, people in Polva County led with 61% of monthly E-shoppers, followed by Laane County, Hiiumaa island and Jogeva County, each at 50%.
70% of online shoppers in Estonia prefer to pay with credit or debit cards, while 25% use mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. This was more true than in Latvia and Lithuania. Mobile wallets are especially popular among Estonians in their 20s, with 57% favouring this payment method. Older shoppers prefer credit cards, bank transfers or PayPal.
Parcel lockers remain far the most preferred delivery method for Estonians (93%), while fewer opt for home delivery by a courier.
“E-commerce statistics from the Estonian E-Commerce Association support this,” says Christo Ojamaa, SEB’s director for working capital and payment solutions. “Estonians order 1.3 to 1.5 million parcels to lockers each and every month, with annual growth in this regard often measured in double digits.”
The SEB E-commerce survey was conducted in the autumn of 2004 with the help of then Norstat polling company. 1,000 people aged 18-74 were surveyed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Source: BNS
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