53% of Estonians have bought goods online in the last month, which is less than at the end of last year, according to a recent e-commerce trend survey conducted by Kantar Emor.
The level of April lags behind the results of the survey conducted at the end of the year – then, the e-shopping rate was 58–59%. The current level is similar to the beginning of last autumn, i.e. before the new wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The peak of online shopping in 2021 and 2022 is the period from March to April a year ago, when 65% of the population made purchases online. According to Kersten Jõgi, a research expert at Kantar Emor, the significantly lower e-shopping activity is directly related to the lack of restrictions and lower risk perception. ‘Last spring, the situation was significantly more serious and the closure of stores led to a sharp increase in e-shopping, which grew in almost all product groups,’ Jõgi added.
Among the 14 product groups mapped in the survey, electronics still have the largest share of e-shoppers, with online shoppers exceeding 50%. Electronics is also the only product group with more online shoppers than regular shoppers.
Medicines have the smallest share of e-shoppers – below 10%.
In the comparison of all product groups, the level of last spring has been maintained in the groups of medicines, food products, and cosmetics, where ca 80% of the amount of e-shoppers remain. The share of e-shoppers has fallen most in clothes and footwear – less than half of the buyers still use online stores for their purchases for these products.
The online survey mapping e-commerce trends took place from 14 to 20 April and involved 1,094 Estonian residents aged 15–74.
The article was first published on the website of Kantar Emor on 26 April – https://www.kantaremor.ee/pressiteated/viimase-kuu-jooksul-on-veebipoodidest-kaupu-ostnud-ule-poole-elanikest/