E-commerce in Norway – a highly developed market!

By Direct Link - Norway, with a population of 5,4 million, is the smallest country in the Nordic region in terms of number of citizens. But certainly not small in terms of geographical area. With 385,000 square kilometers, the country is larger than Germany. A fact that has created good conditions for, and a necessity for, distance trading.

What used to be mail order is now e-commerce, which has developed rapidly over the past ten years. Today, Norway is one of the most connected countries in the world, with an internet penetration of 99 percent. In 2012,  the e-commerce revenue was 51 billion NOK. By 2021, it had grown to 170 billion NOK. 

The e-commerce share of total retail sales in Norway is 15%, and the cross-border share of e-commerce is around 20%. China is still the top destination for Norwegian online consumers when they make cross-border purchases, although interest in buying products from China has declined in recent years. Other markets that have taken shares at China´s expense are the US and the UK, which come in as number two and three. 

The most commonly bought products online in Norway are clothing and footwear, cosmetics and skin care, and home electronics.  

International marketplaces has quite a strong position among the Norwegian online consumers. The German fashion giant Zalando tops the list of favorites, but the American marketplaces Wish and eBay are also popular. 

Unlike the other Nordic countries, Norway is not a member of the EU. This means that foreign players who want to sell to Norway must be aware of their special VAT system, called  VOEC – VAT on E-commerce.

Contact Direct Link - part of PostNord, for shipping solutions into the Nordic countries!