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second quarter of the year. Increasing numbers of readers
are choosing foreign books, and young people’s interest in Distribution Point Still the Most Common Form of
reading in English is being driven by social media such as Delivery
TikTok. AI and, in particular, Chat GPT have increasingly There are an increasing number of options for how
become a main topic of conversation during the first consumers can have their e-commerce items delivered.
six months of the year. This topic is new and complex Customer needs change and evolve, and e-retailers are
and includes the question of the impact on legislation. looking for answers regarding when, where and how to
One example is the copyright of the material that AI deliver to best meet those needs. Despite the wide range
generates or uses as training material. Several retail market of choices, the most common means of delivering online
participants are starting to act – for example, Amazon is purchases is still via a distribution point. As many as 45%
introducing a requirement for authors to disclose whether in the survey said that this was how they received their
their work contains AI-generated material. most recent e-commerce parcel. However, there is a wide
variety of ways in which consumers would prefer to have
Sector Development: Furniture and Home their items delivered. If there is full freedom of choice, the
Furnishings race between distribution point, home delivery and parcel
Sales of furniture and home furnishings are highly locker is relatively close. As online consumers become
dependent on mobility in the housing market. High- more accustomed to the options on offer, their needs also
interest rates have caused housing sales to stagnate, which become more complex – the optimum delivery option
in turn has led to a drastic reduction in sales of furniture varies not only from customer to customer but also from
and home furnishings. In tough times, consumers look purchase to purchase.
for alternative and cheaper ways to purchase capital-
intensive goods. There are two parallel trends: low-price Consumers Appreciate Delivery Apps
and second-hand. For example, discount furniture and Phone apps have become a natural part of everyday life,
decorating chain Jysk set a sales record in the 2022/2023 used for everything from entertainment to purchasing.
financial year. Another popular means of acquiring an item Most delivery operators have created apps that can be
at a lower price is to buy second-hand, but in this segment, used to track the delivery of online purchases. Using the
too, there are signs that the stagnant housing market is apps, consumers can track and make changes to their
reducing demand. One trend is that increasing numbers delivery, identify themselves and collect parcels. And the
of small physical second-hand stores selling furniture and delivery app concept is very popular among e-commerce
home furnishings have started to find their place online by consumers. The apps have managed to meet the vast
promoting their items on social media. majority of consumer expectations in terms of factors
such as simplicity, user-friendliness, and convenience.
Sector Development: Pharmacy Simple, intuitive apps allow even the technophobes among
Among the categories, online pharmacy, which grew by customers to navigate smoothly. Offering delivery options
21% in the second quarter, clearly stands out. The high linked to an app can thus be a way to ensure an especially
development rate is a consequence of several different convenient buying experience for consumers.
factors. First, the sector is resistant to cyclical fluctuations
due to the regulated prices and stable demand. Second, Stunning Figures for Online Beauty
consumers are increasingly buying non-pharmacy items via There is a clear trend of consumers heading online to buy
online pharmacies. These are items that have previously beauty products, increasing from 30% to 45% in five years.
been sold in other sectors, such as beauty products. Items The beauty sector is online-friendly, as products are often
that are not medicines account for 41% of online sales. small and compact, making them easy to package and ship.
Consumers who have found their way to online pharmacies There is also an obvious sense of community in this sector,
stay there and increasingly make purchases online instead with consumers using ratings and reviews when shopping.
of in stores. In addition to convenience, this is due to the As a result, people are increasingly going online, where it
significant price difference between pharmacy items sold is easy to make comparisons and evaluate and recommend
online and in stores. Price is the average consumer’s main items. ••
focus right now, which is another advantage for online
pharmacies.

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As part of PostNord, the largest provider of logistics solutions and geographical coverage in the Nordic For Free
countries, we at Direct Link are specialists in customer specific delivery solutions and the distribution download
of e-commerce goods to anywhere in the world. For us, global deliveries means reaching every single of the
home in every part of the world. E-barometer!

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