According to Swedish Trade’s E-commerce Indicator, May 2026 was a strong month for Swedish e-commerce. Turnover is estimated at 15.4 billion SEK. This represents an increase of 37 percent from May 2025. However, it is pointed out that last year’s May was exceptionally weak, which should be considered when evaluating the growth rate.
Per Ljungberg, Innovation Manager at Swedish Trade, comments on the statistics:
Although growth is boosted by last year's weak comparative figures, May's figures are undoubtedly a strong message for e-commerce. We are slowly but surely seeing the economic climate improve, and the figures we present are a result of that.
Comparison: Swedish Trade vs. Postnord
Both Swedish Trade and Postnord’s E-barometer publish ongoing data on the development of e-commerce in Sweden. Both measurements indicate a recovery during May, but a comparison shows some differences in the figures regarding consumer behavior.
- Share of consumers: Swedish Trade measures that 73 percent of consumers shopped online during the month, which is the highest measured share ever for May in their measurement. According to Postnord’s E-barometer, the corresponding figure was 77 percent.
- Purchase amount: At Swedish Trade, the average purchase amount per e-commerce consumer equals its previous high for the month and amounts to 2,530 SEK. Postnord reports a slightly lower average amount for Swedish online stores of 2,345 SEK.
Despite discrepancies in the exact estimation of shares and amounts, both sources confirm that the trend for May points upwards.
Cross-border Trade and Upcoming Customs Regulations
Trade from abroad continues to constitute a noticeable share of total consumption. In Swedish Trade’s measurement, 21 percent of consumers state that they shopped online from abroad during May.
New customs duties will come into force on July 1, 2026, for purchases from countries outside the EU.
But we continue to see how alarmingly large amounts of consumption only benefit dubious Chinese online platforms. We are skeptical, but of course hope that the new customs duty introduced on July 1 will have the intended effect, says Per Ljungberg.
The E-barometer has previously highlighted this issue and noted that about one-fifth of consumers accept the uncertainty surrounding potential extra fees as long as the basic price of the product is low.