The amount of e-invoices sent to consumers has quadrupled in five years in Estonia. The share of e-invoices is already 25 percent of all invoices. During its five years of operation, the e-invoice portal www.arved.ee maintained by Itella Information has established its place as a channel where Estonian people are able to receive, send and pay invoices.
- In 2004 e-invoices amounted to 4.5 percent of all invoices sent to consumers, but today their share in Estonia is 25 percent," says Ahti Allikas, the Managing Director of Itella Information AS.
Approximately 300,000 e-invoices are sent via the service in a month. In five years of operation a total of 12 million e-invoices have been sent through the portal. Using the portal, private individuals and enterprises can quickly and easily replace paper invoices with electronic ones and order e-invoices free of charge.
Nearly 40 enterprises are transferring invoices via this service. These enterprises include most of the largest issuers of invoices in Estonia, such as banks and telecommunications firms, energy companies and public utilities, as well as service organizations.
Estonian people value the convenience of e-invoices and how they save time. The idea of the portal lies in the fact that each subscriber can have all their e-invoices sent to one place with a few mouse clicks. For consumers, the service is free of charge. The average age of subscribers is 40.
E-invoicing is also a more convenient choice for companies. It is profitable, because in comparison with a paper invoice the costs of sending one e-invoice are less than a half. Moreover, companies are increasingly looking to operate in a more environmentally friendly manner.
- Those 12 million e-invoices that have been sent through the service in five years of operation means saving over 160 tons of paper and nearly 4,000 trees, Ahti Allikas says.
This spring, Itella Information will conduct a survey in 16 countries that will provide a more comprehensive understanding consumer behavior and thinking about e-invoicing. The previous survey was carried out in the Nordic countries and Germany in 2008. At that time, both Denmark and Norway held the lead in consumer e-invoicing.
Further information:
Ahti Allikas, Managing Director of Itella Information AS, e-mail: firstname.lastname@itella.com
Satu Linkola, Communication, firstname.lastname@itella.com
Itella Information enhances the efficiency of financial information flows and leads the way in electronic invoicing in Europe. Services comprise solutions for the efficient processing of incoming invoices within the organization, and for cost-effective sending of invoices, electronically or on paper. Itella Information operates in 15 European countries with a staff of about 2,000 professionals. Net sales in 2009 amounted to EUR 247 million. The Itella Information business group is part of Itella Group. Further information www.itella.fi/informaatiologistiikka
