Image: Sami Finne in the Logistic Center in Vantaa
The seasonal sales campaigns of international online retail have led to an earlier start to the Christmas season in Finland. Last year, the highest peak in volume at Posti’s service points occurred right after Black Friday. This year’s Black Friday falls on November 23, but many online stores have already started their campaigns. Items bought from Finnish online retailers will reach customers in good time before the holidays at the end of the year.
“Many Finnish online retailers have prepared for their Black Friday campaigns by making significant purchases of merchandise, which means highly attractive promotional offers for consumers. We expect many Finnish online stores to achieve record-high sales over the next few weeks,” says Sami Finne, head of the International eCommerce Business at Posti.
According to an online shopping survey commissioned by Posti and conducted by Kantar TNS, more than four out of five Finnish online shoppers rate delivery speed (85%) as an important consideration in choosing an online store.
Although competition in online retail is global, delivery speed is a source of competitive advantage for online stores operating in Finland.
“Posti enhances the competitiveness of Finnish online retailers by offering short delivery times. In the capital region, for instance, parcels can be delivered even on the same day the item is bought. Sunday deliveries in December, a new service introduced for this peak season, provide Finnish online stores with one additional day of sales,” Finne notes.
Last year, Posti delivered a record-high number of parcels during the Christmas season: more than 1.2 million parcels per week. With the number of parcel deliveries having increased by more than 10 percent this year, the upcoming holiday season is expected to break last year’s records. The sales growth of online stores, in particular, is expected to reach double digits.
After Black Friday, Cyber Monday keeps the peak season of online stores going all the way through to Christmas. Posti is prepared for a record-breaking peak season in online retail. Among other things, Posti has doubled the number of Parcel Lockers, which are a popular delivery option for consumers. The 1000th Posti Parcel Locker went into service on November 12 at Helsinki’s Central Railway Station. The peak parcel season will also be expedited by more than a hundred pickup points open for the holiday period. Throughout the season, Posti will also be delivering items for pickup on weekends.
Posti’s own shops will have extended opening hours from November 24, and the temporary Christmas season pickup points open on November 26. A complete directory of Posti’s service points and their opening hours is available at posti.fi/kartta.
