Swedish e-commerce falls as new customs duties impact foreign retailers

Swedish e-commerce turnover fell by 7 percent in September, reaching 13.4 billion Swedish kronor, according to data from Svensk Handel. This decline follows a 3 percent decrease across the third quarter.

A significant driver of this trend is a reduction in cross-border shopping. The proportion of consumers purchasing from foreign entities dropped to 17 percent in September, down from 22 percent during the same month last year. This shift is largely attributed to new customs duties on goods from countries outside the EU, which have impacted low-cost international platforms such as Temu and Shein.

While the overall market volume has decreased, industry representatives note that the decline in foreign purchases is a targeted effect of the new regulations, which is viewed as a positive development for domestic Swedish retailers.