Chinese online stores gain popularity among Finns: report

Staff members work at a Cainiao logistics center in Madrid, Spain, July 31, 2023.(Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

A Finnish economist said that the advantages of Chinese online retailers include low prices, free delivery, AI-based ordering systems, effective social media marketing, and the ability to make shopping more entertaining.

HELSINKI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Although online shopping in Finland shrank in 2023 for the second year in a row, buying from Chinese online stores is gaining popularity in the country, the Finnish Commerce Federation said on Wednesday.

"The significant rise of Shein and particularly Temu can be seen in the growth of digital purchases of fashion and electronics from China in Finland," said Jaana Kurjenoja, chief economist at the Finnish Commerce Federation.

A staff member works in a Yiwu Cainiao bonded warehouse in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 19, 2023.(Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Both Shein and Temu are Chinese e-commerce platforms. According to the federation, in February 2024, Temu became the most visited foreign online store by Finns.

Kurjenoja said that the advantages of Chinese online retailers include low prices, free delivery, AI-based ordering systems, effective social media marketing, and the ability to make shopping more entertaining.

This photo taken on Nov. 10, 2023 shows a cross-border e-commerce warehouse of Cainiao and AliExpress in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua)

Finns' online shopping, both domestically and abroad, totaled approximately 5.3 billion euros last year. This represents a 3 percent year-on-year decline, said the federation.

The decline in online shopping was particularly visible in purchases of construction and renovation products, books and home electronics. However, purchases of cosmetics, pet supplies, and food increased.