Year: 2021

Competition drives growth in online grocery shopping – Customers seek ease in everyday life

The number of people who are regularly buying daily consumer goods online has more than doubled compared to the time before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Families with children, in particular, buy their daily consumer goods online more frequently than others, and they are also more interested in trying it out. With new companies and new practices, competition in online grocery shopping has really just begun.

The Finnish Commerce Federation and the Federation of Finnish Enterprises: Making vitality of urban centres a priority for city councils

It is necessary to invest in the vitality of city centres throughout the country, and the Finnish Commerce Federation and the Federation of Finnish Enterprises require that promoting the vitality of city centres be made a priority for the work of the new city councils. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed movement in city centres down and deprived speciality goods trade stores of vital customer flows. This phenomenon is also influenced by a longer-term trend that is boosted by the growth of e-commerce and the increasing practice of remote working.

The Ollaan ihmisiksi (‘Let’s behave’) campaign begins – combatting inappropriate behaviour through cooperative effort

The Finnish Commerce Federation's and Service Union United (PAM)'s Ollaan ihmisiksi campaign prompts consumers to reflect on their role in promoting the occupational well-being of retailers and other customer service workers. The communications effort launched today is again timed to coincide with the busy Christmas season. The message of an already traditional campaign is not outdated – on the contrary.  

Christmas trade expected to be brisker than last year

Christmas trade is expected to increase this year compared to 2020. More than a quarter of the stores also anticipate the Christmas trade to start earlier, around Black Friday. Some sports, electronics and fashion stores in particular anticipate an early Christmas season. However, December is still by far the most important month in terms of sales for the Finnish retail trade.

The coronavirus has challenged the service capacity of stores – most satisfied customers in the grocery trade

Customers' experiences with the service create customer satisfaction and thus loyalty to the store. The importance of the service experience to customer satisfaction is particularly strong for customers over the age of 50. In Finland, with its changing age structure, it is increasingly important to consider how to respond to the needs of customers of different ages. The best service experience and customer satisfaction is found in the grocery trade and the weakest in the hardware trade, as well as in the interior decoration and furniture trade.

Commerce sector emissions decreasing efficiently, but not enough to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035

According to the carbon index for commerce, the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased by eight per cent in 2020. The positive development reflects the ambitious work by companies in the sector but, according to the carbon index, the current rate of emission reduction is not sufficient to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Increasing the use of electricity, promoted by a lowered electricity tax rate for the service sector is a prerequisite for carbon-neutrality in the commerce sector.