Finland has some great eCommerce businesses that are running successfully. The country has seen an unexpected growth in terms of eCommerce as the number of online shoppers has increased exponentially. As per Nordea Trade, there are currently 3.32 million e-commerce users in Finland, with the expected addition of almost 530,000 users to be shopping online by 2021. 

Finland is a prosperous Northern European country and has an internet penetration rate of 92.5%, which is among the highest in the world.

List of E-Grocery Supermarkets in Finland

Alepa

Alepa, one of the popular online grocery shop chains in Finland founded in 1918. 

Alepa is a grocery shop chain that includes 112 grocery stores across Finland. As per the latest updates, Alepa is launching the fastest online store in the Metropolitan area with Wolt. You can order groceries from seven Alepa stores through Wolt and get home delivery of the groceries in less than an hour. 

Lidl

Another big name in the list of grocery eCommerce players in Finland is  Lidl operating in Finland since 2002.

Lidl is a German-based supermarket chain operating in more than 32 countries with 11,000 stores. One of the biggest supplies of fresh grocery items and household products in Finland, Lidl is the most trusted brand of online grocery shoppers.

Challenges Faced by Online Grocery Shoppers in Finland 

Grocery Delivery Prices are High

The grocery delivery companies need to work on cutting down the delivery cost as a high delivery fee is the main reason why people avoid shopping for groceries online. 

Delay in Delivery

The delivery of the grocery products is being delayed by the grocery delivery companies due to a sudden increase in demand and fewer resources. 

Complicated Purchase Process

Easy navigation is something that most of the online grocery buyer apps and websites lack in. Easy navigation makes the purchasing process quick for the visitor whereas complicated one will confuse the visitor and he/she may end up not buying anything on the website.  

Strategies Online Grocery Retailers in Finland Must Adopt in the Current Pandemic Situation 

Inventory Management 

To increase the efficiency of your supply chain you need to regulate the inventory levels. Remap your supplier network, adding sufficient backups and redundancy to secure smooth product flow. You can use AI and other data management systems to analyze the internal and external demand drivers that could influence changes in consumer trends. 

Introduce COVID-19 Safety Features to Ensure Customer’s Safety

For the safety of both your customers and your workers, you must introduce the new safety features for your online grocery delivery business. Contactless delivery being one of the safety features.

Limit Panic Buying with Time Slot Availability Banner

The online grocery delivery companies must introduce a time slot availability banner in their grocery stores to limit the panic buying in this crucial time of COVID-19 outbreak.

Serve the Increasing Online Demand

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, the demand for online grocery services has increased. To meet the increase in demand, especially in terms of order fulfillment the online grocery supplies need to maintain a balance between the orders received and delivery as timely delivery is what the customers look for.  

As the demand for online grocery delivery services is high, the online grocery retailers need to work on their supply chain management to fulfill the demands with safety measures. On the other hand for offline grocery stores in Finland, this is the right opportunity to invest and expand. Start your online grocery delivery services to reach out to your customers who hesitate to visit the store due to the pandemic situation. 

How to Build an Online Grocery Store?

Growcer is one such platform that can help you launch your grocery delivery website and mobile apps (for buyers and delivery boys) with all the advanced features required amid COVID-19. It is also equipped with eCommerce-centric functionalities based on marketing, payment transaction,  shipping, design, shop management, etc.

To know more about the online grocery business in Finland and in other Nordic countries, continue reading the following blog for more information:

https://www.fatbit.com/fab/ecommerce-grocery-business-in-nordic-countries/

Originally Published at https://medium.com/growcer-ecommerce-grocery-software/launch-an-ecommerce-grocery-business-in-finland-cd36838a8e96