When reading the main ecommerce reports, the Nordic countries are rarely mentioned. The focus is mostly on more established markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France. However, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden can be attractive markets for Italian sellers.
Although these countries share a number of characteristics (including a harsh climate and a high level of digitalisation), Sweden stands out in online sales. It is no coincidence that Amazon opened a dedicated marketplace in the Swedish market.
Ecommerce Market Data
According to PostNord’s E-commerce in the Nordics 2025 report, 83% of consumers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland made at least one online purchase in the past 30 days, while 73% bought at least once from a foreign ecommerce site. Cross-border propensity is particularly high in Denmark, where 77% of consumers have bought online from sites such as Zalando, Temu, Wish or eBay; in Sweden the share is lower (64%) thanks to a more developed domestic market.
Sweden therefore remains one of the key markets in the region: in 2025, B2C ecommerce sales reached SEK 153 billion, up 10% on the previous year and a new all-time high.
Made in Italy in the Nordic Countries
Before delving into online sales, it is worth taking a brief look at Italian products sold in the Nordic countries.
In Sweden, Italian exports reached approximately €6.2 billion in 2025. The figure is driven mainly by industrial machinery and components (B2B), but Italian consumer goods also carry significant weight in food and beverage, fashion, furniture and design, footwear, cosmetics and accessories. Sweden is therefore particularly interesting for mid-to-high-end products, for which quality and design are distinguishing features.
Denmark, on the other hand, is particularly receptive to lifestyle-oriented Made in Italy. In 2025, Italy exported approximately €4.2 billion worth of goods to Denmark, of which almost €800 million (18.8%) were food, beverages and tobacco. Among the Italian products specifically reported as most imported are roasted coffee and cheeses.
Norway is also interesting mainly for premium products. In 2025, it imported approximately USD 3.68 billion worth of goods from Italy. Looking at the goods most closely associated with consumer Made in Italy, wine and beverages, furniture, cosmetics and perfumes, food products, cheeses, footwear, clothing, ceramics and leather goods stand out.
Marketplaces
Marketplaces have always played a key role in the internationalisation process for businesses. Thanks to an existing technological infrastructure and an established customer base, marketplaces can be one of the fastest channels for testing new markets, although they require careful evaluation of fees and operating costs. It is nevertheless always advisable to carry out preliminary research into the VAT regime applicable to the products sold in the target market, any restrictions, bans or legal requirements for your product category, and any authorisations needed from brands, distributors and trademark owners.
In the Nordic countries, Amazon has played an important role since it launched its Swedish marketplace in 2020. With a single European Seller account, you can manage sales across Amazon’s ten European marketplaces, including Amazon.se. However, listing products and actually being able to sell depend on the account settings, the categories enabled and the requirements applicable to each market, and the cost is the same regardless of the number of marketplaces opened. The European account allows you to operate on multiple marketplaces with a single Professional subscription, while selling fees and logistics costs depend on the services used, the product categories and the destination market. Wood Company and AfroRicci are Italian success stories that have achieved tangible results with online sales in Sweden through Amazon.
Another noteworthy marketplace is CDON.se. This platform sells a bit of everything, from electronics to clothing and home products. Italian companies can register and list products by paying a monthly fee (€39.00). For each completed sale, CDON charges a commission, to be agreed.
Logistics
Logistics in the Nordic countries faces different challenges from those we are used to in Italy. For example, Sweden covers 450,000 km² and has a relatively small population (around 10 million). People live far apart, and a fairly large number reside in remote areas that are difficult for carriers to reach. As a result, there are specific, well-established carriers such as PostNord (which offers APIs for labels, bookings, tracking and delivery options, as well as a dedicated Shopify app), followed by UPS, DHL, DB Schenker and Bring Parcel.
Parcel lockers are also fundamental to Nordic ecommerce, though they are used mainly in Finland, as they allow customers to collect parcels whenever they prefer without waiting for the courier. They are often installed near supermarkets, residential buildings and other high-traffic locations, and there is no need to comply with the opening hours of traditional pick-up points.
For sellers who want to sell in the Nordic countries, the advice is to rely on international carriers such as Spring GDS, DHL, Asendia or BRT/DPD, which then hand the parcels over to local carriers.
Returns
Consumers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland place great importance on simple return procedures and the ability to use easily accessible drop-off points. In Sweden, Denmark and Norway, pick-up points are among the most commonly used ways to return products.
For an Italian seller, managing reverse logistics can be more complex, especially when the consumer has to return an item directly to a warehouse in Italy. In such cases, the cost of international shipping can significantly affect the margin on each order. It is therefore advisable to carry out the necessary preliminary assessments.
Digital Payments
In 2026, across the four Nordic markets combined, Swish and Vipps MobilePay have overtaken cards as online payment methods. Habits nevertheless vary between countries: in Sweden, Swish has become the most widely used method, while in Denmark MobilePay is the preferred wallet, but cards remain the most commonly used method.
Swish was launched in 2012 on the initiative of Sweden’s major banks. It allows users to transfer money instantly between bank accounts using a smartphone and Mobile BankID, the Swedish digital identity system. Today it has over 8 million users and is widely used for ecommerce purchases.
Vipps MobilePay, on the other hand, was created in 2022 from the merger of Vipps (Norway) and MobilePay (Denmark). The two services retain distinct, recognisable brands and apps, but can support payments between different Nordic markets. Payments can be charged to a card linked to the wallet. Vipps MobilePay also offers an Express feature, which shortens the checkout process.
Finally, it is worth noting that in Finland, online banking payments are particularly important and are the preferred method among consumers.
For Italian sellers, activating these local payment methods is not straightforward. For example, Shopify expressly requires the store to be based in Sweden in order to activate Swish. Sellers who want to use MobilePay must go through Stripe. The advice is to choose international payment gateways such as Adyen, which simplify integrations, contracts and costs.
Taxation, Customs and Norway (VOEC)
It is important to remember that Sweden, Denmark and Finland are in the European Union, while Norway is not. Selling in Norway can therefore involve greater administrative complexity and costs related to customs procedures. It is also important to be aware of VOEC (VAT On E-Commerce), a simplified Norwegian tax scheme for handling VAT on online purchases made by consumers from foreign ecommerce sites.
For products eligible for the VOEC scheme, the consumer pays Norwegian VAT (normally at 25%) directly at the checkout of the Italian site. If the seller is properly registered for VOEC and the VOEC number is transmitted digitally to the carrier, delivery normally takes place without additional customs charges for the recipient. The Italian seller then periodically declares and remits the VAT collected to the Norwegian tax authorities. It should also be noted that there is a threshold of NOK 3,000, which applies to each individual item, not to the total value of the order. In addition, certain product categories are excluded from VOEC: food, supplements, wine and spirits.
The obligation for an Italian company to register for tax purposes generally arises when taxable sales to Norwegian recipients exceed NOK 50,000 over a 12-month period. Here too, the advice is to rely on an international accounting firm.
Marketing and Customer Acquisition
Selling online in the Nordic countries requires marketing strategies adapted to the characteristics of each market. Although the population has a high level of digital literacy and a good command of English, translating an ecommerce site into the language of the destination country is a competitive advantage, especially in terms of trust and conversions.
From an SEO perspective, it is essential to conduct keyword research specific to each country, rather than simply translating Italian keywords literally. Search habits can differ significantly between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. SEO tools such as Semrush or Ahrefs are recommended for this purpose.
To acquire new customers, you can use Google Ads and Meta Ads, complemented by influencer marketing campaigns with local creators and activity on price comparison sites, such as Prisjakt in Sweden and Prisjagt in Denmark.
Conclusion
There is no universally best Nordic market for Italian businesses. The choice of country depends on the product category, brand positioning, competition, logistics costs and the ability to acquire customers profitably.
Sweden offers a developed ecommerce market, but also significant competition. Denmark and Finland show a greater propensity for cross-border purchases, while Norway requires more complex tax and customs management.
For an Italian business, it is therefore preferable to start by selecting one or two markets, testing demand and measuring financial results before extending sales to the entire Nordic region. Internationalisation, in fact, should be assessed not only in terms of revenue generated, but above all in terms of the margins actually achieved.