Black Friday and E-Monday are just around the corner, marking the start of the busiest parcel season of the year. A recent SmartPosti survey shows that 27% of respondents plan to buy Christmas gifts during the autumn sales campaigns. Families with children pay more attention to the price of gifts, but at the same time plan to spend more on Christmas presents.
According to a survey commissioned by SmartPosti in October, women in particular plan to buy Christmas gifts during the autumn shopping campaigns. One in three women (33%) intend to buy gifts during the campaigns, compared with one in five men (20%). In addition to Christmas gifts, consumers plan to take advantage of special offers to buy beauty and health products (17%), clothing and footwear (17%), electronics (13%) and household goods (13%).
The survey reveals an interesting contrast in the shopping behaviour of families with children. Among respondents with children under the age of 18, 65% consider a lower price important when buying Christmas gifts online, compared with 51% of respondents without children. At the same time, 27% of families with children plan to spend at least €200 on Christmas gifts, compared with 19% of respondents without children. The most common planned Christmas gift budget is €100–199, selected by a quarter of respondents.
According to Triinu Luidalepp, Head of Customer Experience at SmartPosti Baltics, autumn shopping events have become an important part of the pre-Christmas shopping season. “E-Monday and Black Friday give people an opportunity to buy Christmas gifts early, compare prices and spread their spending over a longer period. This is particularly important for families with children, who often have more people to buy gifts for and a larger Christmas budget. At the same time, the autumn shopping campaigns mark the beginning of one of the busiest periods of the year for parcel delivery companies,” Luidalepp said.
The impact of shopping events on parcel volumes lasts longer than a single day
“Orders placed during major shopping campaigns enter the parcel network over the following days, significantly increasing both sorting and delivery volumes. SmartPosti’s parcel volumes rise sharply in November and December compared with regular months. This year, we have seen growth in both parcel volumes from Estonian online stores and international shipments within the European Union. We are therefore prepared for an active pre-Christmas shopping season,” Luidalepp explained.
To prepare for the peak pre-Christmas parcel season, SmartPosti is also expanding its parcel pick-up options. From 1 November, SmartPosti parcels can be ordered to selected uDrop parcel lockers in Tamsalu, Iisaku, Roela, Ahja, Tabivere, Vääna-Jõesuu, Valjala and Toila, as well as at Teaduspark in Tallinn. The additional delivery locations are being introduced in areas where there are no SmartPosti parcel lockers nearby. The aim is to bring parcel pick-up points closer to customers and support fast deliveries even during periods of higher parcel volumes.
Almost half of Estonians buy at least half of their Christmas gifts online
According to the SmartPosti survey, 47% of respondents buy at least half of their Christmas gifts online. Compared with last year, the share of Christmas gifts purchased online has remained stable. When ordering gifts online, 57% consider a lower price important, 31% value convenient parcel pick-up, 25% reliable delivery and 24% delivery speed.
“When ordering a Christmas gift, it is not only the price that matters, but also whether the gift arrives on time. Our task is to ensure smooth parcel deliveries even when the number of orders increases significantly within a short period. We recommend that consumers place their orders well in advance and collect their parcels as soon as possible, so that there is space in the parcel lockers for the next shipments,” Luidalepp added.
About the survey: The survey commissioned by SmartPosti was conducted from 1 to 8 October 2026. A total of 754 Estonians aged 18–59 participated in the survey.