Online shopping is widespread across the Baltic countries, and most residents make purchases online regularly, according to SmartPosti’s latest survey. In Estonia, 58% of people shop online at least once every couple of months, with women being more active than men (61% vs 55%). The most active age group is 30–39, of whom as many as 70% make online purchases at least every few months.
Regionally, the least active online shoppers are in Läänemaa, Viljandimaa and Hiiumaa, where roughly every fifth respondent has never shopped online. The most active regions are Võrumaa, Valgamaa, Järvamaa and Harjumaa outside Tallinn. Weekly online shoppers are most common in Tallinn, but activity is also high in Harjumaa, Virumaa and Põlvamaa.
Among the Baltic states, Lithuania stands out with the most active online shopping: 28% of people make purchases at least once a week. In Latvia the figure is 24%, and in Estonia 14%, highlighting differences in consumer behaviour across the region.
According to SmartPosti’s Head of Sales, Sander Borodkin, the results show that although e‑commerce is well‑established in the Baltics, the intensity of use varies by country. “Estonians shop online regularly, but less often on a weekly basis compared to our neighbours. This suggests that consumer behaviour depends not only on the availability of e‑commerce, but also on habits and expectations regarding the shopping experience,” Borodkin explained.
The study clearly shows that reliable and timely delivery is the most important trust factor in all Baltic countries. In Lithuania, up to 80% of respondents consider it essential, while in Latvia and Estonia the figure is 72%. This is especially important for younger Estonian consumers: in the 18–29 age group, as many as 83% value the parcel arriving within the promised time.
At the same time, expectations for parcel tracking are rising quickly. The possibility to know where a parcel is matters to 68% of Estonian and 63% of Latvian respondents, while in Lithuania 57% highlight this. This shows that Estonian consumers value a transparent and controllable delivery process more than their neighbours.
“A parcel is not just a shipment — it’s often something expected and meaningful, whether it’s an everyday item, a long‑awaited purchase or a surprise from someone. What’s inside the parcel truly matters to people, and that’s why they want confidence that it will arrive on time and safely,” Borodkin added.
For many, real‑time tracking has become a natural habit. Younger consumers stand out the most — 24% of 18–29‑year‑olds always track their parcel, compared to an average of 13%. Men are also slightly more active trackers than women (16% vs 11%).
In Estonia, people prefer parcel lockers over courier delivery. The main reasons are speed and convenience, but Estonia stands out especially for flexibility — 59% say that using a parcel locker fits better into their daily schedule. Price also plays a bigger role in Estonia: 36% of Estonians say a lower cost is a key reason to choose parcel lockers, compared to Latvia and Lithuania.
An interesting difference is that men choose courier delivery significantly more often than women — 14% of men and 5% of women. Regionally, Valgamaa has the highest share of courier‑service users. However, the study does not show that rural residents would clearly prefer couriers, indicating that Estonia’s parcel‑locker network is well developed and covers even smaller areas effectively.
SmartPosti’s consumer survey was conducted by Norstat in March and included 1000 respondents from Estonia, 1005 from Latvia and 1000 from Lithuania.