E-commerce returns in Sweden - spring 2026 🇸🇪
Returns are becoming more flexible as parcel lockers have emerged as a more common return option in Sweden. While service points still dominate the return process, parcel lockers are the only return method that has grown in popularity since last year, likely reflecting both increased investments in locker infrastructure and carriers increasingly enabling and promoting returns through this channel.
When Swedish consumers receive a product they do not want to keep, most choose to return it to get a refund. Women and younger consumers return goods more frequently, which is partly linked to higher online shopping activity and purchases in categories with traditionally higher return rates, such as fashion. Older consumers, by contrast, tend to return items less often, which could reflect a more planned purchasing behavior as well as a lower online shopping frequency overall. At the same time, a clear return policy is particularly important for consumers aged 50–64, when deciding where to shop online, suggesting it functions more as a form of “insurance” in case something goes wrong, rather than leading to higher return rates.
Overall return rates of online parcels are at their lowest recorded level in Sweden, according to Paketindex. One explanation could be the growing share of international parcels, where returns are often perceived as more complicated or not worth the cost.
