Finland flag Finland: Buying and Selling

Advertising and marketing in Finland

Marketing opportunities

Consumer Profile
The population in Finland is ageing. The median age is 43.5 years old in 2022. The population growth rate is 0.1%, with 27.4% of the population being under 25 years old and 35.3% 55 years old or over (CIA, 2022). On average, there are 2 people per household and 44.7% are people living alone and 47.3% are couples with or without children (Eurostat, 2020). The male/ female ratio is 97 men for every 100 women. It is estimated that 85.7% of the population lives in urban areas. The majority of the population lives in the south, while the population is more scattered in the north. The main city is Helsinki, with 1.328 million inhabitants. The level of education in Finland is relatively high, 91% of adults aged 25 to 64 have completed upper secondary education and 45.9% have attended university (OECD). In the active population, 26.8% are professionals, 19.2% are technicians, 18.6% are trade or service employees, 10.1% are craftsmen and manual workers, 7.6% are machine operators and assemblers, 6.7% are in intermediate professions, 4.9% are clerks, 2.8% are farmers, 2.5% are managers, and 0.2% are in the military (Eurostat, 2021).
Purchasing Power
The GDP per capita PPP is around USD 50,517 in 2020 (World Bank). In 2020, the median monthly salary was EUR 3,228 (Statistics Finland). In the same year, men were paid on average 21.1% more than women.
Statistics Finland's income distribution statistics indicate that 594,000 or 10.9% of the household population belonged to households at risk of poverty in 2020 (latest data available).
The Actual Individual Consumption index, which is a is a measure of material welfare of households published by the statistical office of the European Union, places Finnish households at the sixth place, with a value around 14% above the EU average.
Consumer Behaviour
Finland is a consumer society where the main determinant of purchase is quality. Security, the origin of the product, the brand image are other important factors. Compliance with European standards is considered a guarantee of quality and the places of purchase may vary. Consumers will go on the internet to make quick purchases. The popularity of shopping centres is growing (351 million visitors in 2020, Finnish Council of Shopping Centers) with specialty stores still being frequented. Prices being high in Finland, the average basket of a Finn is higher than in the rest of Europe. After decreasing drastically in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer confidence started to recover in 2021, but plunged again in the context of the war in Ukraine. In March 2022, consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic (Statistics Finland). Online shopping accounts for 7 to 10% of total purchases from retailers and e-commerce accounts for around 3% of the country's overall grocery trade (Finnish Commerce Federation). The sector continues to grow and in 2021, the market generated USD 7 billion revenues (ecommerceDB). Finnish consumers are generally comfortable with technology, whether for a purchase on a computer, tablet or smartphone. The Internet can also search for product information and compare it. Finns generally favour domestic products, but international brands also attract a growing market share. However, foreign products are mainly purchased when they target a specific segment.

To retain Finnish consumers, it is often necessary to focus on customer service and the buying experience. There were 4.7 million social media users in January 2022, the equivalent of 85.2% of the total population (Data Reportal). Even though access to information and user opinions influences consumption these are not the main drivers for explaining inscriptions to social networking sites. Data protection is an important issue for the population and data access and protection is desired.

Emerging consumer trends in Finland are related to environmental protection or progressive values. Consumers are increasingly moving towards non-gender fashion and are more and more interested in quality and ecological foods. The consumption of prepared meals that are good for health is increasing. Products that are simple, practical, with minimal packaging and respectful of the environment are increasingly consumed. Sales of organic grocery products increased by 9.7% in 2020, to reach EUR 409 million (Finnish Organic Food Association). Always linked to a respectful mode of consumption, the circular economy is developed in the country. The second-hand market is growing thanks to stores but also on the internet. The sharing economy (Airbnb, Uber, etc.) is developing, particularly in Helsinki, in the transport, housing and food sectors.
Consumers Associations
BEUC , European Consumer Organisation
Main Advertising Agencies
Bob Helsinki

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Latest Update: March 2024