Online cross-border payments using payment cards for 2010–2018

This report contains new statistics for online cross-border payments using payment cards for 2010–2018 based on transaction data from all parties in Norway who issue and record the use of international payment cards. The report also shows Statistics Norway’s national accounts’ estimates for online shopping abroad among the Norwegian population, including amounts below NOK 350, and statistics on individuals’ imports of goods valued between NOK 350 and NOK 3000 based on customs data. Furthermore, the report includes online shopping statistics broken down by gender and age. In addition, the report provides statistics that Statistics Norway has published since 2008 on Norwegian retail websites, based on the Directorate of Taxes’ Register of the Reporting Obligations of Enterprises.

• The statistics on online cross-border payments using payment cards show that Norwegians using payment cards in foreign retail websites spent five times as much in 2018 as in 2010, with a total of NOK 65.7 billion. Online shopping on foreign websites was also greater than online shopping using Norwegian cards in Norway. Almost half of all Norwegian payment card use took place online in 2018, compared to 25 per cent in 2010. Foreigners’ online shopping using cards in Norway is lower, but this has also seen substantial growth, from NOK 3 billion in 2010 to NOK 20.3 billion in 2018.
• Purchases of goods and services with Norwegian cards on foreign websites amounted to NOK 23.2 billion and NOK 36.9 respectively in 2018. Digital goods and services are important parts of this trade. Purchases totaling NOK 5.7 billion were registered for user locations going to iTunes, Spotify, Netflix etc. A large part of other retail trade was for clothing and footwear (NOK 3.6 billion) and electrical goods (NOK 3.4 billion). A large portion of services related to flights and other transport (NOK 17 billion) and accommodations and dining (NOK 2.9 billion). In addition, money with a value of NOK 5.6 billion was transferred.
• The average amount of e-commerce purchases of goods with Norwegian cards abroad went down because of more purchases of digital products and customs exemptions for goods up to NOK 350 which were introduced in 2015. In 2018, the average purchase of goods and services was NOK 274 and NOK 654 respectively, compared to NOK 556 and NOK 646 in 2010.
• More than 95 per cent of foreigners’ online shopping using cards in Norway related to the purchase of services. In 2018, flight purchases totalled NOK 16.9 billion, while other transport totalled NOK 1.3 billion.
• More than 90 per cent of online shopping using Norwegian cards abroad in 2018 stemmed from EU countries, where large sums were used especially in Sweden and the United Kingdom. Seventy-two per cent of sales using foreign cards in Norwegian online stores related to purchasers from EU countries. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of cards from the USA and Asia in Norwegian online stores.
• The statistics on online shopping from various suppliers by gender and age show that the proportion of the population who bought or ordered goods or services online increased from 25 per cent in 2009 to 36 per cent in 2019.
• In the final national accounts for 2017, households’ imports of goods below NOK 350 were estimated at NOK 7.7 billion. Statistics on external trade based on customs data show that for imports by private individuals, the total customs duty paid on goods valued at between NOK 350 and NOK 3000 was NOK 1.8 billion in 2018.