About the E-commerce Activities in Finnish Lapland - Perspectives of Consumers and Entrepreneurs

Abstract

This chapter introduces E-commerce activities of consumers and entrepreneurs in Finnish Lapland. This chapter introduces in addition to the challenges, which SMEs face while starting E-commerce activity in the Northern Finland context, also the state of the E-commerce among consumers. Basing on the results, six interviews and the outcomes of two questionnaires, both entrepreneurs and consumers meet the first steps of E-commerce challenging. The most important question is what is the attainable incremental value for the firms and consumers via E-commerce activities? Entrepreneurs meet both pushing and pulling reasons for the first steps of E-commerce. Consumers have also noticed the incremental value of E-commerce. Mostly the experiences of consumers are encouraging. E-commerce enlarges the available services of sparsely populated areas of Lapland.