E-invoicing adoption on the rise in the Nordic countries - report

According to a study conducted by Finnish e-invoicing services provider Itella Information, in 2012, 76 percent of invoices were received electronically in Denmark and 69 percent in Norway. The figures for Sweden, Finland and Russia were 46, 41 and 31 percent, respectively.

Moreover, the study has found that 2 or 3 years from now, e-invoices will still be the most popular invoice type in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Printed invoices will still be the most popular in Finland and e-mail invoices will be favoured in Russia. E-invoices are most popular in the case of regular billing, and in all Nordic countries bills are most often paid through an online bank. In Russia, online banking is not yet as widespread as in the Nordic countries.

The study has also found that information security is considered to be the most important aspect when it comes to e-invoices. Consumers also expect that it should be easy to switch over to using e-invoices and that information on the service should be readily available.

Finally, the study has shown that the most effective way of getting people to convert from printed invoices to e-invoices is by compulsion or strong persuasion. Consumers will accept e-invoices if nothing else is offered or if there is an extra charge for the printed version. On the other hand, consumers are also motivated by the willingness to experiment, environmental concerns and the invoicing party’s recommendations.