What is in the online shopping cart
Online shopping was done the most in the age group of 25 to 45 years old, with approximately 92 percent of consumers saying they bought goods on the internet. Male individuals shopped online more than female consumers did, reporting almost a five-percentage-point difference. The most popular products to purchase online in the Netherlands include food, IT equipment and fashion. Fast-growing product segments, in turn, include home furnishings, consumer electronics, and beauty products. Although most Dutch online shoppers indicated they did not buy their groceries online, they have become increasingly open to it. As a result, since 2015, supermarkets have registered increasing online revenues.Cross-border is not attracting
The online retail industry in the Netherlands is largely dominated by domestic companies. The biggest online stores in the Netherlands include local players like online hypermarket Bol.com, electronics retailer Coolblue, and the supermarket Albert Heijn. Despite a quarterly cross-border spending of over 600 million euros, Dutch cross-border e-commerce market ranks lower when compared to foreign e-commerce revenues in other European countries. With a significantly lower share of desktop visits than other Dutch e-commerce sites, e-commerce giant Amazon is not among the most popular platforms.Payments and delivery preferences
When compared to the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), Dutch customers usually make more use of bank transfers for their e-commerce payments. This is due to the popular system of iDEAL, a Dutch inter-bank system local which allows shoppers to use their bank account for online purchases. The total number of online payments with iDEAL neared 900 million in 2020.As in other countries, high percentages of Dutch consumers opted for home delivery of their online orders, preferably in daytime and within a few days. The maximum delivery time should not go over five days according to six in ten consumers. Indeed, 40 percent of Dutch online shoppers considered a fast and reliable delivery a relevant attribute of their shopping experience. About the same percentage of consumers believed the same about return policies and in-stock availability of products.
