More than seven out of ten Dutch people bought something online in 2015. This number has more than doubled in ten years. The numbers are also increasing in other European Union countries aged 16 to 75 years go shopping online. In 2005 While a quarter of Europe’s population were e-shoppers, now that number is more than half.
In the UK, Denmark, Luxembourg and Germany, more people buy products or services online than in the Netherlands. In Eastern European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania, there is much less online shopping. In these countries, people are also online less.
Online shopping, 2015
| Far. Kingdom | 6 | 13 | 81 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 3 | 18 | 79 |
| Luxembourg | 2 | 20 | 78 |
| German | 10 | 17 | 73 |
| Dutch | 4 | 25 | 71 |
| EU (28 countries) | 16 | 31 | 53 |
| Lithuania | 25 | 43 | 32 |
| Italy | 28 | 46 | 26 |
| Cyprus | 26 | 51 | 23 |
| Bulgaria | 35 | 47 | 18 |
| Romania | 32 | 57 | 11 |
Some purchases outside the Netherlands
Dutch people buy little online in other EU countries. Nearly a third sometimes buy from other EU countries, while the majority of e-buyers shop in their own country. The number of online stores in the Netherlands has increased rapidly in recent years: from 15 thousand in 2010 until it ended 32 thousand in 2015.
This picture applies to most countries in the European Union. Luxembourg is an exception: almost 90 percent online shoppers there order goods or services from other EU countries. In contrast, relatively few Luxembourgers buy from online stores in their own country (28 percent).
The European Commission has investigated the reasons not to buy from foreign online stores. Some online stores do not accept overseas buyers, there are also delivery problems and often there is no trust in overseas online stores.
Online shopping at home and abroad, 2015
| EU (28 countries) | 88 | 30 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | 97 | 18 | 11 |
| Dutch | 93 | 30 | 20 |
| Union Kingdom |
93 | 25 | |
| Belgium | 76 | 63 | 15 |
| Luxembourg | 28 | 88 | 24 |
Internet purchases often amount to between 100 and 500 euros
Dutch internet shoppers 40 percent 100 to 500 euros out per purchase. This corresponds to the average European online shopping expenditure. In the EU, internet shoppers are less likely to shop in bulk. Electronics buyers from the UK and Luxembourg often spend thousands of euros or more in bulk. Dutch people are less likely to make large purchases via the internet.
Average amount per online purchase, 2015
| EU (28 countries) | 10 | 10 | 40 | 24 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Kingdom |
25 | 16 | 39 | 11 | 9 |
| Luxembourg | 22 | 11 | 37 | 8 | 22 |
| Belgium | 11 | 14 | 44 | 17 | 14 |
| Dutch | 7 | 11 | 40 | 26 | 16 |
| German | 5 | 10 | 46 | 27 | 13 |
“Incurable alcohol fan. Proud web practitioner. Wannabe gamer. Music buff. Explorer.”
