Dutch e-Commerce Overview

In this short Dutch e-commerce overview we highlight that the Netherlands has a total of 57,705 e-commerce websites and a potential of 17,28 million Dutch visitors. According to a recent study of thuiswinkel.org the number of webshops in Food is the biggest category. Followed by Electronics, Fashion and Home.

Some of the biggest e-commerce players include Bol.com, Ah.nl, Coolblue, Wehkamp and Zalando. A mixed top 5 that contains two companies out of electronics, one for groceries and two for fashion. How will this go in the future? Especially with Amazon becoming a competitor for the bigger marketplaces. And how will the changes for VAT from 1 July 2021 influence e-commerce?

Around 79% of the Dutch people are shopping online and prefer a computer over a phone or tablet. Furthermore, Dutch online shoppers are used to buy from foreign webshops. Especially in Q1 2021 compared to the same period last year sales were up 63% according to CBS. The Dutch spent almost 800 million euros, compared to about half a billion a year earlier. Never before since the start of the current measurement method in 2014 has spending increased so much in a quarter compared to a year earlier.

Dutch e-commerce trends

There are important e-commerce trends that become real. First of all, the importance and power of marketplaces are growing bigger. For example big players like Bol.com and Amazon. Secondly, Recommerce is growing and green delivery is important for online shoppers. The last mile is a project that is supported by big e-commerce players and logistic companies to make e-commerce more sustainable. Finally, AI will keep growing further next couple of years.

Below you will find the complete Dutch e-commerce overview: