News

Dutch E-commerce Market in Q1: Historic Decline because of Reduced Travel

The Dutch e-commerce market decreased by -4% to 6.1 billion euros in Q1-2020. This historic result is an early effect of the corona crisis as Dutch society was hit since March and a lockdown since April, but other parts of the world were hit in January and February, which resulted in dramatic results for the Dutch travel market. While travel services were down significantly (-60%), product sales were still up.

What is the profile of a Dutch online purchaser?

The total number of online purchases was 69 million. In addition, 85% of Dutch people above 15 years old buy six times per quarter for a total of €343. To begin with, 50% are men, and 50% are women. The two most active groups have an age 50-64 (25%) mostly buys consumer electronic products. And an age of 15-29 (23%) who loves to buy fashion and consumer electronics. 

49% of purchasers buy via a laptop and 42% via a smartphone, which is an increase of 5% compared to the same period last year. In addition, purchases are mostly paid via IDEAL (e-banking) and relate to the categories IT (38%), Sport & Recreation (34%), and Home & Living (30%).

Cross-border purchases

9% of online products, in total €356 million, are bought cross-border in Germany, the USA, and China. A complete overview of cross-border purchases per country:

Source: Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor 2020 Q1

Digital Marketing Manager at Icecat N.V.

Wouter Maatman

Digital Marketing Manager at Icecat N.V.

View Comments

  • Still not clear what caused the decline, is that the online purchase of travelpackages and airline tickets? Because e-commerce in products was booming?

    • Indeed the decline is caused by a steep decline in travel services, not by product sales.

Recent Posts

Zalando Expands Pre-owned Fashion for Families Across 14 European Markets

Zalando is widening its second-hand strategy in Europe. The fashion platform has expanded its Pre-owned…

17 hours ago

Icecat Makes Its Debut as Official Sponsor of Shoptalk Europe 2026

Icecat is proud to announce its debut as the official sponsor of Shoptalk Europe 2026,…

4 days ago

Release Overview 3.11 – More Control, More Stability More Channel Intelligence

This release strengthens Icecat PIM's three core pillars: Channel-aware AI content Safer, more controllable integrations…

5 days ago

Icecat Studio – Sprint 90 Release Notes

Sprint 90 focused on improving delivery workflows, strengthening system architecture, and laying the foundation for…

6 days ago

Upcoming Webinar: Create A+ Content for Amazon & Other Retailers with AI-Powered Features

A+ and Premium content have become essential for marketplace performance. However, producing this content often…

7 days ago

Icecat Release Notes 244: Product Reviews, MCP Enhancements and Editorial Efficiency Improvements

Release 244 brings a combination of new customer-facing capabilities and important platform improvements designed to…

7 days ago