PRESS RELEASE: Online spending rises in the first half by 11% to € 11.83 billion

Forecast 2018: 230 million online purchases and an online turnover of € 25 billion

Ed, September 20, 2018. Dutch consumers spent 11% more online in the first half of 2018 than in the first half of 2017. This results in € 11.83 billion in online spending, spread over 105.60 million online purchases. In the whole of 2018, 230 million online purchases (+14%) are expected to be made for a total amount of approximately €25 billion (+11%). This is evident from figures from the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, the leading research into online consumer spending in the Netherlands. The Thuiswinkel Market Monitor is carried out by GfK, on behalf of Thuiswinkel.org and in collaboration with PostNL.

Of all spending on products and services (within the definition of the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor), 25% was done online in the first half of 2018, compared to 23% in HY1 2017. Of the € 11.83 billion in online consumer spending, € 6.75 is billion on the purchase of products such as electronics, clothing and toys. This spending grew by 14% compared to the same period last year. The remaining €5.08 billion was spent on the online purchase of services, such as package holidays, airline tickets and insurance. This is an increase of 7% compared to the first half of 2017.

Wijnand Jongen, director of Thuiswinkel.org: “Just like last year, the Dutch retail sector has again had a strong first half year in 2018; Statistics Netherlands reports a growth of 3.8% in the first six months of this year. If we compare spending on products purchased online against total consumer spending on retail goods of €66.2 billion in the first six months of 2018 (source: CBS), the online share of €6.75 billion in product sales is now 10 .2%, versus 9.2% in HY1 2017.”

In the first six months of 2018, the Food/Nearfood category shows the largest growth in online spending with 39%. Danny van den Burg, GfK: “The Food/Nearfood category is already the largest grower in terms of online spending for the third consecutive quarter. This is reflected in what we see in the market: where online ordering and often also having groceries delivered was still in its infancy a few years ago, online is now really gaining a foothold.”

91% of the Dutch buy online in HY1 2018

In the first half of 2018, all purchases of products and services will be made online within the definition of the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor 8%. Furthermore, it appears that 91% of Dutch people aged fifteen and older has made an online purchase during this period, which amounts to 12.8 million online buyers. Of the total number of online purchases (105.6 million), 82.22 million can be attributed to products and 23.38 million to services. The average number of online purchases per buyer increases from 7.4 in HY1 2017 to 8.2 in HY1 2018. As a result, the average amount spent online per online buyer continues to increase: in the first six months of 2017, it was still €857, -, but in the first half of 2018 the counter stands at € 923.

The importance of smartphones in online purchases continues to increase

The role of the smartphone for online buyers is increasing visibly: 12% of all online purchases is already made via a smartphone. As a result, the share of laptops and desktops has declined from 82% to 73% since 2016.

Danny van den Burg, GfK: “This development is in line with what we also see happening in other markets: shopping is increasingly happening via various channels and devices and the purchase itself (the 'checkout') is also more often taking place via the smartphone. This is partly because the mobile payment options are becoming more user-friendly and safer, which benefits the online shopping convenience.”

Forecast for the whole of 2018

Online spending in the Netherlands for the whole of 2018 is expected to amount to approximately €25 billion, spread over approximately 230 million purchases. This would represent increases over last year of 11% and 14%, respectively.

Setup Home Shopping Market Monitor
The Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor charts the entire Dutch consumer market. The report is based on continuous consumer data tracking, supplemented with retail research and additional consumer research among 7,500 net people. The definition of the total online market includes all personal and household consumer purchases, excluding online gaming and online gambling. Consumer expenditure at petrol stations and pharmacies (prescribed medicines) was not included in the study. Ordered items that have been returned and therefore ultimately not purchased are also excluded from this report. Based on the established market segments, a distinction can be made between products and services.

All B2C purchases of products and services are included in the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, regardless of where the product or service is purchased: at home, at work, on the road, in the shopping street or in the store (online in-store via a tablet or kiosk). . The figures include VAT.

The Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor is sponsored by PostNL. PostNL has been the main sponsor of the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor since January 2009 and makes it possible for all members and business partners of Thuiswinkel.org to receive a free copy of the Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor four times a year.