Belgian ecommerce 16.3 billion euros in 2023

Consumers in Belgium spent 16.3 billion euros online last year. Compared to 2022, this is an increase of almost 11 percent. The strong growth was caused by an increase in sales of online services, like package holidays.

These data come from the newest Market Monitor from Becom, the Belgian ecommerce federation. Compared to 2022, ecommerce in Belgium grew 10.7 percent. According to the report, this growth is stronger than inflation in the country, which was 2.3 percent in 2023.

€4.8 billion difference with 2019

“Compared to five years ago (2019), an increase of 4.8 billion euros has now been bought online. About a quarter of all Belgian spending happens online today”, said Greet Dekocker, managing director at Becom.

‘We are seeing a full recovery in online spending on services.’

“The strong increase in online purchases is not so much caused by ordering more products and clothes, but it is because we are buying more services – such as package holidays and airline tickets – online. We are thus seeing a full recovery in online spending on services (8 billion euros) for the first time since the COVID-19 period. Almost 68 percent of all services are bought online.”

Top 3 online purchases

Belgian consumers spent 28 percent more on package holidays in 2023 than a year earlier. In total, they spent 3.5 billion euros on this category. Online purchases of airline tickets and accommodations accounted for 2.1 billion euros (an increase of 19 percent). Clothing came in third place, with a total of 1.6 billion euros. This was a slight decrease of 1.8 percent.

‘Belgian sellers should be active on marketplaces’

The report also states that by the end of 2023, there were 63,202 online stores in Belgium. These generated a turnover of 13.3 billion euros. Online stores exported services and products for 2.5 billion euros, to consumers in other countries.

Taking into account the export volume of Belgian sellers, the report states that consumers in the country placed purchases worth a total of 5.5 billion euros at foreign online stores or marketplaces. “To surf along on the growing ecommerce, Belgian retailers should be active on marketplaces. Entrepreneurs who have already taken the plunge indicate that they record an average increase in turnover of 23 percent”, said Dekocker.

‘With a better representation of sellers on marketplaces, consumers will also find more Belgian online stores.’

“Hence our advice: test your product range on a marketplace. In recent years, more and more specialized marketplaces have also seen the light of day. Moreover, one in three Belgians start their online search on a marketplace. With a better representation of our traders on these platforms, consumers will also find Belgian online shops. A win-win for our country.”