Consumer behavior

Consumers in the Netherlands expect to spend 37 percent of their total expenditures online by 2028. This is five percentage points higher than the actual percentage in 2022. Still, the expectation has declined: last year, consumers expected to spend 41 percent of their expenditures online in five years.

Nine out of ten Belgians between the ages of 18 and 70 bought something online at least once last year. At least 33 percent of Belgian consumers say that they have one online store they always use to purchase a certain product online. Another 40 percent return to the same three online stores.

In German ecommerce, online sales of goods fell 15 percent in the first quarter of 2023. This is mostly the case for fashion items. On the other hand, sales of digital services such as holiday bookings increased by over 28 percent. The food segment remained stable.

Non-food online sales in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are expected to grow up to 4 percent. This is mostly driven by rising prices due to inflation. At the same time, sales volumes are set to fall up to 5 percent.

Costumer behavior in Germany is shifting. Google Shopping and price comparison sites are 10 percent less popular compared to 2019. When it comes to shoppers' research before making a purchase, social media and video websites like YouTube have grown more popular among German shoppers.

In the period from October 1^st to November 30^th, which includes Black Friday, German sales of online retailers decreased 16.8 percent when compared to the same period in 2021. It is the first time that this decrease happens, since researchers started measuring in 2014. However, an increase of 13.1 percent remains when compared to 2019.

More than half of online stores in Britain close their customer care after 5 pm. Additionally, 27 percent of the online stores in the country are only available during the daytime on Monday to Friday. “A missed opportunity”, says Jonathon Huggett, Business Development Manager at Salesupply UK.

Correct product information is important in online shopping, according to 94 percent of consumers. Compared to last year, this is an 11 percent growth. A lack of good product information even makes 53 precent of buyers want to shop elsewhere.

Most Europeans shop online every week or more, spending an average of over 340 euros a month. They mostly buy fashion, pay for bills or order food. One in three purchases is made crossborder. Ireland, Germany and Israel buy internationally the most, while France is the least likely to buy outside of the country.

Up to 65 percent of consumers with a disability have abandoned their cart due to poor accessibility of the online store. Often, websites do not meet basic accessibility needs, while up to 73 percent of consumers are touched by a disability.

Over half of online shoppers are prepared to wait longer for a parcel if it is from a sustainable shop. Still, only 1 in 5 customers are prepared to pay extra for eco-friendly delivery. Consumers are most worried about the environment when shopping for groceries and fashion.

Even though the population in the Netherlands continues aging, retailers are hardly profiting from it. On the contrary, it will cost Dutch sellers 2 percent in revenue by 2032. Therefore merchants should focus more on the elderly, researchers say.

Online furniture and home goods retailer Wayfair is laying off 870 employees. This reduction affects 5 percent of its global workforce and 10 percent of its corporate team. According to the company, its team is too big for the current economic environment.

Just months after expanding to Germany and Ireland, Canadian ecommerce investor Clearco is cutting 25 percent of its staff. This comes down to 125 employees. The company points to ‘the current macroeconomic environment’.

Shopify is laying off 10 percent of its staff. This comes down to a thousand employees. According to the company, it is due to a decline in customer demand after peak growth during the pandemic.