Statistics

In 2022, 74.8 percent of Belgian consumers shopped online. This is a higher share than the European average of 68 percent. While Belgians prefer shopping locally, when they do place cross-border orders, these are usually in other countries within the European Union.

In the first quarter of this year, almost eight out of ten Dutch consumers bought something online. This is a small increase compared to the same period in 2022 (74 percent). The current rate of online shoppers is close to the rate in 2021, when it was 77 percent.

Preventing returns is a significant focus for online retailers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On average, a return costs them between 5 and 10 euros, with some exceeding this range. Detailed product information is seen by entrepreneurs as the key solution.

During November and December, the German courier, express and parcel industry is expected to transport around 715 million shipments. This comes down to around 10 million shipments less than the same period last year, which is a decrease of 2 percent.

Zalando expects its revenue to be 0.5 to 3 percent lower this year compared to 2022, when the company already saw a 0.1 percent decrease in revenue. While the bottom line loss is narrowing, Zalando is struggling to attract buyers. Particularly in the DACH region, spending is under pressure.

Belgian consumers spent 7.9 billion euros online in the first half of this year. This is an increase of 9.4 percent compared to the same period last year. For the first time, more was spent on services than on products.

Based on turnover, many of the 30 biggest brands sold on Dutch marketplace Bol are brands that sell products in consumer electronics and domestic appliances. However, when looking at the amount of sales brands in toys and personal hygiene dominate the top-30. At the same time, brands that are sold by Bol itself have 64 percent share of the total turnover.

At least 70 percent of small and medium sized business owners in Europe admit to lacking the confidence needed to scale their business in the digital realm. A large group of them needs help in optimizing their logistics, while others need assistance in VAT and customs compliance.

Bol holds a significant lead in the Twinkle100, the list of the largest online retailers in the Netherlands. The revenue of Bol, as the company is now simply called, is more than twice as high as that of the runner-up, which shares the same owner.

The European ecommerce market is expected to reach 1.5 trillion dollar by 2027, according to GlobalData in a new research report. This translates to an average annual growth rate of 9 percent.

In the first half of this year, Dutch consumers spent 16.3 billion euros online. Compared to the same period in 2022, this is an increase of 2 percent. The online share of total spending was 31 percent, just like in 2022.

The growth of German online spending has come to an end. In the past calendar year, the combined revenue of the top thousand online retailers in Germany was lower than the previous year. There were revenue losses particularly high on the list.

In the last 12 months, 99 percent of European consumers have changed the way they shop online. A large majority (98 percent) look for products on social media. At the same time, many consumers feel negatively about the economy in their country. But 47 percent expect economic improvements.

More and more individual businesses are selling on marketplaces or do dropshipping. This caused a massive growth of these platforms. Brands and retailers see it as a huge opportunity toreach new audiences or work together with other retailers.

Most European internet users shop online. Ecommerce is still growing, but slower than before. Last year, Europe's online B2C total sales volume increased by 6 percent to 899 billion euros. The growth is slower than in 2021.