Benelux

Some online stores tend to adjust their prices, so consumers won't go ordering something at a competitor's website. For Ecommerce News Europe, price tracking software provider Prisync looked at how many ecommerce websites in Europe change their prices daily and how high the stock-out ratio is in these countries.

Zalando has launched its curated shopping service Zalon in Belgium. The free personal shopping service for men and women offers its customers personalized advice from fashion experts. Zalon by Zalando is now available in five European countries.

AliExpress, the business-to-consumer ecommerce marketplace of Alibaba, has selected Dutch postal service PostNL as the delivery partner for the majority of its packages to the Netherlands. Sellers on AliExpress will get direct access to PostNL's distribution network, while Dutch consumer no longer have to wait for weeks to get their package.

Last year, ecommerce in the Netherlands was worth 20.16 billion euros. This corresponds with an increase of 23 percent compared to the situation in 2015. The Dutch especially love to buy shoes and lifestyle products online, as well as IT and (near)food products.

Six major Dutch banks - ABN Amro, ASN Bank, ING, Rabobank, Regiobank and SNS - have announced they will launch an all-in-one app this summer. This app, Payconiq, enables users to make direct payments online, in-store and peer-to-peer.

Dutch online payment processor Mollie is gearing up for expansion throughout Europe in order to become the first tech-driven European payment service provider. After achieving success in its home country the Netherlands and neighboring country Belgium, Mollie has now established new teams in France and Germany.

Online shopping via a smartphone or tablet continues to increase in popularity in the Netherlands. The number of online purchases that happened using the smartphone, grew 68 percent compared to 2015. Now, 9 percent of online purchases in the Netherlands happen via the smartphone, while the tablet accounts for 14 percent.

Picnic, an online-only supermarket operating in selected cities in the Netherlands, has raised 100 million euros in funding from NPM Capital, De Hoge Dennen, Hoyberg and Finci. With the money, Picnic wants to further expand across the country.

Just Cargo, a Dutch startup that calls itself the Uber for courier services, wants to expand in Europe. With franchisees in other countries, the company wants to link companies and drivers across Europe to pick up and deliver parcels.

Ecommerce in Belgium was worth 9.1 billion euros in 2016. Last year, consumers spent 10 percent more on products and services online than they did in 2015. The online share of total retail has increased from 14 to 16 percent.

A new study on omnichannel in the European fashion industry shows that social media, online customer loyalty and store localization are the most common omni-channel solutions. The least common features are online order of in-store inventory with in-store pick-up by the customer, same-day delivery and shipping and in-store reservation of inventory for in-store consumer purchases.

DHL Express has launched a pilot project in Germany and the Netherlands, in which it uses cargo bicycles for inner-city deliveries. The two pilots of the City Hub concept launched in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth largest city, and Utrecht, a major Dutch city that wants to become climate-neutral by 2030.

After DPD Germany entered the food delivery service in Germany, Dutch postal company PostNL is following suit in the Netherlands. Starting next month, the company will deliver frozen meals and groceries every day of the week.

At the end of this year, online retailer VidaXL will have the biggest distribution center in the Netherlands. In Venlo, a place in the most southern part of the country, a completely new international distribution center will arise that can manage 60,000 orders per day. The distribution center is part of VidaXL's international growth strategy, just like welcoming external vendors in its online store.

Online fashion search platform Fashiola will expand further across Europe. Last year, the Dutch website already expanded its presence from five to fifteen countries, but this year the company wants to launch in ten extra countries.