Benelux

Online payment method iDeal from the Netherlands registered the billionth transaction that happened via its system. The milestone was reached during King's Day in the Netherlands, the national holiday that marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. The online payment system has a market share of 56 percent and is being used since 2005.

Caliroots, a Swedish online retailer of streetwear and sneakers, has launched a tailored ecommerce website for the Dutch market. According to Caliroots, the Netherlands has been on the company's list of top 10 markets for a while and now they are launching Caliroots.nl, in Dutch and with the popular local payment method iDeal.

Bubble Post, a delivery startup from Belgium, has introduced its latest innovation. During an event of Topsector Logistiek Bubble Post showed its new bikes, which come with an actively cooled cargo space. It's an eco-friendly way for companies who want their perishable items delivered into city centers.

When you are running an ecommerce website in the Netherlands, you can't avoid offering iDeal. For years, this local payment method is the most popular online payment method in the Netherlands. A new graphic shows the other popular options you should offer as an online retailer.

Food-order company Takeaway from the Netherlands is considering an initial public offering that could the service at more than 1 billion euros. Official details aren't public yet, but news agency Bloomberg spoke to some people familiar with the matter.

Bol.com, the biggest online retailer in the Netherlands, is moving from being a traditional ecommerce player into a selling platform and fulfilment partner for third-party retailers. In an interview with Belgian newspaper De Tijd, managing director Daniël Ropers compared Bol.com with Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba. "We are building a network of expertise, retailers, services and products."

WeMarket has today officially launched its B2B marketplace. International buyers and sellers can do business with each other on this online platform, without having to deal with private customers. The Dutch website is an initiative of one of the founders of file transfer website WeTransfer.

B2C Ecommerce sales in the Netherlands are expected to reach 18 billion euros in 2016. The ecommerce industry was worth slightly more than 16 billion euros last year, but according to the Ecommerce Foundation the online retail industry is expected to increase by 12.1 percent and thus reach 18.014 billion euros.

H&M has opened several new online stores in Europe. It now has dedicated websites in Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Ireland. The fashion retailer offers the same range as it does in the physical stores, with complete collections for men, women and children, including accessories.

The 3SI Group, formerly known as 3 Suisses International, has decided to pull the plug on all of its retail activities in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. It has changed its business strategy drastically and will now focus solely on service activities.

Online retailer Bol.com was awarded with a prize for best online store in the Netherlands. The Ahold-owned ecommerce player won this award during the annual Thuiswinkel Awards Gala, a popular event which honors the best ecommerce players in the Dutch retail industry.

Lidl has opened a dedicated ecommerce website in Belgium, which currently lists about 350 non-food items. Belgium is now the first country, aside from its home country Germany, where Lidl has launched an online store. The supermarket discounter is slowly stepping up its game with regards to ecommerce. The Netherlands could be next.

Ecommerce in the Netherlands was worth 16.07 billion euros in 2015. During that year, ecommerce sales increased by 16.1 percent compared to the year before. Also, Dutch consumers completed more than 142 million purchases online, which is an increase of 17.4 percent compared to 2014.

Dutch international retailer Ahold expects its online retail brand Bol.com to be a €1 billion plus consumer sales brand already in 2016. Last year, Ahold generated online revenues being worth 1.8 billion euro. Half of its digital sales came from Bol.com, which thus generated about 900 million euros in sales.

The British online retailer AO World has opened its online store in the Netherlands. After launching in Germany last year, AO now wants to sell household appliances like washing machines and refrigerators to Dutch consumers. It will try to beat the local competition with a best price guarantee, free delivery and trade-in of old products.