Dutch e-commerce now represents 3.9 milliard euros

A study conducted by Blauw Research in collaboration with Thuiswinkel.org reveals that in 2007, the Dutch e-commerce market was worth 3.9 milliard euros, which represents an increase of 38% in comparison to 2006. By way of comparison, in 1998, this market only weighed 41 million euros. But there is still a lot of space left for further growth. The number of new online buyers keeps growing: of the 7.3 million users who ordered online in 2007, over 1.5 million did it for the first time. They are mostly seduced by the simplicity of ordering from their home and not so much by the lower prices.

The lines of business that achieved the highest growth rates are: home entertainment software (71%), hardware (67%) and toys (64%). But, astonishingly, it is primarily the travel industry that carries a lot of weight among online expenses. In 2007, nearly 40% of the global online turnover has been generated by the travel industry, which represents 1.63 milliard euros, i.e. a growth of 37% in comparison to 2006.

Consumers buy more often and spend higher amounts: the average amount per online buyer has increased from 441 € in 2006 to 531 € in 2007 (+20%) and the average annual frequency of orders has increased from 3.8 in 2006 to 4.5 in 2007. There is no reason why this growth would decline, especially since consumers are very satisfied with their online orders: 96% state that they are satisfied, if not very satisfied. Moreover, the amount of web shops is constantly increasing and users have more and more choice.