In 2023, Dutch consumers spent a total of €34.7 billion online, marking a 3% increase compared to 2022. The number of online purchases rose by 1% to 365 million. This growth in online spending is primarily attributed to expenditures on vacations and tickets for attractions and events. Notably, there has been a significant surge in online cross-border growth: cross-border spending grew by 13%, and the number of purchases increased by 17%. These insights are derived from the latest data from the Thuiswinkel Market Monitor, a research project on online consumer spending in the Netherlands conducted by GfK, commissioned by Thuiswinkel.org and Retail Insiders, and in collaboration with PostNL, the Dutch Payments Association, and Currence.

In 2023, Dutch consumers spent €34.7 billion online, marking a 3% increase compared to 2022. The number of online purchases rose by 1% to 365 million. This online growth is primarily driven by expenditures on vacations and tickets for attractions and events. Notably, cross-border online growth stood out: cross-border spending surged by 13% and the number of purchases by 17%. These findings emerge from the latest figures of the Thuiswinkel Market Monitor, a research initiative on online consumer spending in the Netherlands conducted by GfK on behalf of Thuiswinkel.org and Retail Insiders, in collaboration with PostNL, the Dutch Payments Association, and Currence.

Online travel booking +10%

Online spending on travel and events reached unprecedented levels, with a 4% increase in online service sector purchases and a significant 10% rise in online expenditures within this sector. There was also a slight shift from physical to online spending (up 1%). Meanwhile, purchases of and online spending on products remained relatively stable.

Marlene ten Ham, director of Thuiswinkel.org, noted: “The service sector’s growth is largely attributable to online travel expenditures. For instance, in 2023, we spent 21% more on package travels and 15% more on individual flight tickets and accommodations online than ever before. This spike aligns with the ANVR/GfK booking monitor’s finding that 2023 saw the highest number of vacation bookings on record. Additionally, expenditures on online tickets for attractions and events also hit a new high with a 10% increase.”

Cross-border online spending +13%

Cross-border online spending witnessed a 13% increase from 2022, reaching nearly €4 billion. The number of cross-border online purchases showed even stronger growth at 17%, amounting to 40 million transactions. Dutch consumers now allocate 12% of their total online spending to cross-border purchases, with Germany being the top destination, accounting for a quarter of the cross-border online spending. China showed the most significant increase in both cross-border spending (rising from 5% to 7% of the total, amounting to €265 million) and the number of cross-border purchases (from 18% to 22%, totaling 8.9 million transactions).

Popular categories for online shopping from Chinese web stores include DIY/Garden, Home & Living, and Clothing. Marlene ten Ham remarked: “In the previous two years, we observed a decrease in Dutch consumers’ online spending at Chinese webshops, as these were no longer VAT-exempt since 2021. However, 2023 saw a substantial increase. We also noticed increased spending in other non-EU countries.”

Regarding the mode of shopping, about half of all online purchases in 2023 were made using desktops/laptops, maintaining a steady share from the previous year. Smartphone usage for online purchases grew (from 33% to 35%), though the rapid growth seen in previous years seems to be slowing down. In 2023, the increased use of smartphones for online shopping primarily affected tablet usage.

iDEAL most popular as always

iDEAL remains the most popular payment method for online purchases, followed by credit cards. In 2023, iDEAL’s share of total online purchases rose slightly from 70% to 72%. The credit card’s share remained stable at 8%. iDEAL is not only prevalent on Dutch websites but also for cross-border transactions, where its share is 51%, considerably lower than within domestic purchases. Conversely, credit card usage for cross-border purchases stands higher at 25%. In 2023, both iDEAL and credit card shares increased by 3% cross-border, mainly at the expense of PayPal.