In the first half of 2025, Dutch consumers spent over €17 billion online, 1% less than in the same period last year. This decline is mainly due to falling spending on services (-7%). The total number of online purchases reached 168 million (-1%), of which 144 million were product purchases. The number of service purchases fell by -12%. These figures come from the latest Thuiswinkel Market Monitor, the research into online consumer purchases in the Netherlands. The study is conducted by NielsenIQ (NIQ), commissioned by Thuiswinkel.org and Retail Insiders, in cooperation with PostNL and the Dutch Payments Association.
First decline in attraction and event tickets since covid
Online spending on services shows a clear drop, mainly due to a sharp fall in tickets for attractions and events (-16%). The number of online purchases in this category also decreased significantly (-15%). This downward trend started in the first quarter of 2025 and marks the first decline since COVID-19.
Other service categories are also showing declines (see figure 1). As a result, the share of services in the overall online market is decreasing again. Paul Nijhof, interim director of Thuiswinkel.org, says: “After the pandemic we saw huge growth in all service categories. That growth now seems to have run its course: consumers are spending less on experiences and leisure. For example, we see a decline in spending on festivals, concerts and sports events.”
Figure 1. Online spending and purchases
Home & living grows after years of decline
Online spending on products increased by 3%, with the number of online purchases up 1%. Home & Living stood out in particular. After years of falling online spending, this category saw growth of 19%. The number of online Home & Living purchases rose by 7% (see figure 2). The largest online category, Food/Nearfood, grew by 9% in spending and 7% in number of purchases. Nijhof: “Consumers are spending less on experiences and more on home products again. During the pandemic, Home & Living saw a big surge, but afterwards growth stalled. Because many products in this category are not quickly replaced, it may be that now – five years later – replacement purchases are taking place. We also see that furniture is increasingly bought online instead of in physical shops.”
Figure 2. Online spending and purchases Home & Living
Further rise in online purchases in China, decline in US and UK
Cross-border online spending fell slightly by 1% to €2.3 billion, while the number of purchases grew by 8% to 21.6 million. Cross-border, spending on services fell (-12%) while spending on products grew (+13%). The number of service purchases dropped by 8%, while product purchases increased by 11%.
Dutch consumers are increasingly shopping cross-border at Chinese webshops. Of all online purchases abroad, 30% are now made at Chinese webshops: 6.5 million purchases in the first half of 2025, compared with 5.9 million in the same period of 2024. Spending at Chinese webshops actually declined, from €248 million to €196 million.
The United States and the United Kingdom are losing share in both purchases and spending. Dutch consumers are buying fewer standalone flight tickets & accommodation (-33%) and IT products (-47%) from US webshops, and fewer telecom products (-69%) and tickets for attractions and events (-39%) from UK shops.
Smartphone use continues to grow, iDEAL share decreases
Dutch consumers are increasingly making online purchases via smartphone. Since the first half of 2021, this share has risen by 3 to 5 percentage points per year. In the first six months of 2025, 40% of online purchases were made by smartphone. This increase comes at the expense of desktop/laptop use, which now stands at 46%. “Shopping online via smartphone has grown in popularity in recent years. Young people in particular use their phones often for online purchases. The average spend per smartphone transaction (€79) is still lower than via laptop (€122). Consumers mainly use smartphones when the average order value is relatively low, such as Food/Near Food, Clothing and Shoes & Personal Lifestyle,” Nijhof says.
The share of iDEAL in online purchases is decreasing. While in the first half of 2024 some 73% of purchases were paid via iDEAL, this was 70% in the first half of 2025. This decline is due to a shift from iDEAL to other payment methods. Klarna’s share is rising, from 3% to 4%, mainly due to increased use in Clothing and Shoes & Personal Lifestyle.
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