During the last lockdown, the Dutch have increasingly found their way to European online stores (outside the Netherlands) than before, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics. In the first three months of this year, Dutch consumers spent 63 percent more at European online stores than in the first quarter of 2020. In concrete terms, 800 million euros were spent in the first quarter at European online stores compared to 500 million in the comparable period in 2020.
Although the Dutch have been spending more every quarter at European online stores since 2014, purchases and spending have increased even more rapidly since the corona measures. As of December 15 last year, many non-food stores had to close, and more people turned to online shopping.
Despite the growing interest in European web shops, the expenditure only represents a few percent of the total expenditure on spending by the Dutch.
Dutch internet sellers also recorded record turnover growth in the first quarter. Compared to the first quarter of last year, they saw their turnover grow by more than 85 percent. This strong growth is mainly attributable to companies that sell both in stores and online. They saw their turnover via the website more than double compared to the same period in 2020. The number of online stores also increased sharply, by no less than 30 percent compared to a year earlier.
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