More web shops in retail trade

© ANP
A growing number of retailers sell online in the Netherlands, as shown by figures of Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The percentage has soared from 24 percent in 2010 to 42 percent five years later.

Electronic or e-commerce in retail has been on the rise in recent years. Consumers are making more purchases on the internet and online turnover is growing faster than turnover in stores. For example in 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, the online turnover in consumer electronics increased substantially.
The retail trade is not the sector selling most of its products and services online. In the tourism sector more than half of all companies sold their services by electronic means in 2015. In all other sectors, it was less than half of all companies. Electronic / online sales include selling to consumers as well as to other companies or the government.

A quarter of companies sell online

In 2015 one quarter of Dutch companies with ten or more employees were engaged in e-commerce. The share has barely increased over the past few years. Online sales account for 13 percent of total turnover at companies.

The Netherlands among the top in the EU

With 25 percent, the Netherlands ranked above the EU average of 19 percent of companies engaged in e-commerce.The share was slightly larger in Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The highest ranking is taken by Ireland at 32 percent. Irish companies furthermore saw higher turnovers from e-commerce than other companies in the EU. In the Netherlands, e-commerce turnover is a relatively minor part of the total turnover, smaller than the EU average.