Record spending in foreign EU webshops

© Hollandse Hoogte / Roel Burgler
In Q2 2020, Dutch consumers spent a record 696 million euros in foreign EU webshops. This is 37 percent more than in the same quarter last year, when they spent 508 million euros. Sales by Dutch webshops rose by 55 percent relative to Q2 2019. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of an ongoing survey.

This survey concerns online purchases of goods by Dutch consumers from companies located outside the Netherlands. Figures are exclusive of VAT and have been calculated on the basis of an experimental method. As this method is still under development, the figures are provisional.

The growth rate of turnover generated by EU webshops more than doubled in Q2 relative to Q1 2020, when turnover rose by less than 16 percent. In Q1, Dutch consumers purchased 471 million euros worth of products from EU webshops.

Increase in sales by Dutch webshops highest ever recorded

In Q2 2020, webshops registered in the Netherlands saw sales go up by 55 percent relative to the same quarter last year. This is the highest growth rate ever recorded.

In terms of Dutch internet sales, a distinction can be made between webshops with only online sales and companies with online sales aside from their brick-and-mortar shop(s) (so-called multi-channelers). In Q2, webshops with only online sales saw their turnover increase by 45 percent relative to one year previously. Online turnover realised by Dutch multi-channelers was up by 68 percent in this period.

In March, the government took far-reaching measures to combat the coronavirus crisis by imposing a lockdown of the country. People were advised to stay at home as much as possible and many shops closed their doors. It is highly likely that this drove up internet sales.

Turnover share of European webshops limited

Purchases from European webshops by Dutch consumers account for a relatively small part of domestic consumer spending. In 2018, these purchases amounted to less than 2 percent of total domestic retail turnover. In Q2 2020, total Dutch retail turnover (store, internet and market sales) was 6.1 percent higher than in Q2 2019.

The distinction between domestic and foreign webshops tends to be blurry for Dutch consumers. Content on e-commerce websites is often available in multiple languages and foreign online stores may offer a Dutch language version.

Sources