In the first quarter of 2025, Dutch consumers spent over €9 billion online, up 4% compared to the same period in 2024. This growth was mainly due to an 8% increase in spending on products, while spending on services fell by 2%. However, the number of online purchases decreased by 3% to 84 million, mainly due to a sharp 12% drop in purchases of services. The average amount spent per purchase rose 6% to €110, according to the Home Shopping Market Monitor, conducted by NielsenIQ on behalf of Thuiswinkel.org, Retail Insiders, PostNL and the Dutch Payments Association.
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The growth in product spending was mainly driven by the Home & Living category, which showed a spectacular 46% increase. Consumers bought more cooking and kitchen utensils, household textiles and kitchen appliances online. Marlene ten Ham, Managing Director of Thuiswinkel.org, explains: 'Home & Living spending shows a clear shift from offline to online. The online share rose from 24% in Q1 2024 to 36% in Q1 2025.' The number of purchases in this category also increased (+2%), as well as in toys (+28%). In contrast, the number of purchases in Media & Entertainment (-18%) and DIY & Garden (-12%) fell.
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In services, spending on insurance in particular fell (-12%), while ticket purchases for attractions and events decreased by 16%. The share of online retail within total spending grew from 31% to 33%, mainly thanks to products. Ten Ham stresses, 'Online shopping has long since ceased to be an addition to physical retail, but a full-fledged part of the buying process.'
Cross-border spending rose 6% to €1.2 billion, mainly due to growth in product purchases (+17%). The share of US online shops fell from 12% to 8%, partly due to geopolitical developments. Smartphone use in online shopping continued to grow, with 39% of all purchases via this channel. The use of iDEAL decreased slightly, while Klarna gained slightly in popularity.
Source: Thuiswinkel.org