Guide to Consumer Statistics & Channel Recommendations in Netherlands

Posted on September 3, 2018 (Last Updated: October 13, 2023)

The Netherlands has a population of 17 million, with over 96% (16.4 million) of these regularly using the internet (source). This means the Netherlands is a well-established hub for internet shoppers - with online spending predicted to reach nearly $27 billion for 2021. 

  • Sellers from other EU nations make up 1/3 of online purchases (source)

With an understanding of the Dutch e-commerce market, a means of effectively optimizing and managing your data and a careful selection of sales channels, you can gain a foothold in a thriving industry. 

 Netherlands ecommerce growth

 Consumer behavior

As we saw in our e-commerce guides to Denmark and Sweden, clothing/fashion is the most popular product category in the Netherlands - with a predicted market volume of $5.7 billion US in 2021. 

Following the trend that we are seeing on a global scale, online shopping for groceries is also becoming a major sector in the e-commerce market. 

Germany supplies the Netherlands with 86.6 billion USD in imports and their other main importers are China ($57.4 billion), Belgium ($44.7 billion), the United States ($39.7 billion) and Russia ($29.3 billion).

Netherlands payment methods

Internet and Device Usage

Internet penetration in the Netherlands is currently 87.7%, and is predicted to reach 89.1% by 2022. Smartphone penetration is a little less (73.6%) in comparison to the high values we saw in Sweden, Denmark and Norway , but is projected to grow to 84.7% in the next four years.

86% of online shoppers in the Netherlands buy via desktop, a stark contrast to the amount of smartphone (3%) and tablet (8%) shoppers.

 
 

Recommended shopping channels

As you will see from this list, e-commerce in the Netherlands is unique in being dominated by Dutch brands, unlike the Nordics - where we saw significant overlap between popular channels like Prisjakt or PriceRunner

 

Bol.com


Bol
Bol.com is consistently the top ranked webshop in the Netherlands for books, toys and electronics, with more more than 8 million customers in both the Netherlands and Belgium.

When submitting a feed to Bol.com, all product listings require: EANs, condition, stock, price, delivery code - plus a number of recommended fields, you can get the full list of requirements here

Set up a Bol Integration with WakeupData's pre-built template

Coolblue 

coolblue

Coolblue began as a student company in 1999 and is now one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. Soon after the first launch, the Rotterdam-based company started opening more online stores that focus on one product category, such as PDAshop.nl, Scheerapparaatshop.nl “(Razer shop”) or Statiefshop.nl (“Tripod shop”). Nowadays, the company sells mostly consumer electronics, white goods and fitness equipment - as well as fashion, DIY and garden. 

Get in touch with WakeupData to hear how we can get your products listed on Coolblue.

Amazon amazon.nl

Amazon is ranked 6th overall in the Netherlands, a place it’s not familiar with if you look at its position in comparison to other European countries. 
We have produced a short blog post on what the requirements are for product data feeds for Amazon sellers - which include factors like title, colour, brand, product descriptions and EANs.
 
 

 

Tweakers 

Tweakers

Tweakers is the largest electronics and technology website in the Netherlands, containing reviews and price comparison.

How to create a Tweakers product feed

If you would like to advertise on Tweakers, you can contact advertisement@tweakers.net or +31 (20) 204 2525.

 

Required Tweakers feed fields with a description of each field

Field Name Short Description
Product description Short description containing key information about the product.
Product title Full name or title of the product.
Product price Current price of the product. Numbers and decimal point, no currency symbols.
Product category Category for the product, e.g. laptops.
Product image URL Link to the product image on the website.
Product URL Link to the product image on the website.
Product review Review comments for the product.
Review author Name or title of the reviewer of the product.

Need help in optimizing your feed and getting it to Tweakers? We can help, feel free to contact us at any time.

Kieskeurig

Kieskeurig.nlKieskeurig is one of the most popular comparison websites in the Netherlands with an average of 170,000 unique visitors per day. Kieskeurig enables visitors to compare products and stores, read and provide product reviews and of course purchase the most suitable products. The large following of dedicated shoppers makes Kieskeurig suitable for products from all categories.

With WakeupData you can have your products listed on Kieskeurig in minutes. Optimize your product feed with the help of simple rule based actions and deliver listings of exceptional quality. All data delivery requirements for each channel are always kept up to date and available to you for referral. Get started today and watch your sales grow.

 

Required Kieskeurig feed fields with a description of each field

Field Name Short Description
Product group A clear textual group name. By group only one type of specific product. For accessories of a productgroup a different name should to be used.
Product brand The brand of the product. It’s important that it’s separately provided in the feed. For unbranded products the column/node can be left empty. 
Product type The type (or title) as given by the manufacturer.
Product EAN The 13-digit unique barcode of the product. If unknown or not present, leave the column/node empty. The best matching is achieved with the use of Partnumbers and EAN.
Product SKU/MPN Also provided as SKU, ManufacturerVendorCode, barcode etc. This should be unique to the product. If unknown or not present, leave the column/node empty.
Product Price The price including BTW (and any other costs). The disposal fee (verwijderingsbijdrage) does not need to be factored into the price. The price is what the consumer spends minimum to get the product at home or on pickup. Numeric, do not include € or EUR. Use the same decimal as for Shipping. 
Shopping price The total additional costs including BTW (and any other costs). Use the same decimal as for Price.
Pickup costs If there are additional costs for picking up the product. The total additional costs including BTW (and any other costs). Use also if pickup is at Kiala, PostNL, DHL etc. Use the same decimal as for Price and Shipping costs.
mandatory if pickup costs are charged
Delivery time An indication of the delivery time in numeric value of a specific string as shown below. Listing of other info (e.g. stock) is not allowed. The delivery time is displayed with the shipping price. The value should be up-to-date, taking into account the frequency of updates by Kieskeurig and the value must match the shop site.
Image URL The full URL to the image of the specific product. 

 

Need help in optimizing your feed and getting it to Kieskeurig? We can help, feel free to contact us at any time.

 

Reaching out to your audience  

 
● Clear & accurate online tracking and notifications with delivery status.
● Efficient & proactive communication, e.g. email/text/phone updates.
● A proactive approach to following up queries and resolving issues.
 
The Netherlands is an influential, digitally advanced country. E-commerce consumers are also keen on online shopping, especially now that mobile devices are becoming more and more convenient for that purpose.
 
 

Looking to expand your reach in Europe? Check out our guides to selling in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

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Written by Admin

Topics:tips & tricksWorld Ecommerce

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