How many people shop online? And the items they buy...
Dutch people increasingly shop via the internet and are purchasing more items. In 2019, 79 percent of Dutch people aged 12 years and over purchased something online; in 2015 this figure was 70 percent. The most frequently made online purchases included clothing, sports goods, trips and accommodations.
In 2019, the items most frequently bought online by people aged 12 and over were clothing or sports goods (55 percent), trips and accommodations (52 percent), and tickets for events (47 percent). Ordering meals at a restaurant, from a fast food chain or a meal delivery service was done by 35 percent.
The strongest growth was seen in the categories food, cosmetics or cleaning, and household goods and appliances. The percentage of Dutch people buying these goods online has more than doubled in four years.
Of all goods and services bought online, films or music and tickets for events showed the lowest increase in sales.
E-shopping most popular among people aged between 25 and 44
Especially 25 to 44‑year-olds like to buy online; in 2019, 92 percent of this group bought goods or services online. The largest increase was seen among over-65s. In 2019, 63 percent of 65 to 74‑year-olds made online purchases; four years earlier this figure was still 45 percent. Thirty percent of over-75s made online purchases, compared with 17 percent in 2015.
| 2019 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 79 | 70 |
| 12 to 24 yrs | 86 | 77 |
| 25 to 44 yrs | 92 | 88 |
| 45 to 64 yrs | 85 | 72 |
| 65 to 74 yrs | 63 | 45 |
| 75 yrs and over | 30 | 17 |
More and more money spent online
Not only has the number of online shoppers gone up, the amount they spend has also risen in recent years. Amounts spent online in the three months prior to the study were most likely to be between 100 and 500 euros; 26 percent of the Dutch population made purchases in this price category this year. This was 21 percent in 2015. Online purchases of thousand euros or more were made by 5 percent.
On average, men spend more money on online shopping than women. Fifteen percent of men and 9 percent of women said they had spent a total of 500 euros or more in the three months prior to the study.
| Year | Nothing / do not know | Less than 50 euros | 50 to 100 euros | 100 to 500 euros | 500 to 1,000 euros | 1,000 euros or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 40 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 7 | 5 |
| 2015 | 47 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 6 | 3 |
Half of online shoppers have complaints
Of the Dutch population who shopped online over the course of 2019, half reported complaints. In 2015, 40 percent had complaints about their online purchases. Late delivery of the ordered products is the most frequent complaint, with one-third complaining about this. The second and third-most cited complaints are technical problems during the ordering and payment process (14 percent) and receiving incorrect or damaged goods (13 percent).
Around 2.2 million Dutch people reported they had not made any online purchases in the year prior to the study. Eighty percent said they preferred to visit a shop, for example to inspect the merchandise with their own eyes. Nearly 3 in 10 were concerned about security and privacy and did not want to submit credit card details or other personal data. Over one-quarter indicated they did not know how online shopping worked.
The questions
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- How many people shop online? And the items they buy...
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