Large web stores increased prices during Covid-19 crisis

Large online store increased their prices considerably during the coronavirus crisis, according to a price comparison by Omnia Retail. While smaller retailers lowered their prices, online giants like Bol.com, Coolblue and Mediamarkt increased their prices so that they're now an average of 4 percent more expensive than other providers, BNR reports.

Omnia Retail compared the prices of Bol.com, Coolblue, Mediamarkt, Amazon and Wehkamp with those of smaller online retailers. "From April onward, prices went up month on month for several of them," spokesperson Sander Roose said to the broadcaster.

According to Roose, shortages due to the coronavirus crisis played a big role in the price hikes. "Most online retailers recently succeeded in reducing longer delivery times. Now they want to avoid getting into trouble at busy times, for example around the holidays. Large online stores seem to anticipate this by pricing products less aggressively in between and not discounting them with long promotional periods." The large stores are looking more at the long term than their smaller competitors, he said.

Prices started falling again in the past week, in the run-up to Black Friday, also among the major players.

BNR contacted the large online stores and they denied that they were increasing prices to prevent shortages. They did not give the broadcaster a reason for the price increases.