Number of online purchases rose to unprecedented levels in the third quarter

Dutch consumers spent considerably more online in the third quarter, especially on food and home décor, show the Thuiswinkel Market Monitor published on Tuesday. Significantly less money was spent, however, on events and travel. It also appears that about 760,000 consumers have taken up online shopping.

People in the Netherlands spent no less than 5.7 billion euros online between July and September. That was 4 percent more than in the same period last year. A total of over 75 million purchases were made online, a whopping 23 percent more than in the third quarter of 2019. 

However, less was spent online on services such as holidays, amusement parks, and events. The number of services purchased fell by 25 percent, while the amount spent actually went up by 48 percent. 

“The third quarter shows the same development as the second quarter, but the relaxation of government measures during the summer is also reflected in the data,” says Wijnand Jongen, director of Thuiswinkel.org.

“The growth in online spending and purchasing of products was still high, but more was also bought in physical shops. In addition, the cautious relaxation within the travel and leisure sectors has slowed down the decline in the number of purchases within these sectors,” explains Jongen. However, the relaxation was not enough to see the tourism sector go back to making profits. “The corona crisis meant that fewer people went on vacation, and those who went, usually also spent less on their trip. For example, they opted for cheaper holidays due to the circumstances,” he says.

The research also shows that 760,000 people started shopping online for the first time this year. That is 7 percent more than last year. This was most likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as there was hardly more online shopping last year than in the year before.