Dutch online shopping market dominated by 2 players by 2025: ING

By 2025 the Dutch market for the online sale of non-food items will be dominated by one or two platforms, like Amazon, Alibaba or bol.com, ING's economic office said on Wednesday. By that year 35 to 40 percent of all online sales will go through these platforms, the bank expects, NU.nl reports.

While online sales in the Netherlands are still fragmented, this will change in the near future. "The Netherlands is on the verge of a new battle in online retail, now that international platforms are approaching our country", said Dirk Mulder, sector banker for ING Trade & Retail.

"According to research, Dutch consumers are now prepared to commit more to regular online providers with a wide range", the bank's researchers said. The economists point out that platforms like Amazon and bol.com function as online marketplaces, combining the supply of smaller stores. "Alibaba dominates the Chinese market in this way, while Amazon has a large share in the US and the larger European markets."

ING expects that the online sales of non-food products will increase from 25 percent to 35 percent in the Netherland this year. The other 65 percent will still be purchased in physical stores.