Netherlands E-Commerce Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Netherlands E-Commerce Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The Netherlands E-commerce market is said to register a CAGR of 8.73% over the forecast period from 2022 to 2027.

• The country was an early adopter of e-commerce. Favorable factors, such as high internet penetration and citizens who have both technical abilities and a stable internet connection, contribute to the country's e-commerce boom.
• In the Netherlands, there are several notable eCommerce platforms. Bol.com was the first Dutch online retailer to surpass one billion euros in revenue in 2018. Amazon introduced a Dutch portal (Amazon.nl) in early 2020 and immediately earned a sizable market share.
• The market is continuing to evolve, and any of the minor players could quickly gain a significant market share. Some smaller marketplaces, such as VidaXL.nl, are relatively new and have expanded very quickly to reach a wide market. Also, the expansion of Amazon into the Netherlands market may change the online marketplace landscape considerably.
• The large population density, short distances involved, and the fact that the Flemish language and culture transcend national borders are all key aspects of the country’s e-commerce.
• Due to the emergence of COVID-19, e-commerce had an increased adoption rate added with the increased digitalization of business in the country. Almost every product category has witnessed an increase in online sales. But the e-commerce market has faced challenges such as logistics. Due to the increased adoption of e-commerce, the logistics providers were unable to serve their customers unless and until they upscaled their services.

• According to the Digital Economic and Society Index, the Netherlands ranked 4th out of 27 EU Member States in 2021, retaining its position as one of the top performers in digitalization in Europe. The country has widespread adoption of digital technologies across businesses and use of online services, and high levels of basic and advanced digital skills.
• The country initially adopted a digitalization strategy in 2018 and further updated it in 2019, 2020, and 2021 to maintain its integrity and create a strong foundation for its digital ambition. The country has prioritized and focused its efforts on artificial intelligence, responsible use of data, digital governance, digital connectivity, digital security and resilience, and digital skills.
• According to the integration of digital technology into business activities, the Netherlands ranks 5th among EU countries as at least 75% of SMEs and 95% of large enterprises in the country have a basic level of digital integration.
• With the adoption of the National Growth Fund that reserves EUR 20 billion for infrastructure, innovation, and R&D in digital technologies, with sizeable portions allocated to AI, health data infrastructure, and quantum technology, the country's digitalization and digital infrastructure are said to increase in following years. The increase in digitalization is expected to directly influence the growth of e-commerce vendors in a positive manner.

• Increasing consumer need and demand for personalized solutions for fashion and clothing is increasing the adoption of e-commerce in the sector. Identifying a broad range of key consumer needs has improved e-commerce execution in the product category.
• The underlying behavior of customers, motivation, and attitude toward the products in the product category drives the adoption of e-commerce. Further, an increasing level of comfort for the purchase of fashion and clothing products suggests strong growth in the adoption of e-commerce in the segment.
• Many clothing brands and retailers in the country have adopted e-commerce to broaden the digital ecosystem, which leads to new revenue streams. Most of the fashion segment growth is forecasted to increase due to pureplay digital retailers.
• Further, the focus of investments in innovation for digital touchpoints, in-store customer engagement, and e-commerce upskilling enables businesses to adopt the Go-to-market approach and partner with pureplay online retailers such as Amazon for business growth.

The level of rivalry in the Netherlands' e-commerce market is moderate due to the presence of a large number of market players. The number of local and global brands in the Netherlands' e-commerce market is increasing, which may lead to high competition in the market.

• February 2022 - Smartmile has partnered with DHL Express in the Netherlands for a pilot project that integrates second courier service companies for a shared and open delivery infrastructure.
• January 2022 - Ochama, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has opened a webshop with two robot pickup points. These stores allow customers to purchase both food and nonfood items using an online portal and allow their customers to collect their online orders on the same day.

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