Belgian e-commerce continues to grow

During the first half of the year, e-commerce in Belgium grew by 7% compared to the same period last year. This is illustrated by figures from BeCommerce Market Monitor.

11 billion

Over the first half of the year, 5.69 billion euros have already been spent online, representing an increase of 7%. Both the number of online payments and the actual amount spent have increased for the fifth year in a row, according to BeCommerce. “If e-commerce continues to grow at this rate, it looks as if we will break the magic barrier of 11 billion euros this year”, said Sofie Geeroms, Managing Director at BeCommerce.
 

As in the last 2 years, travel is the item most often purchased online. Tickets for attractions and events are also very popular online, with no less than 8 out of 10 tickets for attractions and events being purchased online. The fastest growing category is “Health & Beauty”, with more and more people buying personal care and beauty products online, resulting in a 41% increase in spending compared to the same period last year.

Satisfaction

About 90% of online shoppers say they are satisfied with their shopping experience. One particular benefit for them is low prices and the ease of ordering from home; saving time is also an important reason when choosing to shop online. However, there are also elements about which shoppers are less enthusiastic. The obligation to pay in advance, the shipping costs, and the fact that you can’t touch the products, all appear to be the biggest drawbacks of distance shopping.

People are increasingly using their smartphones to make purchases, instead of desktop computers and tablets. During the first half of the year, 18% of online purchases were made via a smartphones. with almost half (47%) being completed using a laptop. When it comes to payment methods, Bancontact online remains the most popular payment method, accounting for a market share of around 39%, while credit cards enter second place at about 30%, with Paypal in third place, at 14%.