Travels save Belgian e-commerce as goods sales drop

Belgian e-commerce has grown quite handsomely in the third quarter, as online sales of travel packages are catching up after the pandemic. Belgians are taking full advantage now that they can travel again, but at the same time they are cutting back on purchases of (luxury) goods.

Average spending increases

In the third quarter of 2022, Belgians have spent 3.6 billion euros online, up 12 % compared to a year earlier. For the three quarters combined (January to September), this means an online turnover of 10.8 billion euros, or an increase of 23 %. The number of shoppers did fall slightly: 6.9 million Belgians have shopped online at least once in the third quarter (- 2 %). Together, they made 40.9 million online purchases, the same number as a year earlier. The average spending per online shopper rose by 14 %, from 462 to 525 euros. This is all according to BeCommerce Market Monitor, a survey conducted by GfK for sector federation BeCommerce.