Belgium has always been very keen on cross-border e-commerce, but a report now reveals that all of the ten biggest web shops in the country are in foreign hands.
Holland, Holland, Amazon
Ahold Delhaize subsidiary bol.com is the company with the highest online turnover in Belgium: the Dutch web shop reached a turnover of 386 million euros in the country. Second in line, with 322 million, is the equally Dutch Coolblue – which expanded to the Walloon market in 2017.
Number three, and the biggest web shop among French-speaking Belgians, is Amazon.fr with 153 million euros, according to a recent report by the Ecommerce Foundation. Remarkably, Amazon features three times in the top-10, as Amazon.com (81 million) and Amazon.de (62 million) are also present. Combining those three, Jeff Bezos’ empire is closing in on the Dutch leaders.
Two Belgian web shops feature in the top-10: Vanden Borre is seventh, Vente-exclusive.com tenth. However, both are part of a bigger French group, respectively Fnac Darty and VeePee (the former Vente Privée).
Price is key
Another conclusion is that for Belgian online consumers, price is still key. One in five shoppers names this as the most important factor, followed by good experiences in the past. A speedy delivery, which is currently the most important feature according to many stores, is only called paramount by 6 %.
The average online shopper is a lot older than usually assumed: almost 60 % is over forty, one in six is even 65 or older.
