Last year, consumers in the Netherlands spent 35.7 billion euros online. This represents a 1 percent decrease in online spending compared to 2024. At the same time, Dutch consumers are increasingly ordering from abroad, as the number of cross-border purchases rose by 9 percent.
In 2024, consumers in the Netherlands spent 36 billion euros online. This represented a 5 percent increase compared to 2023. Earlier research had already shown that Dutch consumers spent 17 billion euros online in the first half of 2025. Compared to the same period in 2024, this was a 1 percent decrease.
Growth in online product purchases
This decrease is also reflected in the latest Thuiswinkel Market Monitor for the full year 2025. Online spending by Dutch consumers fell by 1 percent over the course of the year. This occurred even though the number of online purchases remained the same as in 2024, at 347 million. The decline in online spending is primarily due to the service sector. The number of online purchases fell by 11 percent. At the same time, online spending on services decreased by 5 percent.
Online spending on products did, however, increase last year, by 2 percent. Online spending on products in the Home & Living category totaled 2 billion euros, a 12 percent increase. The Home Electronics and Food & Nearfood categories also saw growth, of 10 and 4 percent, respectively. Approximately 600 million euros were spent online on toys, representing a 24 percent increase.
The number of online purchases of products also rose by 2 percent in 2025. This growth was particularly evident in the DIY & Garden category (up 11 percent, to 46 million purchases) and the Home Electronics category (up 16 percent, to 11.3 million purchases). The Toys category also saw very strong growth, rising by 20 percent to 20 million purchases.
The number of online purchases on products and online spending on products rose during 2025
Cross-border spending rises
Over the past year, the number of purchases placed by Dutch consumers at cross-border online stores rose to 44.8 million. This represented a 9 percent increase. As a result, total cross-border spending reached 4.5 billion euros. This marked a 2 percent increase.
This growth was primarily driven by products, particularly in the Home & Living category. In 2021, only 8 percent of all Dutch purchases in this category were made abroad. Last year, this figure rose to 17 percent. Spending on this category abroad also increased, from 8 to 13 percent.
Dutch consumers who shop at foreign online stores most often choose Chinese online stores
Just as in 2024, Dutch consumers who shopped cross-border, most frequently shopped at Chinese online stores. A full 31 percent of cross-border orders were placed in that country last year. In 2024, the share was slightly lower, at 28 percent. Orders from the United States declined (from 12 to 9 percent), as did those from the United Kingdom (from 7 to 6 percent).
‘Cross-border shopping is becoming more accessible’
“Consumers are increasingly finding their way to foreign online stores, especially when it comes to products”, says Marlene ten Ham, managing director of Thuiswinkel.org. “At the same time, the strong growth of Chinese online stores highlights how important it is for consumers to know what they are buying and for us to ensure that all sellers comply with the same European quality and safety regulations.”
Methods used during online shopping
Last year, 41 percent of all online orders were placed via a smartphone. Compared to 2024, this represented an increase of 5 percentage points. The share of desktop and laptop use, on the other hand, declined from 49 to 45 percent.
The share of iDEAL, a Dutch online payment method, used in online orders fell slightly (from 72 to 71 percent). It remains the most commonly used payment method for online shopping. Credit card usage also fell slightly, from 9 to 8 percent. Klarna’s share grew, from 3 to 4 percent.
