E-commerce in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of the most advanced and dynamic e‑commerce markets in Europe. High level of internet usage, a digitally savvy population, and openness to innovation make the country particularly attractive to international retailers. Sustainability, speed and a smooth shopping experience are the focus of consumers.
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The Dutch market at a glance
Strong purchasing power in Europe
The Netherlands is one of the countries with the highest purchasing power in Europe. The average per capita purchasing power in 2024 will be EUR 27,558, which is around 47% above the European average.
Solid economic growth is expected in the coming years, which will have a positive impact on consumption and e‑commerce: Forecasts predict an increase in purchasing power of several percentage points by 2029.
Digital, mobile, international
Hardly any other market is as digital, mobile and international as the Netherlands:
- Online use: 99% of the population is online
- 94% of them regularly shop online. This corresponds to around 17.5 million potential customers
- Mobile commerce: Over 70% of online purchases are made via mobile – the Netherlands is one of the most mobile-savvy markets in Europe
- Cross‑border shopping: 68% of consumers regularly order from foreign stores – most frequently in Germany and China.
Payment providers
iDEAL is by far the most popular payment method in Dutch online retail – followed by credit cards and e-wallets. “Buy Now, Pay Later” offers such as Klarna or Riverty are also being used more and more often and offer additional flexibility at checkout.
- iDeal (online banking) approx. 70%
- Credit/debit card approx. 20%
- PayPal/e-wallets approx. 8%
- BNPL (Klarna, Riverty) are increasingly popular
Most popular marketplaces
bol.com is the leading platform in Dutch e‑commerce – closely followed by marktplaats.nl and amazon.nl. Specialized providers such as coolblue.nl, ah.nl and Zalando are also among the favourites in Dutch e‑commerce.
International players such as Amazon and AliExpress are continuing to catch up.
Most popular categories by market share:
- Fashion and clothing: 34%
- Electronics: 23%
- Food and beverages: 19%
- Furniture and living: 10%
Most popular local last-mile carrier
PostNL is the leading carrier in Dutch e‑commerce and handles the majority of parcel deliveries to end customers.
The carrier is characterised above all by:
- high delivery quality and a strong first-attempt delivery rate
- a high level of brand awareness – as a result, PostNL enjoys a high level of trust among Dutch consumers
With exporto, you access PostNL directly – for a smooth delivery experience that is familiar to Dutch customers: fast, local, reliable.
Returns
At an average of 3.4-5.6%, the returns rate in Dutch e‑commerce is below the European average – only fashion items such as clothing (up to 33%) and shoes (up to 17%) stand out.
Simple return processes via local addresses, transparent conditions and fast refunds are demanded – they are key factors for purchasing decisions and customer satisfaction.
All services from a single source
From customer-friendly delivery options to seamless returns management to real-time tracking and data-based analyses — exporto combines all services for your international growth in one end-to-end solution.
Fast delivery
Offer your customers in Europe an outstanding customer experience—with the shortest processing times, individual shipping options for each destination country and deliveries by the most popular last-mile carriers.
Seamless integration
Thanks to simple API integration, our services fit seamlessly into your existing set-up—flexibly, individually and with minimal technical effort.
Full transparency
With the help of an intuitive dashboard, you can keep an eye on the status of your international shipments in real time—with automated data synchronization for maximum transparency.
Cross-Border
E-Commerce in
Europe
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Europe
With exporto, you reach customers in Europe’s key markets as easily as in Germany. Our shipping solution is operationally optimized for these core markets and is constantly being expanded – with a clear focus on stable processes, outstanding service quality and a compelling customer experience.
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E-Commerce in
Austria
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Austria
Austria is considered a cross‑border insider tip: Foreign orders account for almost half of e‑commerce sales – one of the highest figures in Europe. With around 8.9 million inhabitants, high purchasing power, and virtually complete Internet coverage, this market offers ideal conditions, especially for German retailers.
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E-Commerce in
Belgium
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Belgium
Belgium is one of the fastest-growing e‑commerce markets in Europe: in 2024, sales amounted to EUR 17.4 billion, up 6.7% on the previous year. 31% of orders are placed in foreign stores – a top 5 figure. Linguistic diversity and a central location make the market particularly attractive.
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E-Commerce in
Switzerland
Cross-Border E-Commerce to Switzerland
Switzerland is one of the markets with the highest purchasing power in Europe – around three times the EU average. In 2023, online sales amounted to EUR 14.7 billion. The low VAT makes the market even more attractive – especially for EU retailers.
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E-Commerce in
Czech Republic
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is one of Europe's most cross-border-active e-commerce markets: Czechs place more than a third of their online orders with retailers in other EU countries. In 2025 the market grew to around CZK 206 billion (roughly €8 billion), up 6% year on year, driven by a highly online-savvy population.
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E-Commerce in
Germany
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Germany
Germany is one of Europe's largest e-commerce markets and a particularly attractive destination for international retailers: online shopping is frequent and routine, but German customers expect payment by invoice, reliable delivery and hassle-free returns. Those who deliver on this reach a large, active audience that bought €83.1 billion worth of goods online in 2025.
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E-Commerce in
Denmark
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Denmark
Denmark is one of the most digitally advanced e‑commerce markets in Europe. The Danish population is tech-savvy and online growth is constantly at a high level. Danes attach particular importance to a convenient, mobile and sustainable shopping experience.
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E-Commerce in
Finland
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Finland
Finland is the smallest Nordic e‑commerce market, but has a high cross‑border affinity. The country tops the EU digitalisation index, with around 80% buying online every month. Germany is one of the top delivery countries – 42% of online shoppers order there regularly.
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E-Commerce in
France
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to France
France is one of Europe’s largest e‑commerce markets – digitally savvy, high in purchasing power and highly attractive for international retailers, with more than 64 million online shoppers. Online revenue rose to over €175 billion in 2024, driven by strong demand in fashion, cosmetics and home & living. For German retailers, France offers a strong, established environment for scalable cross‑border growth.
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E-Commerce in
Italy
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Italy
For German retailers, Italy is attractive on two counts: a large, high-purchasing-power market with growing online demand and, at the same time, one of the lowest return rates in Europe, well below the German level. As the EU's third-largest consumer market, it offers reach with noticeably less returns effort.
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E-Commerce in
Luxembourg
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Luxembourg
Luxembourg is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe – with purchasing power of around EUR 40,000 and high online spending. 96% of orders are placed with foreign stores, with German providers enjoying a high level of trust. A highly digital, multilingual market with strong basket value.
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E-Commerce in
Norway
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Norway
Norway is one of the strongest economic markets in Europe. E‑commerce is growing constantly – international online shops are particularly popular. Norwegian customers attach great importance to reliable shipping, customs and returns processes. The simplified customs procedure VOEC offers attractive conditions – if the requirements are met.
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E-Commerce in
Netherlands
Cross-Border E-Commerce to Netherlands
With around 18 million digitally savvy inhabitants and an e‑commerce volume of EUR 34.7 billion (2023), the Netherlands is one of the most dynamic online markets in E urope. As a logistics hub with strong purchasing power, the market offers ideal conditions for cross‑border sales.
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E-Commerce in
Poland
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Poland
Poland is the largest e-commerce market in Central and Eastern Europe and keeps growing fast. Trade here runs heavily through marketplaces: in 2024, 86% of Poles made at least one marketplace purchase, led by local player Allegro with 38.8% of online retail, while Amazon reaches just 3.9%.
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E-Commerce in
Sweden
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Sweden
Sweden is Scandinavia’s largest e‑commerce market: digitally savvy, fast-growing and open to international retailers. Around 89% of consumers buy online every month – flexible delivery options such as pick-up stations are particularly popular.
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E-Commerce in
UK
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to UK
With online sales of around EUR 152 billion, the UK is the largest e‑commerce market in Europe. Demand remains high despite Brexit. This new level of complexity offers obvious opportunities for retailers with optimised processes.
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We are looking forward to hearing from you!
With our end‑to‑end solution, you get all services from a single source: Logistics, tax, customs and software. Everything is perfectly coordinated and as simple as “plug & play”.
Marvin Schwarz
Sr. Business Development Representative
