Dutch online shoppers are increasingly buying at foreign webshops with the number of consumersdoubling this year compared to 2011, a recent study by PostNL revealed.
Online shopping is especially popular among residents of large cities, men and young people,according to the survey of 1,051 Dutch consumers. Among the major reasons for Dutch consumersshopping online abroad, the study names the price difference (69%), wider product range (46%) andspecial items that can be purchased abroad (43%) but not in the Netherlands.
According to the study findings, the average consumer also looks online when deciding to buy aproduct at a normal shop. Especially electronics (56%) and purchases for inside and outside thehome (44%) are widely looked at and compared online. More than 25% of Dutch consumers consider theconvenience of looking at and comparing products as one of the major benefits of online shopping,PostNL explained.
Products that are relatively often bought online by Dutch consumers include tickets for concertsand performances (66%), holiday and airline tickets (65%), CDs and DVDs (50%), games (44%), books(42%), financial services (34%) and clothes (17%), among others.
“We have found that the benefits of online shopping are winning ground,” Chris Leferink ofPostNL Parcels said. “The social aspect and tangibility of products in shops are still reasons tobuy products offline, but these are getting less important in comparison with previous years. Theemergences of shared user experiences on the web, quality and price comparisons and social mediadefinitely have an impact on this, as our study has shown.”
PostNL has conducted the study on online shopping in 2012 to coincide with the start of theLucky Dip Days on 15 October, a national campaign to reward online shoppers and stress theconvenience of online shopping.
