Economy
We shop online more but spend less per purchase
According to Thuiswinkel.org data for the first half of the year, Dutch consumers made 170 million online purchases, a 3% increase from the previous year. However, because items purchased were often cheaper and travel bookings declined, total spending remained stable at approximately 17 billion euros. Marlene ten Ham, director of Thuiswinkel.org, noted this is the first time since the pandemic that expenditure has decreased while purchase volume stayed steady. Competition from foreign webshops, particularly Chinese retailers selling garden and DIY products, has intensified. Ten Ham anticipates a drop in packages from China due to new import duties implemented on July 1. Smartphones have become the most popular device for shopping, accounting for nearly half of transactions, though computers remain preferred for larger purchases.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's