De Vector

Dutch shoppers buy online more often, but spend less per order

In the first half of 2026, the number of online purchases rose while the average order became cheaper.

Dutch consumers made more online purchases in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier. At the same time, the total amount spent remained virtually unchanged, causing the average amount per order to fall by 3 per cent to about €100.

According to the latest Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, more than 170 million online purchases were made in the first six months of 2026. That is 3 per cent more than in the same period in 2025. Total online spending came to €17.1 billion and thus remained virtually stable.

The combination of more orders and virtually unchanged spending means that consumers paid less per purchase on average. The average amount came to about €100, 3 per cent lower than in the first half of last year. The researchers say this was the first fall in the average purchase amount since the coronavirus period.

The growth came entirely from product sales. Online spending on these amounted to €10.9 billion, 2 per cent more than a year earlier. The number of product purchases rose by 4 per cent to 147 million. DIY products and garden products stood out in particular, with spending increasing by 21 per cent.

Less was spent on online services. Spending fell by 3 per cent to €6.3 billion and the number of purchases by 5 per cent to 23 million. Travel weighed particularly heavily on the result: standalone flights and accommodation, as well as package holidays, were bought online less often and for less money.

The figures come from research by NielsenIQ, commissioned by Thuiswinkel.org and Retail Insiders, with the cooperation of PostNL and Betaalvereniging Nederland. As this is an industry survey, the figures primarily provide a picture of the online market, rather than of total household spending or the financial situation of individual consumers.

The development fits a broader trend in which online shopping remains firmly established, but consumers distribute their spending differently. CBS previously reported that 80.4 per cent of Dutch people aged 12 and over bought something online in 2025. That figure concerns the share of online buyers and does not say how much they spent; the new market measurement, by contrast, covers the number of purchases and turnover.

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