UK, Denmark and the Netherlands are the leaders at online shopping in the EU

In 2008, 7.5 million Dutch people between 16-74 years old did their shopping on the Internet. Along with the United Kingdom and Denmark we belong to the top of the EU. Internet shopping increased in the past five years from 36 to 56 percent in this 3 countries. Most purchases were made on holidays and books.

In the Netherlands the UK and Denmark, online shopping increased between 2004-2008 by 20 percent. Those three countries are the EU countries where online shopping is the most established.

In the new EU member states, Romania, Bulgaria, and Estonia has the lowest growth. After a sharp rise between 2004 and 2006 on online shopping , virtually all other EU countries only slightly increased over the past year.

Educated men aged between 25-44 years are the most regularly buyers on the Internet. Low-educated women between of 65-74 years, are seem to be the less frequent buyers on the internet

Travel, holidays, books, clothing and tickets

Most online purchases are travel, holidays, literature, clothing and tickets to events. There are not many differences in online buying behavior between men and women. However, women buy more clothes and sports than men, and men have a preference for electronics and software. Gambling remains both the most popular.

More than 93 percent of internet shoppers in the UK do their purchases by UK based shops. Approximately 17 percent are buying abroad in other European countries and less then 10 percent order goods or services from outside Europe.

2 feb, 2009