As everyone knows, the internet is a great place to find great deals or bargains on virtually any product you can name. Want a wedding gown? You will get them online. Discount smartphones? You will find them online too. Want cheap laptops? No problem. Everything can now be purchased online and purchasing online is far much cheaper than visiting a brick and mortar store. There is no reason to be afraid to buy online because online shopping has become very secure nowadays. According to the Federation for Trade and Services, nearly two out of three people in Belgium made purchases online. In other words, about 7 million Belgians made a purchase over the internet.
The number of online shoppers in the country has been growing very fast since 2011, according to e-commerce survey by Belgian retail federation Comeos. Dominique Michael who is the CEO of Comeos concludes from the survey that the level of internet penetration in Belgium is lower than in neighboring countries. There is an increasing competition from online shops outside the country. The study shows that about 19% of Belgians knowledgeably purchase items online from a certain Dutch merchant.
The survey showed that labor costs in Belgium are 20 percent higher than in the Netherlands. This shows that products in Dutch are far much cheaper than products in Belgium. That is precisely the reason Belgians are making purchases from foreign online stores. There is therefore a need for a reduction in labour costs in the country to solve this issue.
In the present scenario, 68% of Flemings buy from online stores as compared to 59% of Francophone. Many teenagers prefer to make a purchase online, and more men than women are online shoppers in Belgium. The most often sold products online are clothes, shoes, computers, and tickets (plane, concert, sporting events).
There is no denying that Belgium has taken part in the online shopping boom in a big way. Belgian-based online stores fill with every product you can possibly imagine will pop up in any internet search. Most of these websites are attractively laid out and easy to navigate. They have so many products in them and it can get a bit confusing. Belgian-based online shopping sites have become increasingly popular in recent years. It cannot be denied that Belgians love to shop online as much as the rest of the world do.
Online shopping in Belgium has gained incredible traction since in the last four years. It has been said that the number of people who are buying items online in the country is increasing day by day, with nearly 75% of the population logging on to shop. Shopping online has not only hit Belgium, but has made an even bigger impact on other countries, such as the United States, the UK and Australia. In the UK, about 97% of internet users shop online.
Since online shopping has become so popular in the recent years and is continuing to grow, there are many economists who strongly believe that online Belgian shoppers will double in number in the next few years. Online shopping is quick, easy and fun. That is why everyone is getting involved. The internet has also connected the world.
Another reason why Belgians are increasingly going online is the incredible convenience and price comparison. In comparison to a physical store with fixed hours, online shoppers can choose any time of the day or night to make their purchase online. This is especially useful in times of bad weather. The choices are also infinite. Your variety of goods are not limited. If a shopper cannot find what he or she is looking for, they can simply move to the next store.
