Dutch online spending drops as consumers cut back on tickets and travel

Dutch consumers spent slightly less online in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year, totaling 7.7 billion euros, a 2 percent decline, according to a report from Thuiswinkel.org. Dutch shoppers also increasingly bought from foreign webshops, particularly Chinese ones.

The industry association, which commissioned NielsenIQ GfK to conduct the study, said the total number of online purchases rose 3 percent to 86 million.

However, spending on services fell sharply. Online expenditures on services, including tickets for attractions, events, and package trips, dropped 6 percent to 2.7 billion euros, while the number of service-related purchases fell 9 percent to 12.3 million.

In contrast, spending on products increased. Consumers bought more goods online, with purchases rising 5 percent to 73.3 million and total spending on products up 1 percent to 5 billion euros. The report highlighted a strong surge in toy purchases.

Dutch shoppers also increasingly turned to foreign webshops, particularly Chinese retailers. “Consumers have bought more home and garden items and toys from Chinese online stores,” Thuiswinkel.org said. American webshops, however, lost market share, dropping by 2 percent.