Koen van Gelder
Team Lead E-commerce
E-commerce in Belgium – statistics & facts
Belgium’s various linguistic communities and regulatory regions do not only differentiate its society – they also have an impact on virtually all business segments, including e-commerce. Taken as a whole, the Belgian e-commerce sales value was estimated at nine billion U.S. dollars in 2024, a first sign of growth after a post-pandemic dip in 2022 and 2023. However, when looking at the country more closely, it is revealed that not all regions contribute equally to this revenue increase. Whereas roughly 70 percent of Flemish consumers shop online, the share of e-commerce users in southern Wallonia is below 60 percent.
Go-to places for online shopping
From clothing and footwear to home furnishings and electronics, the digital realm is gradually gaining greater prominence in Belgium's retail landscape. In 2023, the Dutch online marketplace bol.com was the leading online store in Belgium, with some 840 million U.S. dollars in e-commerce sales. Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein topped the list in the fashion category, with over 380 million U.S. dollars in sales that year. As for the electronics and media segment, Dutch electronics e-tailer Coolblue recorded the highest sales, overtaking Apple.com by a margin of roughly 230 million dollars.Social & live commerce: game changers for e-tailing?
The use of social media platforms to buy and sell is one of the latest trends transforming the retail sector. Forecasts suggest that social shopping will grow into a lucrative purchasing channel worldwide over the coming years. In Belgium, the social commerce sales value is estimated to exceed 550 million U.S. dollars in 2024, a figure forecast to surpass 800 million U.S. dollars by 2028. In this regard, Facebook appeared as the leading social shopping platform for most generational cohorts, particularly among older consumers. In contrast, TikTok was most popular among the youngest buyers, namely, Gen Zers. Another innovative trend shaping the online shopping experience is live commerce, whereby products are advertised to shoppers via livestream, with interactive visual content promoting more customer engagement with the product. For roughly a third of Belgian e-shoppers surveyed in late 2022, inspiration and ideas were the main benefits of participating in a live shopping experience.
