74,8% of Belgians bought online during 2022

The Belgian Digital Economy Overview presented a recent survey that shows 74,8% of Belgians bought products online during 2022—the research aimed to present the current state of the digital landscape in Belgium.

With 74,8% of Belgians shopping only, the country can claim a higher share than the European average of 68%.

According to the data, consumers most often bought clothes online (41.8 percent). This was followed by booking holiday accommodations (23.4 percent) and tickets for cultural events (21.7 percent).

Last year, 81.76 percent of Belgian online shoppers preferred shopping at local sellers. However, almost 4 out of 10 (39.4 percent) also bought products from sellers in other European countries. This was 22 percentage points higher than the European average of consumers who shop cross-border.

Physical vs Online Future Behavior Globally 

Following a recent Forbes report, it is forecasted that by 2026, 24% of all global retail purchases are expected to take place online. 

That same report forecasted a total of $6.3 trillion in 2023 size for the global e-commerce market, with a considerable increase in the e-commerce regional markets of the USA and Asia. 

Also, it claimed that by 2026, the e-commerce market is expected to grow to a total figure that will surpass $8.1 trillion with the U.S. e-commerce market reaching over $1.1 trillion in sales in 2023. 

Finally, the report highlighted that Amazon accounts for 37.8% of e-commerce sales, the highest market share of all e-commerce companies.