Online purchases increased by almost a quarter (22%) last year compared to 2021, representing some 14.7 billion euros for 170 million purchases, according to a BeCommerce barometer released Wednesday. E-commerce therefore continues to show an upward trend, despite the energy crisis and historically high inflation, analyzes the sectoral federation of digital commerce in Belgium.
Attending a concert or going on vacation: this was not possible during the health crisis. The Belgians caught up last year and many of them bought their ticket on the internet. Spending on this type of service increased by 53%. A total of 170 million purchases were made by Belgians online in 2022. The total amount of these purchases amounts to more than 14 billion euros. Clothing, food and shoes and accessories are the categories where Belgians have spent the most online.
Compared to five years ago, the number of online purchases has even increased by 75%. During the last quarter of last year, the average amount spent on the internet was 537 euros. This is 14% more than for the same period of the previous year.
According to the BeCommerce Market Monitor, 8.5 million Belgians made purchases online in 2022 and 12% of all expenditure (physical and on the internet) was made online in 2022, i.e. the same percentage as in 2020. It was mainly spending on services that contributed to growth last year, with an increase of 53% compared to 2021, to reach 6.7 billion euros.