E-commerce is one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing markets in the world. Sales in Europe are increasing by 6.7% annually. In 2019, the Belgian e-commerce market was worth EUR 11.5 billion. Offline shops are experiencing hard times and those that apply an omnichannel strategy will survive. However, this is creating more competition in the online landscape. Large international players dominate the market and pamper consumers with a service that always puts the customer first. Consumers have therefore become accustomed to delivery “when and where” they want it. In addition, the coronavirus caused quite a stir in 2020. Consumers started ordering online en masse. What are the developments in e-commerce and logistics? We have identified many opportunities to increase your results, as long as you are smart about your shipping and return policies.

Belgian shoppers order products online on average one and a half times a month and usually spend between €11.00 and €50.00. Looking at all online orders, Belgians spend almost twice as much as other Europeans. There are even consumers who spend up to €5000 on an online order.

Key insights

• Shipping costs determine success

More than a third of Belgians are not prepared to pay extra for shipping. Not even for faster delivery. In addition, more than half of them say they will leave a shopping basket if the shipping costs in the checkout are higher than expected. However, most shoppers in the Netherlands are prepared to add extra products to an order to get free shipping. This also applies to European consumers, but they are slightly more inclined to pay extra shipping costs. The good news is that, on average, 66% of Belgian online shoppers are willing to add an extra product to their order to reach the threshold for free delivery. 

• Speed is less important than cost 

Standard delivery takes around three days in the eyes of the Belgian consumer, which is an average expectation compared to consumers in other countries. Belgians expect next-day delivery to take place until 5 pm. The most important aspects of delivery are the cost of delivery, speed and a good experience with the carrier.

• Return policy

Online retailers are looking for smart ways to handle returns. However, it is important to offer a clear and customer-friendly return policy. More than half of Belgian shoppers check the return policy before deciding to order. This also applies to other European consumers. 

What can’t be missed in the return policy? 

1. What are the extra costs? 
2. When will the money be refunded
3. A detailed explanation of the return policy
4. Return period

• Cross-border e-commerce is popular 

No less than 75% of Belgian consumers have ordered from an international webshop in the past year. This percentage is considerably higher than in the rest of Europe and takes away part of the turnover for Belgian online retailers. A possible explanation is that the Netherlands has a large number of domestic webshops, which reduces the need to order from abroad. If you are going to expand your shop internationally, it is important to understand the habits of consumers. Knowing their reasons for not ordering internationally can give you a competitive advantage.

Key tips to keep your customers happy: 

• Offer dynamic shipping costs
• Offer multiple delivery options as well as express delivery
• Combine carriers
• Keep your customers proactively informed about the status of his package with tracking and e-mail
• Take a critical look at your return policy
• Care for the environment: Green delivery is becoming more important. Consumers are concerned but not yet conscious about green delivery and do not like to pay extra for it. Be one of the first to respond and do not use unnecessarily large packaging. Make sure that packaging is reusable and work with recyclable material.