E-commerce in Belgium is on the rise, and that offers business opportunities for your webshop. To make the consumer market more accessible, DHL eCommerce has developed a new service together with bpost (the largest parcel carrier in Belgium): The Benelux Delivery Companies. Wondering if our southern neighbors are an attractive target group for your company? We are happy to help you on your way.
Golden times to expand
Whether you run a local business or have been doing business outside the country's borders for some time: the Belgian market offers plenty of opportunities for Dutch webshops. This is evident from research by Ipsos (2018) which is extensively covered in the white paper 'E-commerce in Belgium and the Netherlands'. In both countries, the total number of online purchases and the total purchase amount is increasing year after year, and at our neighbors even at a faster pace. Belgians also like to buy 'outside the door'. Because although the number of Belgian webshops has risen considerably during the corona crisis, foreign webshops are still in charge. The best news? Especially neighboring countries are popular.
New terrain for you, familiar territory for us
By linking the services of DHL eCommerce and bpost, the Belgian consumer is now more accessible than ever. This means that your new Belgian customers simply receive their package from their trusted parcel deliverer, and you build up a relationship of trust with them more quickly. Logistics marketing, we call it. Another plus of the cooperation: your customers in Belgium already have their order in their hands the next working day.
With The Benelux Delivery Companies we offer your foreign customers the flexibility that you are used to from us in the Netherlands. In addition, they can indicate their delivery preferences. Think of online tracking, alternatives to home delivery and easy return options. Add to that the knowledge and experience of bpost, and we have everything we need to be able to respond perfectly to the wishes of your new target group.
Are Belgian consumers really that different?
We Dutch are known as a more empowered people, Belgians are a lot more Burgundian, and we in turn usually lose out in dictation competitions. And even when we look at online shopping behavior, we know our differences. Belgian consumers, for example, buy significantly more via the internet during the sales months of January and July. The Dutch do this all year round.
And there are more notable differences. No less than four out of ten Belgians do not want to receive their package at home – and that while home delivery is nowhere in the world as popular as in the Netherlands. They would much rather pick up their order at a pick-up point or have it delivered somewhere else, for example at work. Do they still opt for home delivery, but is our delivery person facing a closed door? Then half of the Belgian recipients would rather not have their package delivered to the neighbor. This is in stark contrast to the Netherlands, where 72% have no problem with this.
Make your webshop Belgium-proof
You can already do a lot yourself to please Belgian e-shoppers. Starting with the language. A webshop in the mother tongue creates trust, and lowers the threshold to order. So it certainly pays to provide a Flemish, but also French variant of your website. Striking: the younger the consumer, the less value is attached to the language of the online shop.
Can your customers already pay by credit card and PayPal? Then you can get started immediately in Belgium, because these are the most used payment methods in addition to Bancontact. Track and trace are viewed by both Dutch and Belgians preferably by e-mail. Keep in mind that with our southern neighbors, not the app but the website is in second place, when it comes to ways in which they want to track their package.
Want to know more?
At DHL eCommerce, we not only take your orders from A to B, but we are also happy to help your business grow across borders with reliable advice. To the whole of Europe. Through The Benelux Delivery Companies you benefit from our extensive logistics network, while keeping in touch with one familiar face at DHL eCommerce. Also nice: the integration in your webshop is arranged in no time.
Want to know more about our delivery solutions to Belgium? Feel free to contact us for a free consultation.