Leading comparison websites in the Netherlands 2017

Kieskeurig.nl was the most well-known price comparison website in the Netherlands, according to a survey from 2017 (the only one held in the country about this topic). 84 percent of Dutch consumers knew the website for retail prices and product reviews. The insurance comparison website Independer.nl was also a familiar name. Noticeable, however, is the low familiarity among Dutch consumers of relatively big websites, such as HoyHoy and Easyswitch. According to the source this has to do with a certain distrust: are these websites actually independent and are they offering the best deal possible? This potential distrust in online companies is not uncommon in the Netherlands and can also be seen, for example, in the level of (dis)trust the Dutch have towards social media.

Dutch online shoppers: all about the money

Despite this skepticism towards the independence of price comparison websites, Dutch consumers did believe price to be the most deciding factor when buying products online in 2018. They even valued it over free delivery or the name of a specific brand. Delivery speed, specifically same-day delivery, was also not a priority. This is because an Amazon Prime model does not yet exist on a large scale in the Netherlands, unlike other countries in Europe. Amazon (and Amazon Prime) is available in the Netherlands but only have a small market share compared to domestic companies as the e-commerce giant only sells books through a partially translated part of Amazon.de. In early 2020, however, Amazon will launch a full Dutch website.

Made in the Netherlands or made in China?

A preference for low prices and a willingness to accept a longer delivery speed might explain why the Dutch tend to buy their products from China. Slightly more than one third of the population in the Netherlands had bought something from a Chinese web shop as of 2018. Indeed, the AliExpress app was the second most-used e-commerce app in the Netherlands at the end of 2018.