Newsletter N° 18
Dutch internet users like to shop online, and the number of new e-com stores grows yearly. This creates a powerful flywheel effect – demanding consumers push brands to excel.
What makes Dutch e-commerce great?
Apparently, the Netherlands is #1 in the world in digital commerce adoption, with Dutch consumers shopping online more than any other nation. This creates a powerful flywheel effect – demanding consumers push brands to excel, continuously raising the bar for digital experience.
In the Netherlands, success breeds success. If Italy has leather goods and Switzerland has watches, the Dutch excel in premium menswear and bikes. Each successful brand attracts more talent and expertise:
Suitsupply's global achievements established the Netherlands as a hub for premium menswear, bringing up brands like MR MARVIS and No Label.
The Dutch biking tradition runs deep – heritage brands like Gazelle, Batavus, and Cortina paved the way for tech-forward newcomers like VanMoof and Veloretti.
G-Star RAW anchored a thriving premium denim ecosystem, now home to Petrol Industries, Denham, and Kuyichi.
These industry clusters continuously elevate market standards. Features that once differentiated – subscriptions, referral programs, product quizzes – are now baseline offerings in Dutch e-commerce. Meeting these demanding local standards forges internationally competitive brands – our data shows the average Dutch brand draws 54% of traffic from international consumers.
When sophisticated consumers meet ambitious brands, everyone wins.
The standards are high, but so are the rewards for those who rise to meet them.
Now live: Brand Radar
The Conway Brand Radar 2024 is live, analyzing over 300 Dutch consumer brands to identify who's winning in digital commerce.
After evaluating digital experiences on a 1-5 scale and analyzing traffic patterns across markets, we've uncovered which brands are setting the pace in 2024.
Check if your brand made it to our top 100 list and discover what distinguishes the leaders from the rest.
Tools & Tactics
We select helpful tools and useful new ways of working. Find a signal in the noise of software.
01 Sora
Open AI’s video generation model is rolling out soon.
02 Keak
The first AI agent that continuously improves your website.
03 Ownit
AI Search tool for brands: answer your shoppers’ questions at scale so that they appear in search engine-suggested answers.
Trends & Strategy
Curated content from the information overload we call the Internet.
Insights and inspiration on business, e-commerce, and investing.
Rapha losses almost double to £22.7m as UK turnover drops 20% amid "challenged" cycling sector, brand's seventh consecutive year in the red
10 min read
“The premium cycling clothing company blamed the "ongoing turbulent and competitive" cycling industry post-Covid, decreased consumer confidence "in several key markets", and the expensive consolidation of two warehouses into a single operation.”
Full article
European economic outlook and spending habits
15 min read
“Read data from 10,000 online consumers showing their economic outlook and how they plan to spend their money.”
Amazon surpasses Coolblue in Dutch e-commerce top 100
10 min read
“AliExpress and Shein are among the ten largest online sellers in the Netherlands. And behind market leader bol.com, not Albert Heijn or Coolblue, but Amazon as the number two. That is according to a new ranking by German ECDB, a well-known publisher of ecommerce statistics.”
Full article
Visually appealing
LVMH's acquisition of Birkenstock continues to bear fruit with the opening of a striking flagship store in Amsterdam's historic Canal District. The new space blends the brand's signature materials – cork, leather, and stone – with design elements that pay homage to Amsterdam's heritage, including a cross-shaped cork display table inspired by the city's coat of arms.
Visit Birkenstock in Amsterdam:
Hartenstraat 16
1016CB, Amsterdam
