Study about Belgian e-commerce: BeCommerce Trends & Figures 2014. Researched with BeCommerce members who represent about 80% of the Belgian e-commerce market.
2. About BeCommerce
BeCommerce is the Belgian association for companies active in e-commerce.
Through awareness raising, information, promotion, certification of e-commerce sites through
a quality label and its own code of conduct, BeCommerce encourages the further growth of
the eCommerce sector and the strengthening of consumer confidence in distance selling.
BeCommerce counts today 311 e-tailers and 42 business partners.
More info: www.becommerce.be
Belgian E-Commerce Organisation
3. In March 2014 BeCommerce ran a major member survey into the current situation
of e-commerce in Belgium and distance seller expectations for 2014. Focusing on
the expected growth of the industry, most sold products online, logistical services,
payment methods, mobile commerce and new this year, customer service.
I’m glad to announce that the Belgian e-commerce market is catching up with their
neighbours. But there is still much room for improvement and expansion. And this
is exactly where BeCommerce and its partners will provide the necessary support
and knowledge.
Patricia Ceysens,
President of the Board of Directors
Patricia Ceysens
President of the Board of Directors
4. Aim of the study
Study of the current situation in the online distance selling market in Belgium as well as expectations and
trends
Method
o Respondents from BeCommerce database (approximately 600 contacts)
o Target group: Belgian organizations with distance selling activities
o Fieldwork: 26 February – 12 March 2014
Introduction
About the study
6. General remarks concerning the research
o The figures in this report are based on an online questionnaire about figures 2013 &
expectations 2014, conducted in February - March 2014 during 2 weeks with all the
BeCommerce members
o The figures relate to the sales results of Belgian companies, they are not consumer
figures (consumers buy on Belgian and foreign e-shops)
o Yearly survey
Introduction
About the study
7. 26% 26%
32%
38%
51%
67% 66%
6% 4%
2%
5%
2%
0% 5%
68% 70% 66%
57%
47%
33% 29%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
An independent Belgian company A branch / subsidiary of a Belgian mother company
A branch / subsidiary of a foreign mother company
Distance Selling Profiles
Belgian Company vs. Foreign companyWhat is the legal profile of your company?
8. Distance Selling Profiles
Pure Player vs. Multichannel Player
36%
30% 34%
47% 45% 44%
32%
64%
70% 66%
53% 55% 56%
68%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Pure Player (only online sales) Multichannel player (online & offline sales)
What is your e-commerce activity profile?
9. Distance Selling Profiles
Share of distance selling vs total turnover
What % was your e-commerce turnover vs. your total turnover?
41%
53%
24%
66% 58% 60%
55%
59%
47%
6%
47% 42% 40%
45%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
E-commerce (distance selling) turnover non-E-commerce turnover
10. Distance Selling Profiles
B2C vs. B2B
50%
44%
62%
57%
47%
56%
76%
6%
13%
6%
2%
44% 43%
32%
43%
51%
44%
24%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Only consumers (B2C & C2C) Only businesses (B2B) Both consumers and business
What are your company’s target customers for its e-commerce activities?
12. Distance Selling Profiles
Expected growth in e-commerce
Do you expect your e-commerce business to grow?
3%3%
3% 3%
9%
15%
5%
3%
2%
22% 25%
22%
24% 34%
16%
9%
63% 60%
73%
67% 64%
84%
91%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
No opinion Completely disagree Rather disagree Neutral Rather agree Completely agree
13. Total E-commerce Turnover
Total E-commerce turnover in Belgium
What e-commerce turnover do you make in Belgium?
1.52
1.91
2
2012 2013 Expected 2014
Bio €
Bio €
Record turnover growth of
25,66% in 2013 vs 2012,
Expectation for 2014 are
above 2 billion €.
Bio €>
14. Opinions of the Belgian distant sellers
The internet will maybe become the main ordering method in the next 2 years
5%6% 5% 5%
19%
20% 11%
22% 32%
26%
20%
16%
20%
14%
5%
22%
48%
24%
31%
20%
25%
38%
23%
21%
34%
28%
40%
45%
30%
23% 22%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
No opinion Completely disagree Rather disagree Neutral Rather agree Completely agree
15. Opinions of the Belgian distant sellers
The Belgian legislation prevents the growth of my distance selling activities
10%
5% 5% 4%
11% 10%
3%
5%
5% 4%
11% 9%
6%
10% 20%
14%
28%
21% 22%
34%
25% 13%
43%
32%
31% 33%31%
30%
32%
27%
21%
21% 20%25%
20%
25%
11% 11%
5% 4%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
No opinion Completely disagree Rather disagree Neutral Rather agree Completely agree
24. Delivery methods
Logistics service providers
18%
14%
12%
12%
24%
12%
39%
59%
16%
10%
10%
21%
21%
21%
37%
58%
21%
13%
15%
9%
19%
21%
26%
64%
Other
Mondial Relay
DHL
UPS
DPD
TNT PostPakketService
Kiala
Bpost
2011 2012 2013
Bpost is still most used logistics carrier
Which logistics carriers did you work with?
25. Delivery methods
Time slot delivery
6%
12%
22%
60%
0%
16%
21%
63%
2%
13%
17%
75%
Via locker network
Via Pick-up points
Via Delivery at Home
No Time slot delivery
2011 2012 2013
Do you use Time Slot delivery? Which do you offer?
The locker network is coming up next to
Pick-up points.
26. 12%
6%
13%
13%
6%
44%
6%
none needed
> 10 working days
5 working days maximum
3 working days maximum
2 working days maximum
The day after the order
Same day delivery
2013
Delivery methods
Fastest delivery timeWhat is your shortest offered delivery timing?
Half of the delivery times happen on either
the same day, or the day after the order has
been placed.
27. 17%
33%
50%
2013
This year Later Never
Delivery methods
Track & Trace Service
62%
38%
2013
Yes No
Offer Track & Trace service Introduce Track and Trace service
28. Delivery methods
Free Delivery Policy for Physical Products
84%
16%
2013
Yes No
Offer a free delivery service
100%
2013
This year next year Later or never
Introduce free delivery service
29. Delivery methods
Free Return Policy for Physical Products
62%
38%
2013
Yes No
Offer free return policy
40%
20%
40%
2013
This year Later Never
Introduce a free return policy
30. 38%
23%
31%
8%
2013
This year next year Later Never
E-Customer Service
Chatbox service
19%
81%
2013
Yes No
Offer a chatbox service Introduce chatbox service
31. 10%
60%
30%
2013
This year next year Later Never
E-Customer Service
Free Helpline
38%
62%
2013
Yes No
Offer a free helpline Introduce free helpline
32. Communication mix
All distance sellers
18%
28%
35%
12%
18%
12%
18%
24%
6%
12%
18%
18%
6%
6%
24%
12%
12%
18%
24%
12%
18%
18%
29%
12%
12%
12%
29%
17%
12%
28%
35%
29%
53%
59%
18%
5%
35%
41%
41%
24%
47%
6%
29% 29%
6% 6% 6%
11%
Direct mail
(via post)
Direct mail
(via e-mail)
Internet
banners
Search engine
optimization
(SEO)
Search engine
advertisement
(SEA)
Radio TV Affiliate
Marketing
Price
comparison
sites
Other (e.g.
offline
advertising)
Not applicable Not very important Not important Neutral Important Very important
33. Communication mix
Social Media All distance sellers
12%
35%
24%
12%
18%
6%
18%
12%
18%
18%
6%
29%
29%
29%
34%
35%
23%
18%
12%
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Other
Not applicable Not very important Not important Neutral Important Very important
The importance of social media keeps growing
with Facebook being the most important channel
5%
35. 18%
27%
37%
0%
9%
9%
36%
18%
27%
9%
0%
9%
48%
28%
10%
5%
8%
3%
No plans to start with
mobile selling
> 1 year
< 1 year
< 9 months
< 6 months
< 3 months
2011 2012 2013
Mobile commerce
2013
15%
42%
55%
85%
58%
45%
2011 2012 2013
Yes No
Engaged in Mobile Commerce?
When are you planning to start with mobile selling?
2013 is the breaking moment:
55% of webshops are engaged
with mobile commerce. This is
almost 4 times more than in 2011.
36. Mobile commerce
Reasons not to start with m-commerce
9%
0%
18%
0%
73%
0%
9%
9%
18%
45%
13%
3%
25%
13%
55%
Other
Too expensive
Too early
No particular reason
Other priorities
2011 2012 2013
Non-m-commerce users
mainly still have other
priorities
Why didn't you start yet with m-commerce?
37. Mobile commerce
Mobile application vs. mobile website
29%
86%
38%
88%
50%
100%
Mobile application Mobile website
2011 2012 2013
Do you have mobile application(s) and / or a mobile website?
Every webshop engaged with
mobile commerce owns at least a
mobile website. In addition half of
them own a mobile application.
39. Mobile commerce
Reason to start with mobile commerce
33%
66%
50%
66%
0%
25%
50%
75%
14%
43%
71%
43%
We wanted to be the first on the market (innovation)
We wanted to prove real added value to our customers
To generate additional e-business
To provide an additional service to our customers
2011 2012 2013
Which is the most important reason to start with mobile?
Additional service and real
added value to customers are
the main reasons to enter
mobile commerce.
40. Mobile commerce
IT development & Results
43%
75%
16%
57%
25%
84%
2011 2012 2013
Internal IT development External IT development
57%
75% 75%
43%
25% 25%
2011 2012 2013
Yes No
Mobile commerce maintains
75% satisfaction among the
webshops.
Internal vs. external IT development
Are the results of your M-commerce satisfying?
41. Mobile commerce
Top products 2013
Books, E-books & magazines
Garden utilities
Kitchen appliances
Tickets
Financial services
Multimedia en hardware
Health & beauty
Toys
Tourism including airline tickets
Home décor
Clothing & accessories
2013
Which of the products/services below do you sell on mobile?
The top 5 products:
1: Clothing & accessories
2: Home décor
3: Tourism including airline tickets
4: Toys
5: Health & beauty
42. Mobile commerce
Smartphone mobile payments 2013
17%
33%
67%
67%
83%
Diners
Paypal
American Express
Mastercard
Visa
2013
Which types of mobile payments do you offer on smartphone?
43. Mobile commerce
Mobile Advertsing
3%
8%
11%
12%
17%
24%
28%
36%
50%
52%
62%
Other
Offline TV
Offline In store
advertising
Brand Bannering
Offline Radio
E-mail campaign
Public Relations
SEO
Offline Print
SEA
Social Media
2013
For the launch of your mobile commerce activity, which
advertising did you use?
Top 3 advertising methods for
launching mobile commerce:
1: Social Media
2: SEA
3: Offline Print
44. Mobile commerce
Mobile turnover vs e-commerce turnover
49% 50%
17% 17%
17%
33%
2012 2013
0-4% 5-10% >10% No turnover
17%
What % of your total e-commerce distance selling turnover is
your Mobile turnover?
Mobile commerce turnover
above 10% is 2 times
higher than in 2012.
45. Mobile commerce
Share of tablet turnover vs smartphone turnover
28%
35%
72%
65%
2012 2013
Smartphone Tablet
What % of your total mobile turnover is your tablet turnover?
The smartphone’s share
increases by 7%.
47. Employment
Needed profiles
49%
32%
19%
5%
27%
70%
41%
26%
4%
19%
60%
32%
11%
0%
11%
73%
47% 46%
20%
Online marketers IT specialists Customer service Logistics operators Photographers Others
2010 2011 2012 2013
87% of the distance
sellers has plans to hire
new employees this year.
Top 3 categories:
1: Online marketers
2: IT specialists
3: Customer service
In which department are you planning to hire people this year
to boost your e-commerce activity?
49. 12%
0%
6%
13%
69%
Never
Later
Next year
This year
We already have a
team in Belgium
2013
Employment
Employment movement
When are you planning to move part of your team to Belgium?
Already 69% of the e-
commerce players have
a team in Belgium and
13% plan to start with a
Belgian team this year.