Retail and e-commerce – January 2026

E-consumers increasingly prefer non-plastic packaging, says survey
The Thuiswinkel Sustainability Monitor Packaging Special 2025 from DS Smith (in Dutch), Amazon and Thuiswinkel.org shows that consumers see packaging as a crucial factor in making e-commerce more sustainable. Moreover, consumers want less plastic and are asking for clear recycling information. You can download the report after filling in your details (in Dutch).

Who is ordering over the internet in the EU?
A survey by Eurostat shows that there were 23 EU regions where at least 80% of the population aged 16 to 74 years ordered goods or services over the internet in 2024. Half of these regions were in the Netherlands (all 12 regions). The remainder was in Denmark (4 regions), Ireland (all 3 regions), Sweden (3 regions) and the Praha region.

Belgian consumer not (yet) ready for more reuse
The Reuse Barometer (8.76 MB) from Fost Plus and ConsomAction provides an initial overview of the bulk and reuse sector in Belgium. The logistics and infrastructure are mature enough to enable a broader rollout, but that greater consumer commitment is needed for real success.

L.E.K. shares learnings from food retailers worldwide on how to move forward
The grocery sector is facing an unprecedented level of disruption from challenges including digital acceleration, changing consumer preferences, supply chain shocks and now tariff pressure. L.E.K. Consulting has interviewed dozens of executives across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific and shares the outcomes here.

Price gap between branded and private label products in the Netherlands
According to the Rabobank (in Dutch), groceries in the Netherlands have become more expensive over the past three and a half years, with branded products generally experiencing sharper price increases compared to private label products. As a result, the price gap between brands and private labels in Dutch supermarkets has grown to almost 40%. Supermarkets see this larger price gap as an opportunity to introduce a new price point in the market – above the regular private label but below the A-brand.

20% of Dutch retail market is now online
With an additional e-commerce +7% growth and pure online retailers growing even faster than multi-channel retailers, now one in five Euros spent in the Dutch retail is spent online. These data are shared in an ING review (in Dutch).

It's not only the Chinese selling online to Europe…
Dutch SMEs selling via Amazon in 2024 generated more than €894 million in export revenue to other EU Member States. Popular markets for Dutch sellers included Germany, France and Italy, according to the Economic Impact report (in Dutch, 31.06 MB) from Amazon Netherlands (in Dutch). Amazon is planning to invest €1.4 billion in the Netherlands in the coming three years.

How does Chinese e-commerce do in Poland these days?
Read the answer in an analytical study by the Polish Chamber of the Digital Economy entitled Chinese e-commerce platforms and the Polish economy (4.51 MB) and published by Ecommerce Europe. Mentioning Shein, Temu and AliExpress, the study investigates the market impact and the potential need for legislative action in Poland and Europe as a whole.
 

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