Profile of the Netherlands Online

The potential for marketing through search in the Netherlands is big. Not only is Dutch Web usage impressive, but according to comScore, the Netherlands leads Europe in online visit frequency. European Internet users age 15 years and older accessed the Internet on average 58.9 times in September 2010. The Netherlands ranked highest in Europe with 78.2 visits per visitor, nearly 20 visits per month higher than the European average, and surpassing such nations as the United Kingdom, France, and Spain.

Table 11.1 shows how Internet usage in the Netherlands compares to other countries.

Table 11.1 Top European Countries by Visits per Visitor

In a study done in the second quarter 2010, the Consumer Commerce Barometer found that 61 percent of Dutch respondents turned first to the Internet when researching before buying a product or service. Further, 59 percent started their purchases with search engines. Technology, travel, and finance products were the most-often-purchased online. NewMedia TrendWatch reported that 55 percent of Dutch 12–74 years old bought online in 2010—a half million more than the year before. Seven in 10 said they were frequent online shoppers.