Marc Périn

BeCommerce Director

Brussel, 30 September 2009

Figures Inquiry 2008 and Facts

Distance selling Belgium

Table of Content

• Figures BeCommerce Survey 2008 – Expectations 2009

• Facts:

• E-commerce – end customer acceptance (part of the day to day reality)

• E-commerce partners:

• Top supply chain initiatives (innovation)

• New payment methods launched

• Political awareness and governmental attention

• And what with the e-entrepreneur ?

2

Figures BeCommerce Survey 2008

General remarks concerning the research

• Online questionnaire about figures 2008 & expectations 2009• Opened in June 2009 during 3 weeks with all the Becommerce members

• Research facilitated by iVox Leuven

• Sectors NOT included in this research :

• Tourism : travelling, airplane tickets, train tickets, …

• Financial sector : stocks, bonds, insurances, …

• The figures relate to sales B2C, not including sales B2B

• The figures relate to the sales results of Belgian companies

• Yearly survey

3

Figures BeCommerce Survey 2008

Global distance selling sales 2008 (online & offline) by Belgian companies:

1 477 billion €

4

339

675

989

13251524

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009*

Figures BeCommerce Survey 2008Online sales by Belgian companies:

2005: 339 million €2006: 675 million € (+ 99 %)2007: 989 million € (+ 46 %)2008: 1325 million € (+ 34 %)2009: expectations : +15%  

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1. Global figure

2007: 2.100 shops2008: 4.100 shops 2009: More then 5.000 shops expected

80 new webshops / month New webshops every working day

 

Number of e-shops in Belgium

6

Number of e-shops in Belgium

30%

70%

33%

67%

“pure player” (only online sales) "multichannel player" (online & offlinesales)

2008 2007

2. Distinction between pure player and Multi-Channels

1/3 distance sellers are pure players: Only online sales2/3 distance sellers are multichannel players: Online & offline sales (via catalogue, direct mail, telephone, SMS, ….)

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• Pure players have 73% orders with online payments• All distance sellers have 40% orders with online payments 

Payment methods

Payment methods pure players 2008

20%

4%9%

0%4%

18%

9%

0%

37%

Onl

ine

paym

ent

with

cre

dit c

ard

Onl

ine

paym

ent

via

Ban

cont

act/M

iste

r

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ine

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via

butto

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an B

anks

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ent

via

iDea

l

Onl

ine

paym

ent

with

fina

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g &

com

pany

car

ds

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ery

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Cas

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iver

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8

• Pure players have 73% orders with online payments• All distance sellers have 40% orders with online payments 

Payment methods

Payment methods all distance sellers 2008

25%

5%1% 1%

3% 3%0%

17%

43%

Onl

ine

paym

ent

with

cre

dit c

ard

Onl

ine

paym

ent

via

Ban

cont

act/M

iste

r

Onl

ine

paym

ent

via

butto

ns o

fB

elgi

an B

anks

Onl

ine

paym

ent

via

iDea

l

Onl

ine

paym

ent

with

fina

ncin

g &

com

pany

car

ds

Onl

ine

paym

ent

with

oth

erch

anne

ls li

ke

Offl

ine

paym

ent

befo

re d

eliv

ery

via

bank

tran

sfer

Cas

h on

del

iver

y

Pay

men

t afte

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liver

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9

Average amount per order

5%

10%

35%

20%

5%6%

19%

6%

25% 25%

16%

28%

15€ - 30€ 31€ - 50€ 51€ - 100€ 101€ - 200€ 201€ - 500€ n.a.

2008 2007

10

Delivery methods

11

Communication mix pure players 2008

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Direct mail (viapost)

Direct mail(via e-mail)

Internetbanners

Search engineoptimization

(SEO)

Searchengine

advertisement(SEA)

Other media(e.g. off lineadvertising)

Not used Not very important Important Very important

Not used Not very important Important Very importantDirect mail (via post) 71% 29% 0% 0%Direct mail (via e-mail) 14% 0% 14% 71%

Internet banners 43% 29% 29% 0%Search engine optimization (SEO) 0% 0% 14% 86%Search engine advertisement (SEA) 14% 14% 0% 71%Other media (e.g. offline advertising) 43% 29% 0% 29%

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Communication mix all distance sellers 2008 Not used Not very important Important Very importantDirect mail (via post) 30% 20% 20% 30%Direct mail (via e-mail) 10% 0% 25% 65%

Internet banners 15% 35% 35% 15%Search engine optimization (SEO) 10% 0% 30% 60%Search engine advertisement (SEA) 15% 5% 25% 55%Other media (e.g. offline advertising) 25% 35% 30% 10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Direct mail (viapost)

Direct mail(via e-mail)

Internetbanners

Search engineoptimization

(SEO)

Searchengine

advertisement(SEA)

Other media(e.g. off lineadvertising)

Not used Not very important Important Very important

13

Opinions of the Belgian distance sellers

0% 0%

15%

25%

60%

3% 3%9%

22%

63%

completelydisagree

rather disagree neutral rather agree completelyagree

2008 2007

The Belgian distance selling market will continue to grow in the next 2 years

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Opinions of the Belgian distance sellers

The competition with foreign distance selling companies will increase in the next 2 years

0% 0%

20%

35%

45%

3% 3%9%

16%

69%

completelydisagree

rather disagree neutral rather agree completelyagree

2008 2007

15

Opinions of the Belgian distance sellers

The Internet will become the main ordering method in the next 2 years

5%

0%

10%

35%

45%

6%

19%16%

31%28%

completelydisagree

rather disagree neutral rather agree completelyagree

2008 2007

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FACT’s:

1. Consumer confidence:

• E-commerce became part of the fully accepted day to day distribution reality;

• Not replacing, but adding to!:

•Eg:

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FACT’s:

2. Political Awareness – Governemental Attention

• E-commerce is in the center of the governmental and the political attention:

• See Min. Van Quickenborne:

• Changes on laws distance sales and commercial practices

• Digitaal Actieplan – Belgïë – Digitaal hart van Europa – launched

September 29th 2009

• E-id !

• Electronic mail vouchers

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FACT’s:

2. Political Awareness – Governemental Attention

• E-commerce is in the center of the governmental and the political attention:

• See eg CD&V proposal – VAT 6% on e-Books

19

FACT’s:

3. E-commerce partners awareness

• Suppliers of services and products that enable e-commerce introduce new

services and technologies in high pace:

• Top supply chain management solutions

(even top of the bill full outsourcing solutions)

• Strategical alliances between logistic service companies

(to the benefit of e-commerce entrepreneur and consumer)

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FACT’s:

3. E-commerce partners awareness

• Suppliers of services and products that enable e-commerce introduce new services

and technologies in high pace:

• New flexible, safe payment methods even enabling micro-payments what

facilitates e-commerce e.g:

21

FACT’s:

4. And the e-entrepreneur?

• Jo Caudron in de Tijd of September 2009:

• See difference between The Netherlands (more then 20.000 webshops) and

Belgium (more then 5.000 webshops) … We still have a long way to go.

• And take care for the customers attitude and whishes!

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With thanks to our business partners

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