Online shopping is flourishing in the Netherlands, according to the latest ICT Barometer released on Tuesday by Ernst & Young. Of those questioned, nearly 60% said they had used the internet much more this year to buy goods.

The growth in online shopping is greatest in those over 50 and men, the survey shows.
In the future, however, Dutch online companies will need to cut costs and speed up their delivery service. ‘In most countries you can say when you want delivery,’ says Ernst & Young’s Jacob Verschuur. ‘But here it still takes place in office hours.’
Paying for goods is also a worry. Two out of five respondents think payment by credit card is risky and one in five that payment with the Dutch banks’ iDeal system is dangerous.
ICT expert Roel Pieper told the Barometer website that people are far too scared of the internet. Technically payment methods are ‘reasonably’ perfect, but with more users there is bound to be more inventive cyber crime, he said.
‘As with preventing any break-in, you have to make sure your door is tightly shut,’ he said
Nearly half the companies surveyed said they had suffered some form of serious cyber crime.