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New figures shed light on the shopping behavior of Belgian and Dutch households who buy groceries across the border. Cross-border shopping has passed its peak in Belgium, but in the Netherlands, it continues to grow steadily. The main reason for cross-border grocery shopping in both countries remains price. However, there are striking differences between Belgians and Dutch people in what they buy abroad.

Price remains the biggest driver

Both Belgian and Dutch consumers cite lower prices as the main reason for shopping across the border. In the Netherlands, no less than 64% of respondents say that price advantage motivates them, while in Belgium this percentage is even 67%. This highlights that price-conscious choices play a central role in cross-border shopping behavior. Of course, distance also has an impact. Our results confirm that the further one lives to a border, the lower the grocery share of shopping abroad is.

Dutch border residents and southern Belgians combine shopping with refueling

In the Netherlands, combining shopping with refueling is a common practice: 49% of Dutch shoppers do this, compared to only 9% of Belgian consumers. Regional data shows that this phenomenon logically occurs mainly in the North, East, and South of the Netherlands, where refueling and price advantage often go hand in hand. In these regions, tobacco purchases are also noticeably higher than in other parts of the country.

In the Belgian provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, and Liège, cross-border shopping is more often combined with refueling than in other parts of Belgium. The combination with tobacco purchases is slightly less pronounced, but refueling still plays a role in cross-border traffic there.

Differences in product preferences

What people buy across the border clearly differs between Belgians and Dutch. Belgians mainly buy (alcoholic) beverages abroad, while Dutch consumers also purchase personal care products in addition to drinks.  In Belgium we also see some seasonal effects: for example, in September champaign buying in France clearly peaks.

Brands versus private labels

Another notable difference is the preference for branded products. Belgians predominantly choose A-brands when shopping abroad, while Dutch consumers more often opt for private label products in foreign stores, explained by the mainly German hard discounters that Dutch shoppers frequently visit.

The long-term trend

In the very long run shopping abroad by Belgian households is stable.  However, two disruptive events had a significant impact.  With the lockdowns, an all-time low was reached in April 2020: 0.2%.   And next food inflation drove it to an all-time high of 3.2% in July 2023.  Today Belgian households spend 2.4% of their annual grocery budget in neighbor countries, which is a return to the pre-Covid level.

Conclusion:

Cross-border shopping remains a popular phenomenon in Belgium and the Netherlands, driven by price advantages and smart combinations with other activities such as refueling. However, differences in product preferences and brand choices show that consumers from Belgium and the Netherlands each have their own strategy to benefit from shopping across the border.

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