It's close, we already speak the language and the market is growing. Belgium offers tremendous opportunities for your business.
Despite being an attractive market for entrepreneurs, it remains important not to lose sight of the differences in language and culture between Belgium and the Netherlands. With the right marketing strategy, it is certainly possible to conquer this market full of e-commerce potential.
Language is a factor of importance in Belgium. The country is divided into roughly three language areas, namely: Dutch, French and German. To serve the market well, it is essential to offer a web shop in at least Dutch as well as French.
Dutch content is not a copy/paste issue: nuance differences are crucial. Consider information such as "Our customer service is available in the afternoon. In Belgium this means: from 12:00 to 14:00. And not until 18:00, as is customary in the Netherlands.
Dutch directness is not always appreciated. In addition, hierarchical structures are more valued in Belgium. When communicating with Belgian consumers, it is therefore wise to be careful with tutoring and vousvoyeren.
The differences go beyond national borders. Entrepreneurs must take into account the differences between Flanders and Wallonia. Since 2010, the Flemish economy has been growing exponentially compared to Wallonia.
Thereby, we see in the unemployment rate of 10% in Wallonia, a big difference from the 4.4% in Flanders. Knowledge of these differences helps in interpreting the turnover figures.
Tomahawk is a premier partner of Google, making it one of the top 3% best online marketing agencies in the Netherlands.
Our specialists are constantly trained and have direct access to closed betas: new features within Google Ads that have not yet been rolled out to all advertisers.
German e-commerce is growing every year and the end is not yet in sight. The vast majority of high online sales are due to Amazon. Thanks to these elements, Germany is an interesting market for crossborder expansion. At the same time, it is a competitive market in which consumers place high demands on e-commerce shops.
The United Kingdom has one of the most mature European e-commerce markets with the highest online sales in Europe. Thanks in part to enthusiastic online shopping by British consumers, e-commerce in this country is stable and stronger than ever.
I'm Roel, founder of Tomahawk. I am happy to help you from our office in Nijmegen.
