Skip to content

Even Sinterklaas is increasingly shopping online

Published on:

The number of debit card payments at points of sale in the seven days up to and including Sinterklaas Eve was the same this year as last year. This is despite the monthly number of debit card payments having increased by an average of 7% in the first ten months of 2023 compared with the same months in 2022. Even compared with 2019, the number of debit card payments in the run-up to Sinterklaas increased only slightly, while during the rest of the year the monthly number was on average 23% higher than in 2019. The number of payments to online shops rose by roughly 10% in the seven days before Sinterklaas compared with last year. Even Sinterklaas is therefore shopping increasingly online, although he still buys the vast majority of presents in physical shops.

Sinterklaas in traditional red miter and cloak looks intently at a tablet, as if he is ordering digitally or arranging his banking affairs.

An estimated 114 million debit card payments, worth a total of around €2.85 billion, were processed during the seven days up to and including Sinterklaas Eve this year. Sinterklaas bought the most presents last Saturday, when around 20.4 million debit card payments worth €579 million were made. Last Friday was the busiest day in relative terms, with 10% more debit card payments than on a normal Friday.

Compared with a normal Friday through Monday in early November, the number and total value of debit card payments around Sinterklaas were roughly 5% higher.

It is no surprise that toy, hobby and sports shops performed particularly well during the seven days leading up to Sinterklaas. They recorded significantly more debit card payments than usual, with daily numbers 45% to 75% higher. Bookshops, jewellery shops and department stores also performed well, with transaction numbers up to 50% higher per day than usual.

Related articles