Electronic spending remained stable during lockdown

Spending using electronic payment methods at points of sale and in webshops was about the same in April as in the same month of 2019. Debit card turnover fell by almost 10%, but online spending with iDEAL and credit cards increased by 30%. Without the COVID-19 crisis, debit card spending was estimated to have risen by around 10% year on year, while online spending would have grown by roughly 20%.

The number of cash withdrawals halved last month compared with a normal month. Cash spending at points of sale probably also fell by roughly half.

Culture, hospitality and fashion hit hardest

As expected, the cultural sector was hit hardest, with point-of-sale debit card turnover down almost 85% compared with April last year. Unsurprisingly, the hospitality sector was also severely affected by the lockdown, with debit card turnover falling by more than 70%. Customers continued to pay by debit card at restaurants offering takeaway meals. Debit card spending in fashion shops was 60% lower than in April 2019. Restaurants and fashion retailers could partly offset the decline at physical points of sale through online orders paid for using methods such as iDEAL and credit cards.

The lockdown was also clearly reflected in sharply lower spending on travel, fuel, parking and public transport. Debit card turnover in the travel and parking sectors fell by almost 75%. It nearly halved in public transport, while petrol stations recorded more than 35% less debit card turnover than in April 2019.

Turnover rises at flower, plant and pet shops

April is traditionally a good month for flowers. Last month, point-of-sale debit card turnover at flower, plant and pet shops rose by more than 60% compared with a year earlier.

Food and beverage retailers also performed well, recording almost 50% more debit card turnover than a year earlier. Supermarkets and DIY stores saw debit card turnover rise by nearly 40%, while turnover for books and magazines increased by more than 30%.

Record turnover for webshops and online entertainment

In April last year, annual e-commerce turnover growth for online payment methods such as iDEAL and credit cards was almost 20%. In March, the first month of the COVID-19 crisis, iDEAL turnover at webshops and for online entertainment was almost 50% higher than a year earlier. In April, e-commerce spending with iDEAL was still 30% higher than the previous year.

By contrast, iDEAL turnover from person-to-person payments made through mobile payment requests fell sharply over the past two months, declining by more than 10% between February and April. Mobile payment requests are often used to settle up after an evening out, and nightlife came to a complete standstill in April.

The share of mobile iDEAL payments also fell during the same period, from almost 84% in February to 77% in April. With people travelling much less, payments were more often made from a laptop or desktop computer, for example for online games, films and series, or meal orders.

COVID-19 bulletin

See also our regular COVID-19 bulletin (in Dutch) for more facts and figures.