Advocacy

Together, the e-retailers affiliated with Thuiswinkel.org represent about 70% of all online consumer spending in the Netherlands, giving us a strong lobbying position and making our policy advisors valuable contacts for policymakers and political decision-makers. Our goal is to keep them well informed about the main e-commerce trends and developments and keep them up to date where necessary. We target several key topics through various expert committees.

Thuiswinkel.org’s key themes

Thuiswinkel.org distinguishes three key themes for which we defend and protect our stakeholders’ interests:

• Trust
• Platforms
• Sustainability

Trust

·         Consumer Law

Consumer law and distance-selling regulations are at the heart of online sales transactions. They have a major impact on the functioning of the European internal market and, by extension, on the level playing field for businesses and e-retailers’ success.

Experts: Vincent Romviel, Ank van Heeringen and Léon Mölenberg

·         Digital transactions

“Digital transactions” is an umbrella term for online payments, identification, blockchain and other relevant topics related in some way to digital transactions. At its core, this topic revolves around keeping transactions secure for both e-retailers and consumers, to foster a secure online trading environment with trusted individuals who are authorized to perform certain actions.

·         Privacy

To be able to put customers first, to provide bespoke services and to deliver goods, e-retailers need data, which may also include personal data. Technological advances are making collected data increasingly easy to share and use, making online privacy a constant focus for legislators, policymakers, researchers and, of course, customers themselves. Striking the right balance between commercial interests and protecting the privacy of consumers is paramount.

Experts: Vincent Romviel and Léon Mölenberg

·         Fraud and Security

Security and fraud prevention are the keywords for trust in the e-commerce industry, touching on the entire online 'identify-order-pay-deliver’ chain. Online merchants must take appropriate measures to ensure that consumers can shop securely and their online stores must therefore not contain any vulnerabilities. Sound identification through eID systems will also provide consumers and online merchants with more mutual assurance and security before they enter into a transaction.

Expert: Roland van Kortenhof

Platforms

·         Platforms/marketplaces

Online platforms and marketplaces are now an essential part of the Dutch and international e-commerce sector. Thuiswinkel.org is committed to guiding online business in the right direction in the platform economy, ensuring a level playing field for all parties and assuring consumers that they are buying sound products and services from online marketplaces and their third-party vendors.

·         Mediation

Under the P2B Regulation, Thuiswinkel.org offers a mediation service for platforms to resolve disputes between platforms and businesses outside of court as an independent and impartial party.

Experts: Roland van Kortenhof

·         Competition

E-retailers want to be able to do business in fair competition, which is why e-commerce rules in the Netherlands and throughout Europe must be aligned, without any regulators distorting the market. Since all retailers, both online and offline, must have a chance to be successful, Thuiswinkel.org focuses on competition and the free market.

Expert: Martijn Hos

Sustainability

·         Sustainability

Sustainable enterprise is here to stay and it is becoming increasingly important in the ever-changing retail landscape. This requires a constant focus on innovation, while striking a balance between social, economic and environmental factors.

Experts: Ellen de Lange and Alicja van Ewijk

·         Logistics

E-commerce is a 24/7 business, with more and more consumers expecting to have their order shipped where and when it suits them best. As a result, optimizing the logistics processes inside and outside the company has become a major issue.

Experts: Ellen de Lange

·         Packaging

Proper packaging is indispensable for delivering orders to consumers' homes without damaging them in the process. Nevertheless, there is still much to improve with regard to packaging, as we are still shipping too much empty space. Consumers are annoyed by the vast amount of packaging material used, and some cases even warrant the question as to whether packaging is needed at all.

Experts: Ellen de Lange

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Retail Agenda

In collaboration with the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and other relevant organizations and market players, Thuiswinkel.org established the Retail Agenda in 2015. This was prompted by several major, highly visible structural changes to the retail landscape that had led to a wave of bankruptcies and vacant stores. These changes, which are still being felt today, have an impact on the quality of life in city centers, village centers and downtown areas. In order to future-proof these urban centers, new functions will have to be explored to rejuvenate these areas and tailor them to the ever-changing needs and requirements of consumers. The purpose of the Retail Agenda is to get all relevant stakeholders around the table together and expand on and share their knowledge.

read more about the retail agenda