This document summarizes a study comparing e-commerce websites in Belgium and the Netherlands. It discusses cultural differences between the two countries based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions of power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism. The study analyzed 40 websites from each country across 5 sectors and found Belgian websites reflected higher power distance and masculinity, and higher uncertainty avoidance, supporting the hypotheses. Flemish websites differed from Walloon websites in some dimensions. The findings indicate cultural differences between the countries are reflected in how their e-commerce sites are designed.

1. Cultural differences
reflected on the internet:
A comparison between Belgian and Dutch
e-commerce websites
Prof. dr. Malaika Brengman
‘The Myth of the Global Internet’ BELGIUM
ECREA Symposium 2007 1
Brussels, BELGIUM

2. Overview
 Introduction
 Culture and cultural sensitivity of websites
 Cultural differences between Belgium and
the Netherlands
 Research question and hypotheses
 Methodology
 Analyses & Results
 Conclusions

3. Introduction
The growth of the internet as an international
communication medium raises the question
whether to standardize or to adapt
marketing communications via the www.

4. Cultural sensitivity of websites
 In favour of standardization
– Mass communication medium with worldwide
accessibility
– Some researchers are convinced that cultural
factors have no influence on website perception
– Some have even argued that the internet has
promoted “the emergence of a cosmopolitan
online culture, a hybrid culture overriding
traditional cultural differences”

5. Cultural sensitivity of websites
 In favour of adaptation
– Other researchers argue that the internet is not a culturally
neutral medium
– They confirm that there are intercultural differences in
perception of website content and stress that values,
images, themes and symbols should be adapted to local
cultures.
– It is an interactive medium, making a high degree of
audience adaptation possible.
– It is argued that the more a website is transaction-oriented,
the more it should be localized (language, content, interface
design) in order to gain customer’s confidence and sales.

6. Cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands
 Local (Dutch and Belgian) companies often
assume that Belgium and the Netherlands
(as neighbours with a common language) are
the ideal countries to make their first steps
towards international expansion.
 They often tend to ignore important cultural
differences (Kotler et al., 2006).

7. Cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands
In fact, no countries (…) with a common
border and a common language
are so culturally apart (…)
as (Dutch) Belgium and the Netherlands”.
Geert Hofstede, 1980, p228

8. Cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands
 Socio-scientific approach to culture
 It can be conceived as a mental
predisposition in attitudes and behaviour
acquired and preserved by education and
social relations. It is a collective
phenomenon, with at its core a number of
positive and negative values, which can be
summarized in 5 to 7 cultural dimensions
(Hofstede, 1980& 2001; Trompenaers, 1994)

9. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
 Power distance
Appreciation of social inequality and hierarchy
 Masculinity
The extent to which masculine values as assertiveness,
competition, urge for achievement and success prevail in
comparison to more feminine values such as life quality,
nurturing, helpfulness and solidarity
 Uncertainty Avoidance
The degree to which individuals tend to avoid ambiguous
situations and to take risks when making decisions
 Collectivism
The degree to which ties between members of a community are
rather loose (i.e. individualistic) or tight (i.e. collectivistic)
(Hofstede, 1980, 2001)

10. Cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands
The
Belgium France
Netherlands Flanders Wallonia
Power
38 65 61 67 68
Distance
Masculinity 14 54 43 60 43
Uncertainty
53 94 97 93 86
Avoidance
Individualism 80 75 78 72 71
(Hofstede, 1980, 2001)

11. Cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands
Hofstede Hofstede Orriëns Claes & Gerritsen
(1980) (2001) (1998) Gerritsen (2001)
IBM Managers Banking- (2004) ICT-sector
Be vs Nl ’60-’70 1990 sector 1998 Students 2001
1998
Power
Distance
+23 +16 +25 +18 +20
Masculinity +29 +21 +13 +18 +12
Uncertainty
+44 +53 +47 +47 +43
Avoidance
Individualism -2 -4 -26 -4 No data

12. Research Objective & Hypotheses
Research objective:
To explore whether cultural differences between
Belgium and the Netherlands are actually
reflected in their respective commercial websites.
Hypotheses:
We expect Belgian commercial sites (vs Dutch ones)
H1 – to reflect more ‘Power Distance’
H2 – to display a higher level of ‘Masculinity’
H3 – to reflect a higher level of ‘Uncertainty Avoidance
H4 – to display no difference in collectivism

13. Methodology
 Elaborate content analysis of commercial websites of
both countries (cfr. Singh & Baack, 2004)
 40 Dutch and 40 Belgian commercial websites (20
Flemish and 20 Walloon) have been analyzed in a
systematic way
 5 sectors: online sellers of clothing, books, music,
computers and travel (for each sector 8 sites per
country)
 Online retailers identified through search engines

14. Methodology
 Power distance (7 items)
company hierarchy information, pictures of CEO’s, Quality information
and awards, vision statement, rank or prestige of the company, pride
of ownership appeal, proper titles
 Masculinity (7 items)
Quizzes and games, hard sell approach, explicit comparisons, realism
theme, product effectiveness, use of superlatives, clear gender roles
 Uncertainty Avoidance (9 items)
Customer service, secure payment, guided navigation, tradition
theme, local stores, local terminology, free trials and downloads,
customer testimonials, toll free numbers
 Collectivism (8 items)
community relations, clubs or chat room, newsletter, family theme,
country specific information, symbols and pictures of nation, loyalty
programs, links to local websites
(Singh & Baack, 2004)

15. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium Flanders Wallonia
5
4
3
2
1
0
ce ty e m
an lin
i nc vis
ist c u oida ec
ti
r D as Av oll
o we M
int
y C
P rta
e
Unc

16. Analyses and Results
The
Belgium t-test
Netherlands Flanders Wallonia t-test
Power
Distance 1.50 2.40 1.90 2.90 n.s. P=.036
(7 items)
Masculinity
(7 items) 2.80 3.53 2.90 4.15 p=.009 P=.014
Uncertainty
Avoidance 3.35 3.73 3.10 4.35 p=.002 n.s.
(9 items)
Collectivism
(8 items) 2.13 2.53 2.10 2.95 p=.050 n.s.

17. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium χ2-test
Flanders Wallonia χ2-test
Power Distance (%) (%) (%) (%)
Company Hierarchy Information 7.5 32.5 25 40 n.s. p = .005
Pictures of CEO’s 2.5 20 25 15 n.s. p = .014
Quality Information and Awards 20 27.5 25 30 n.s. n.s.
Vision Statement 25 40 20 60 p = .011 n.s.
Rank or Prestige of the Company 22.5 30 5 55 p = .001 n.s.
Pride of Ownership appeal 65 47.5 45 50 n.s. n.s.
Proper Titles 7.5 42.5 45 40 n.s. p < .000

18. Analyses and Results
 H1 confirmed
Websites of Belgian online retailers reflect a
higher level of ‘Power distance’ than Dutch
ones
+ information on company hierarchy
+ depictions of CEO’s
+ use of proper titles of address

19. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium Flanders Wallonia
5
4
3
2
1
0
ce ty e m
an lin
i nc vis
ist c u oida ec
ti
r D as Av oll
o we M
int
y C
P rta
e
Unc

20. Analyses and Results
The
Belgium t-test
Netherlands Flanders Wallonia t-test
Power
Distance 1.50 2.40 1.90 2.90 n.s. P=.036
(7 items)
Masculinity
(7 items) 2.80 3.53 2.90 4.15 p=.009 P=.014
Uncertainty
Avoidance 3.35 3.73 3.10 4.35 p=.002 n.s.
(9 items)
Collectivism
(8 items) 2.13 2.53 2.10 2.95 p=.050 n.s.

21. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium χ2-test
Flanders Wallonia χ2-test
Masculinity (%) (%) (%) (%)
Quizzes and games 10 22.5 20 25 n.s. n.s.
Hard Sell Approach 57.5 72.5 65 80 n.s. n.s.
Explicit Comparisons 0 12.5 0 25 p = .024 p = .027
Realism Theme 72.5 72.5 75 70 n.s. n.s.
Product Effectiveness 85 65 65 65 n.s. p = .035
Use of Superlatives 35 65 40 90 p = .001 p = .007
Clear Gender Roles 20 42.5 25 60 p = .027 p = .026

22. Analyses and Results
 H2 confirmed
Websites of Belgian online retailers reflect a higher level of
‘Masculinity’ than Dutch ones
+ superlatives
+ distinction between the sexes
+ explicit comparisons
(However Walloon sites seem mainly responsible for these differences)
Nevertheless:
- emphasis on effectiveness of products

23. Analyses and Results
Within Belgium websites of Walloon online
retailers appear to reflect a higher level of
‘Masculinity’ than Flemish ones
+ superlatives
+ distinction between the sexes
+ explicit comparisons

24. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium Flanders Wallonia
5
4
3
2
1
0
ce ty e m
an lin
i nc vis
ist c u oida ec
ti
r D as Av oll
o we M
int
y C
P rta
e
Unc

25. Analyses and Results
The
Belgium t-test
Netherlands Flanders Wallonia t-test
Power
Distance 1.50 2.40 1.90 2.90 n.s. P=.036
(7 items)
Masculinity
(7 items) 2.80 3.53 2.90 4.15 p=.009 P=.014
Uncertainty
Avoidance 3.35 3.73 3.10 4.35 p=.002 n.s.
(9 items)
Collectivism
(8 items) 2.13 2.53 2.10 2.95 p=.050 n.s.

26. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium χ2-test
Flanders Wallonia χ2-test
Uncertainty (%) (%) (%) (%)
Avoidance
Customer Service 90 95 95 95 n.s. n.s.
Secure Payment 70 70 50 90 p = .007 n.s.
Guided Navigation 82.5 87.5 75 100 p = .024 n.s.
Tradition Theme 20 25 20 30 n.s. n.s.
Local Stores 52.5 57.5 50 65 n.s. n.s.
Local Terminology 2.5 5 0 10 n.s. n.s.
Free Trials and Downloads 2.5 27.5 15 40 n.s. p = .002
Customer Testimonials 12.5 5 5 5 n.s. n.s.
Toll Free Numbers 2.5 0 0 0 n.s. n.s.

27. Analyses and Results
Websites of Belgian online retailers do not
seem to reflect a higher level of ‘Uncertainty
Avoidance’ than Dutch ones
Nevertheless:
+ free downloads and trials

28. Analyses and Results
Within Belgium websites of Walloon online
retailers do appear to reflect a higher level of
‘Uncertainty Avoidance’ in comparison to
Flemish websites
+ emphasis on security of payment
+ possibility of guided navigation

29. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium Flanders Wallonia
5
4
3
2
1
0
ce ty e m
an lin
i nc vis
ist c u oida ec
ti
r D as Av oll
o we M
int
y C
P rta
e
Unc

30. Analyses and Results
The
Belgium t-test
Netherlands Flanders Wallonia t-test
Power
Distance 1.50 2.40 1.90 2.90 n.s. P=.036
(7 items)
Masculinity
(7 items) 2.80 3.53 2.90 4.15 p=.009 P=.014
Uncertainty
Avoidance 3.35 3.73 3.10 4.35 p=.002 n.s.
(9 items)
Collectivism
(8 items) 2.13 2.53 2.10 2.95 p=.050 n.s.

31. Analyses and Results
The Netherlands Belgium χ2-test
Flanders Wallonia χ2-test
Collectivism (%) (%) (%) (%)
Community Relations 7.5 2.5 0 5 n.s. n.s.
Clubs or Chat room 15 27.5 30 25 n.s. n.s.
Newsletter 57.5 57.5 60 55 n.s. n.s.
Family Theme 27.5 45 n.s.
25 65 p = 0.012
Country Specific Information 22.5 12.5 10 15 n.s. n.s.
Symbols & Pictures of Nation 10 17.5 5 30 p = .046 n.s.
Loyalty Programs 20 40 p = 0.043
45 35 n.s.
Links to Local Web sites 52.5 50 35 65 n.s. n.s.

32. Analyses and Results
 H4 confirmed
Websites of Belgian online retailers do not
seem to reflect a different level of
‘Collectivism’ than Dutch ones
Nevertheless:
+ loyalty programs

33. Analyses and Results
Within Belgium websites of Walloon online
retailers do appear to reflect a higher level of
‘Collectivism’ than Flemish ones
+ family themes
+ symbols and images of national identity

34. Conclusions
 Cultural differences in mentality between Belgium
and the Netherlands are also reflected in their
respective commercial websites.
+ Power Distance
+ Masculinity
 We also revealed some significant cultural
differences reflected between Walloon and Flemish
commercial websites
+ Masculinity
+ Uncertainty Avoidance
+ Collectivism

35. To be continued…
The present study did not investigate the
effectiveness of locally adapted commercial
websites
We only established that there are cultural
differences which appear to be reflected in
commercial websites
 In a subsequent phase of this research project,
an experimental study will be carried out in order
to investigate this crucial question

36. Questions?
Contact information
Prof. Dr. Malaika Brengman
Tel.: +32 2 629 20 65
E-mail: malaika.brengman@vub.ac.be
Department of Business Economics and Strategic Management
Faculty of Economics, Social and Political Sciences, and Solvay Business School
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussel
BELGIUM