The striking emergence of ‘consumer society’ in the Low Countries during the twentieth century came about in two waves. The first – from around 1920 until the 1960s – saw the discovery of the individual figure of the consumer. During the second, postwar wave, the notion of a society made up of consumers took hold. Commonalities between the Low Countries and other parts of the world facilitated a transnational dialogue about the place of consumers and the shaping of a society which could accommodate them. The crucial role companies, officials and civic organisations played in shaping consumer society calls attention to the limitations of a perspective focused primarily on individual consumers. This special issue highlights how a focus on the rise of consumer society yields a fruitful integration of questions of economy, politics, and citizenship, and forces us to rethink the position the Low Countries in a transnational context. This article is part of the special issue on consumption history.