E-commerce sales continue to grow
Latest findings of the GfK WebScope survey on the online purchasing habits of German consumers
Nuremberg, March 17, 2009 – Last year, German consumers spent approximately EUR 13.6 billion on online purchases. In total, e-commerce sales grew by a considerable 19%. These are the findings of the WebScope panel, which GfK Panel Services uses to continuously survey online purchases and orders.
Increasing numbers of consumers are shopping online more and more frequently, with the result that the Internet remains the fastest growing sales channel. E-commerce sales rose significantly in 2008, bucking the general trend for non-food products.
This positive growth is primarily attributable to the fact that more people than ever are shopping on the net. In 2008, the number of online purchases rose by 12% to 29.5 million. While purchasing frequency remained virtually constant – at an average of 9.4 purchases per person per annum – the average expenditure per purchase increased by 7% to just under EUR 49.
However, it is evident that individual consumer groups use the Internet as a shopping facility in very different ways. Consequently, GfK Panel Services Germany has divided consumers into seven different online user types. Most consumers – just under 35% in total – belong to the group of selective users, but this group only contributes just below 13% to sales. At 20%, the second biggest group of online users are the shoppers and bankers, who account for the lion’s share of online sales of just under 35%.
GfK WebScope
GfK WebScope has been used by GfK Panel Services Germany since 2001 to measure all online purchases and orders on a continuous basis. In the online user types survey, the seven consumer segments are analyzed in greater depth, with a focus on their spending on around 25 individual groups of products.
A wide range of sociodemographic characteristics is also surveyed. Monitoring includes new product purchases, online auctions and consumer goods exchanges. The survey is based on a representative random sampling of 10,000 German Internet users aged 14+.
Further information: Martin Kaldik, Tel. +49 (0)911 395-3949, martin.kaldik@gfk.com
The GfK Group
The GfK Group is the No. 4 market research organization worldwide. Its activities cover the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and Media. The Group has 115 companies operating in more than 100 countries. Of a total of approximately 10,000 employees (as at September 30, 2008), more than 80% are based outside Germany. For further information, visit our website: www.gfk.com
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