The digital association Bitkom has taken a close look at the online shopping preferences of Germans. Smartphones and ratings are particularly important in e-commerce.

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The turnover figures show it: Online trade is booming. Last year, Germans spent 53.4 billion euros on e-commerce. That was a proud plus of almost ten percent. According to a recent study by the digital association Bitkom, four out of five Germans aged 14 and over shop online. According to the study, the smartphone is becoming increasingly important. Every second consumer now buys via his mobile phone. In 2016 it was only 39 percent. Mobile shopping plays an even greater role among younger customers. Eight out of ten respondents between the ages of 14 and 29 regularly shop via their mobile phones. But older consumers are also discovering the advantages of smart shopping. Among 50 to 64-year-olds, 29 percent now shop on the move. With the over-65-year-olds it is nevertheless still eleven per cent.

Successful e-commerce merchants need smartphone-optimized shop

For e-commerce retailers to be successful, Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder recommends: “Online shops must be optimized for mobile access and small screens in order to successfully address customers. The next step should be to make it easy to make purchases via a language assistant.” Because shopping via Alexa and Co has so far been used very sparingly. Only two percent of consumers have gained experience in this area. The Bitkom study also examined which factors are particularly important for customers when choosing an online shop. In addition to price and payment options, free delivery is particularly attractive for many consumers. Customer ratings are becoming increasingly important. For 53 percent, they are a decisive criterion in shop selection. Rohleder: “Customers are increasingly using the Internet as a source of information before pressing the buy button. With transparent and independent evaluations on their homepage, online shops can offer orientation and at the same time stand out positively from other online retailers.”

Click&Collect and preferred delivery dates particularly in demand

The latest Bitkom results on the subject of delivery should be of particular interest for e-commerce. According to this, alternative delivery options are becoming increasingly popular in Germany. More than one in four online shoppers has already used the Click & Collect service. Two years ago it was only 22 percent. A further fifth would like to make use of this delivery option in the future. “Click & Collect offers the customer full flexibility: the goods can be picked up - for example in conjunction with other errands - during normal business hours and immediately inspected or tried on. In addition, there are no shipping costs or waiting times at the post office for customers,” says Bitkom trade expert Julia Miosga. Even more popular among the new delivery methods is delivery at the desired time. Almost every second person has already used this service. Another 28 percent would like to do this in the future. However, the possibilities of Same Day Delivery and Same Hour Delivery are still not very widespread.

 

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Link: The digital association Bitkom has investigated the wishes of consumers in online shopping

Image: artisteer / istock

//KH