The Evolution of Experience Retailing - Germany

In this section, you will find a summary of the results provided by German respondents to the survey.

502 respondents from Germany contributed their opinions to this research. This group comprises 45% men and 55% women, with 16% aged 18-24, 33% aged 25-34, 30% aged 35-44 and 21% aged 45-60 years. 33% of this group are married, 36% are single, 25% are living with a partner and 6% are separated, divorced or widowed. 37% have children under 18 years living in the household.

In relation to Germany, some of the key findings revealed in the Evolution of Experience Retailing research are:

• While German consumers generally agree that the global marketplace offers advantages around sourcing the best choice, availability and price, a significant number rated the internet as neither important nor unimportant to facilitating these benefits
• This ambivalence to internet importance seems at odds with the comparatively high proportion of Germans who shop online for fashion (29%) and speciality (37%) items
• When it comes to interacting with retailers, German consumers show willingness to receive the latest information or delivery updates but generally only when they initiate the interaction
• This unwillingness impacts retailers ability to personalize interactions, with 40% respondents (the highest global percentage) not wanting to share information with retailers, despite wanting to receive offers and discounts based on their preferences
• Germans value the role retail store associates play in the delivery of good service, with their importance being rated as highly as having the right products available
• Consumers are more measured in their responses to poor service or experiences and are less likely to complain or shop elsewhere.
• This group were the strongest opponents to the influence of social media within their shopping experiences. The highest proportion globally (56%) do not use social networks when shopping and over a third do not perceive recommendations via these networks to be important

For more information on results and analysis from Germany, take a look at the "additional resources" section of this page.