Germans Buy More Online

German private households bought goods totalling EUR 2.4 bn over the Internet in the first six months of 2003. Sales for the whole of 2003 are likely to be between 12 and 21% higher than the EUR 4.7bn recorded in 2002. These are the findings of the Web*Scope survey carried out by GfK Panel Services Consumer Research.

Electronic appliances are particularly sought-after online purchases in Germany, with a share of 45 per cent. Media products, by contrast, such as books, CDs and videos, computer and telecommunication products as well as other consumer technology goods, only achieve a market share of 12 per cent.

Online auctions are also proving increasingly popular, with German Internet users choosing used products in two out of three auction purchases.

Even assuming a consistent number of purchases per consumer, and consistent average spend per online purchase, total online sales for 2003 are likely to reach at least EUR 5.3bn due to increasing number of Internet users. If, as in the first half of 2003, the purchasing frequency and average spend per purchase continue to rise, total sales could be around EUR 5.7bn.





The GfK Web*Scope survey is based on continuous written surveys carried out partly online and partly offline, using a representative sample of 10,000 Internet users. The company's web site is at www.gfk.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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