German shoppers choose e-commerce

Online shoppers have increased in number and as a nation Germany exceeds the European average.

According to a BITKOM analysis of data from Eurostat’s assessment of online shopping in the EU, two thirds of German citizens had shopped online during 2012 compared to 53% in 2008 - above the current European average of 45%. The popularity of e-retail has been attributed to ease, consumer-friendly laws and simple and easy to use payment systems.

"Online shopping in Germany is following in the tradition of successful mail-order businesses, with outstanding international logistics, short delivery times and a high level of consumer protection," said BITKOM president Dieter Kempf.

In terms of payment choices, the survey found that most online shoppers paid on account (58%), 52% used online payment services, and 46% paid by direct debit. In most other European countries, bank cards were the most popular payment method.

Northern European countries had the highest stats and other countries pulled rank as having high averages of online shoppers (persons who had ordered goods or serves over the internet in the 12 months preceding the survey):

*Norway: 76%

*Sweden: 74%

*Denmark and England: 73%

*Luxembourg: 68%

*Netherland, Finland (and Germany): 65%

Image courtesy of Flickr