In the entire purchasing process – i.e. from product advertising to the possible exchange – digital options now play an important role for German consumers. Nevertheless, the stationary trade is still the most popular place to go to make purchases. This is the result of a recent study by the international auditing and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the results of which were published on Thursday.
Traditional stores were at the top of the most popular shopping channels: 34 percent of those surveyed stated that they shop in brick-and-mortar stores at least once a week. 23 percent used smartphones, 17 percent used a PC and 14 percent used a tablet. After all, seven percent stated that they shop in the so-called “virtual reality” at least once a week.
Along the entire “customer journey”, digital offers have become indispensable for many consumers. Almost half of the study participants use their smartphones “often” or “almost always” for product research.
Christian Wulff, Head of Retail and Consumer Goods at PwC Germany and EMEA, accordingly emphasized the close integration of various information and shopping channels: “For consumers, shopping is not online or offline. Most have touchpoints with products in different channels,” he said in a statement. “While the smartphone plays an immense role in research prior to making a purchase decision, brick-and-mortar retail remains the most used shopping channel.”