A good four weeks before Christmas Eve, retail begins the hot phase of the Christmas business. Online discount campaigns such as Black Friday and Cyber Week are a staple for many in Germany. But the digital association advises taking a close look at discounts.
Bargain hunting in the Christmas business in Germany has largely shifted to the Internet. According to a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom, 63 percent of consumers aged 16 and over want to take advantage of the special offers around Black Friday or Cyber Week. 44 percent want to search online, eleven percent both online and stationary. Completely analogous and only in the local store, only eight percent want to take advantage of the offers. A good third (37 percent) ignore the discount days.
For the survey published on Thursday, which Bitkom Research carried out on behalf of the digital association, 1,123 Internet users in Germany aged 16 and over were surveyed at the beginning of October, including 1,050 online shoppers.
The survey shows that many consumers are specifically looking for bargains. Half (50 percent) think in advance about what they specifically want to buy. 29 percent then only look for corresponding offers, but 21 percent are also open to spontaneous purchasing decisions. 20 percent do not plan in advance and rely on spontaneous browsing for offers. 27 percent are aware of Black Friday or Cyber Week, but do not want to use them. Only two percent don’t even know about Black Friday or Cyber Week.
Bitkom Managing Director Bernhard Rohleder advised consumers to take a close look during the discount battle and check whether it is really a good deal. To do this, you should, for example, use price comparison portals to find out what price is normally charged for a particular product.
According to the survey, the cheapest possible price is the most important criterion, namely for 71 percent of those surveyed. But shipping and delivery also play an important role: 61 percent pay attention to free shipping, 52 percent pay attention to free returns and 50 percent pay attention to the fastest possible delivery time.
For Black Friday this Friday (November 24th), retailers are wooing customers with significant discounts. Cyber Week starts on Monday with its discount campaigns. (dpa)