More and more trading companies in Germany are offering their products and services both online and in traditional local shops. According to a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom, 85 percent of the retailers surveyed said that they operate ‘hybrid’, i.e. sell online and stationary.
This continues a trend: Before the pandemic in 2019, 66 percent sold both online and in stores, and in 2021 it was 77 percent. Currently, only eight percent of retailers in the Federal Republic are completely foregoing online sales; in 2021 it was 16 percent and in 2019 even 25 percent. Only five percent of retail companies operate exclusively online. This value even fell by one percentage point compared to the similar surveys in 2021 and 2019.
For the study, 503 companies from the wholesale, retail and motor vehicle trades with at least 10 employees were surveyed. The statistical margin of error is plus or minus four percent in the overall sample.
The retailers who are active online primarily rely on their own shops on their website. 93 percent use this sales channel. In second place is email ordering at 87 percent, followed by online marketplaces and sales platforms (69 percent). Social media platforms (23 percent) and company-owned apps (13 percent) are used much less frequently.
Retail companies in Germany are much more cautious when it comes to the trend topic of ‘artificial intelligence’: 56 percent of those surveyed say that the use of AI technologies will be crucial for competitiveness in retail. At the same time, however, a clear majority is adopting a wait-and-see attitude. 73 percent said: “When using new AI technologies such as ChatGPT, we usually first wait to see what experiences others have.” But only 26 percent believe that AI is just a trend that will soon pass.
Bitkom managing director Bernhard Rohleder said he advises trading companies to give up this wait-and-see attitude: “Wait and see is rarely a good strategy.” The entry hurdles for using AI are currently lower than ever before. “From customer service to advertising campaigns, from purchasing planning to product launches – AI can be used sensibly almost everywhere in retail.” (dpa)
But there are also concerns associated with the new technology, Rohleder admitted with a view to the survey results: Three quarters (76 percent) of retail companies fear that the use of AI in customer service will drive alienation from customers. 72 percent are worried that large numbers of AI-generated fake reviews could harm their company. (dpa)