The store around the corner is doing better again
Despite all the successes of online retailing, the store around the corner is once again gaining in popularity among german consumers, according to a survey by management consultants pwc.
The proportion of consumers who shop in bricks-and-mortar stores at least once a week is currently just under 60 percent, pwc reported. This is not only well above the level of two years ago, when it was 46 percent, but also far above the european average of 43 percent.
Pwc surveyed more than 22,000 consumers in 27 countries for its study, including 1,000 german consumers. "Stationary retail remains relevant and attractive. It definitely won’t disappear," is how christian wulff, retail expert at pwc germany, summed up the result. According to the study, younger consumers also like to shop frequently in bricks-and-mortar stores: 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds do their shopping on site at least once a week.
Although digitalization has profoundly changed shopping behavior in recent years, consumers still want to "touch and try out many products and do not want to do without personal advice," according to the study.
In germany in particular, stationary shopping is currently experiencing a renaissance. "In a european comparison, german consumers shop most frequently in bricks-and-mortar stores," according to the study. According to the study, around 59 percent of german consumers shop at least once a week in bricks-and-mortar stores. By comparison, only 45 percent of respondents in france do so, 41 percent in the united kingdom, and only 27 percent in sweden.
However, the renewed love for the store next door does not mean that german consumers are completely satisfied with the shopping experience there. Only around half of the respondents believe that sales staff have comprehensive knowledge of the product range. A year ago, the share was still 58 percent. Only 39 percent of respondents liked the store design, compared with 52 percent a year ago. "Stationary retail faces the task of improving the quality of advice and modernizing the branch network," wulff judged.