Not only do Germans love shopping, but they also make more and more use of the internet for shopping instead of going to traditional shops. 42 % of Germans used the internet for shopping last year with the EU average being 24 %. Product ranges offered on the internet are broader than those of any department store and internet shops are open around the clock. Furthermore, it is possible to compare prices easily. In addition there are consumer-friendly laws in Germany with regard to returning goods ordered online.
Online shopping is particularly popular in the north and west of Europe. The share of online shoppers is greatest in Great Britain (49 %) followed by Denmark (47 %) and the Netherlands (43 %). The importance of e-commerce is, on the other hand, little popular in southern and Eastern Europe. Thus, the percentages of online shoppers in Greece and Portugal amounted to 6% in both countries and 7 % in Italy as well as 13 % in Spain. The EU tail enders in this respect are Bulgaria (2 %), Rumania (3 %) and Lithuania (4 %).
In particular gainfully employed people are using the internet for shopping in Germany (53 % in 2008). Also decisive is the kind of internet access people use. Those having fast internet access make use of e-commerce more frequently than others. Thus, broad-band internet users accounted for 57% of all online shoppers last year. 