Retail trade - Survey: Trend back from online retail to brick-and-mortar stores
Retail stores instead of online stores: according to a survey, the boom in online shopping in Germany, which was boosted by the coronavirus pandemic, has come to an end. The proportion of those who do at least half of their shopping online has fallen from around a third (32%) in 2022 to 26% now, according to Postbank, a member of the Deutsche Bank Group, based on the responses of 3038 adults from August of the current year. However, this is still higher than in 2019 (24%), the year before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany.
The average proportion of purchases made online fell for the second time in a row: from a high of 38% in 2021 to 35% in 2022 and 30% in the current year. In 2019, it was 29%.
"Shopping behavior is returning to normal after the end of the coronavirus restrictions and the catch-up effect is playing into the hands of retailers," said Thomas Brosch, Head of Digital Sales at Postbank. "For younger people in particular, however, online shopping is here to stay." According to the survey, the proportion of people in the 18 to 39 age group who do at least some of their shopping online is significantly higher (37%) than among the over-40s (26%).
Overall, around half of online shoppers in the regularly conducted"Postbank Digital Study" have stated for years that they only order products online that they are relatively certain will not be returned. More than 80 percent have been saying for years that they would welcome it if online retailers were prohibited by law from destroying goods returned by customers.
This is because not all returns are resold, especially in the case of clothing. The EU Commission recently put a stop to this practice: In future, larger retailers will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold clothing in the European Union. Small and micro-enterprises are exempt from this ban, while a transitional period of six years applies to medium-sized companies. In principle, the ban is to be applied two years after the regulation comes into force.
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- Despite the decline in online shopping, some areas in Germany, like Bonn and Frankfurt, continue to rely heavily on online retailers, such as internet stores and postal banks, as their primary sources of retail trade.
- The economic situation in Germany, influenced by the Coronavirus pandemic, has led to a shift in retail trends, with consumers returning to physical stores for their shopping needs.
- The survey revealed that, while the average proportion of online purchases has decreased, there are still individuals who are committed to online shopping, particularly among young adults aged 18 to 39 years old.
- In an effort to combat waste and promote sustainability, the EU Commission has banned larger retailers from destroying unsold clothes returned by customers, with small and micro-enterprises and medium-sized companies granted a transitional period.
- As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, many retail stores, both online and brick-and-mortar, have had to adapt their return policies to accommodate increased returns, and some businesses have had to find creative solutions to resell or recycle these items.
- The return policy of online retailers has become a prominent topic in consumer advocacy, with customers calling for stricter regulations to prevent waste and promote circular economy principles in retail trade.
Source: www.stern.de
