In Germany, gift-givers rely on vouchers

This is the result of a survey (conducted by Kantar TNS) by the German Digital Economy Association (BVDW) in December. One in three (32 percent) prefer to order gifts online. According to the survey, vouchers take the top spot (48 percent, n=976), followed by books (36 percent), cosmetics and perfume (34 percent, multiple answers possible). Vouchers are indeed the clear front-runner. But in the previous year's BVDW survey from December 2016, vouchers were still on the gift list of 57 percent of respondents. The popularity has therefore declined by nine percentage points.

The majority of people buy in equal parts online and stationary

Most respondents (33 percent) buy their Christmas gifts in equal parts online and in bricks-and-mortar retail. A third (32 percent) buy mostly from online retailers. The reasons given by respondents are that e-commerce allows them to search for gifts around the clock (53 percent) and that they can have the goods delivered to their homes (52 percent). Achim Himmelreich (Capgemini), Vice President of the BVDW: "What Germans value most about online commerce is the convenience and the flexibility of time. In addition to being able to search around the clock, 50 percent of respondents also emphasize that they can save time and avoid visiting crowded stores. 49 percent also say they have more choice and can make better price comparisons."

Saving time is apparently a factor for men in particular. 51.9 percent stress that they see this as an advantage, compared with only 47.5 percent of women. Women, on the other hand, consider home delivery much more important: 55.9 percent value the advantage. Among men, it was only 49 percent. The complete study, which also includes data on the breakdown by Nielsen areas and gross income, is available from the BVDW.