When you’re looking for your initial steps into the European market, you may want to consider stepping into Germany first. It is the UK’s largest export market in Europe and second largest globally after the US. Germany has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than €2.7 trillion. This makes it the largest economy in Europe and the fourth strongest economy in the world. Its consistently strong economic performance offers long-term growth potential for UK businesses. However, the German market is extremely competitive. UK companies need to be patient and persistent.
One of the many benefits of heading to Germany to do business is that English widely spoken and accepted as a business language, but don’t let this fool you – many German consumers aren’t fluent in English! Also, some German companies have a ‘buy local’ attitude and for this reason British companies must offer something unique in order to stand out and translate their marketing materials to fit in.
Germany also hosts 65% of the world’s international trade fairs – so if you’re headed there on a B2B exhibition speak to us first to translate those all-important marketing materials to get the best from the event.
To really know your market, we’ve curated the most pertinent facts and figures to help your international marketing efforts.
Knowing what to say, when to say it and how to best reach your potentially huge consumer base is crucial so we’ve collated stats on search engine usage, mobile penetration and social media too!
We’ve put this alongside a seasonal infographic to really help you time your marketing efforts alongside key cultural events – giving your new German prospects the right impression!
- *Ascension – Also Father’s Day
- *bauma – Engineering Vehicles and Tools Fair, Munich
- *Buchmesse – International Book Fair, Frankfurt
- *CeBIT – International Computer Expo, Hanover
- *drupa – Print Media Fair, Düsseldorf
- *Gamescom – Interactive Games and Entertainment Fair, Cologne
- *IAA – International Motor Show, Hanover
- *IFA – Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances Trade Show, Berlin
GERMANY – AN OVERVIEW
Population
81.3 million [1]
Demographic Profile
49% Male 51% female
Online Usage
62% of the population uses the Internet daily [2]
Online Shopping
64% buy things online [2]
SEARCH, YOUTUBE AND DISPLAY
Web Searches
60% of purchasers who used a search engine to do research before purchasing [3]
YouTube Reach
48% of online population [4]
Video Advertising
67% say that being able to skip ads increases the enjoyment of the content on YouTube [5]
Google Display Network Reach
90%[6]
MOBILE
Smartphone Penetration
50% of people are using a smartphone [10]
Mobile Internet Users
74% of all smartphone users are daily online with their device [10]
Mobile Purchases
38% purchase online on their smartphone [10]
SOCIAL
Population
42% are social network users [8]
Frequency
64% check their social network accounts several times a day [9]
Engagement
51% of people read blogs and online reviews at least once a month [10]
Usage
50% of mobile surfers list social networks as their favourite online activity [11]
MORE FACTS
- $1.5 trillion exported
- Germany is the largest exporter in Europe [12]
- 48% of retailers offer an English version of their website [13]
- 29 of Fortune Global 500 companies are headquartered in Germany [14]
SOURCES:
[1] CIA: The World Factbook, April 2012
[2] Connected Consumer Study, 2014
[3] Consumer Barometer, 2013
[4] Google Internal Data, 2012
[5] YouTube Global Audience Study, 2013
[6] Google Internal Data, 2012
[7] Our Mobile Planet, 2013
[8] eMarketer, 2013
[9] Google Internal Data, 2012
[10] Connected Consumer Study, 2014
[11] Google Internal Data, 2012
[12] The World Factbook, 2013
[13] OC&C Global Retail E-mpire report, 2013
[14] Fortune, 2013
