24 per cent of Germans can imagine buying their groceries online in the future. One in fourteen Germans would even be prepared to pay a delivery fee of 5 euros for delivery to their door. These are the findings of a recent study by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, for which a representative sample of over 4,000 Germans aged 14 and over were interviewed face-to-face.
Men, singles and younger Germans are particularly interested in this convenient way of buying groceries from their own sofa or via smartphone while travelling. As their income increases, so does their willingness to pay a little more for this service: One in eight higher-earning Germans (monthly net income over EUR 3,500) would be prepared to invest up to EUR 5 extra per purchase.

Potentials and obstacles

The Scientific Director of the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, sees both opportunities and risks in the development of the online grocery business: "For most people, shopping for food and drink is a chore that costs time and nerves. A complete range that can be accessed quickly and easily online around the clock is therefore extremely attractive for many people."
Reinhardt considers flexible and short delivery times without high additional costs to be particularly important. However, there are currently also some arguments against online grocery supermarkets. For example, many suppliers are (still) limited to goods that do not require refrigeration, and fresh products such as fruit and vegetables are not available in all online shops. Reinhardt: "If the customer has to go back to the shop round the corner for individual items, they can and will buy everything there straight away."
Studies by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies also show that many customers like to see and touch the products before they buy them, appreciate advice at the sausage and cheese counter, for example, and also want to support their local supermarket. The low profit margin in the food sector and the large number of supermarkets in Germany also make things more difficult for online providers.

Outlook: Market remains competitive - Amazon also planning to enter

According to industry information, the proportion of food available online is currently still around one per cent - but this is likely to change soon. In addition to Tengelmann, Rewe and Edeka, online retailers such as Lebensmittel.de, Food.de and the Deutsche Post subsidiary Allyouneed.com are also on the market. They are all constantly optimising and expanding their range. And Amazon also wants to conquer the German market following the success of Amazon Fresh in cities such as New York, San Francisco and Seattle. However, Reinhardt does not believe that supermarkets will suffer the same fate as the book trade; for most people, online supermarkets will remain a supplement and not an alternative.