German online consumers spend less than other Europeans

German online buyers last year spent an average of €264 per quarter on online products and services, 17% less than the average European shopper, according to Forrester Research.

During the past three years, the amount Germans spent online grew by 26%, compared with average European growth of 35%, Forrester says.

German men spent €304 online in 2004 while German women spent only €210. That compares with €331 and €280 for European men and women, respectively. German men and senior citizens were the biggest online spenders.

Germany trails the rest of Europe because notoriously price-sensitive German consumers aren’t finding the low online prices they seek, Forrester says.

Fewer Germans than Europeans said that they believed that online prices are lower in a store. For both Germans and European online shoppers, 50% of products purchased were valued at less than €50. Purchases above €300 are rare, according to Forrester.