Social Commerce in Germany 2023: Consumer Behavior by Age

Social Commerce Usage in Germany 2023: Key Insights

• Factors influencing social media retail: Social commerce is gaining traction across the globe, and the use of social media for shopping is determined by the generation of the online shopper.

• Social commerce usage by generation: In Germany, a much larger share of Millennials than any other generational cohort has used social media for shopping and will continue using it. They are followed by Gen Z.

• Openness towards social commerce usage: Data shows that shoppers from Generation X are the most receptive to social commerce even if they have not used it already. The share of Generation X shoppers in this case exceeds that of the younger generations.

As social commerce gains momentum, it becomes important to analyze consumer preference for using social media platforms for online shopping.

In Germany, social commerce usage varies across generational cohorts, according to the findings of Statista Consumer Insights.

What does data reveal about social commerce usage according to shoppers’ generation?

Social Commerce Usage by Generation: Millennials Have the Highest Usage

The usage of social media platforms for shopping correlates with the shopper’s generation. The data indicates that shoppers from younger generations use this service more readily than older shoppers.

Millennials emerge as the most active users of social media for shopping, followed by Gen Z. 42% of Millennials shoppers and 29% of Gen Z shoppers selected “Yes, and I will continue using this service” when it comes to using social commerce. Their percentage exceeds that of shoppers from Generation X at 23% and Boomers at just 6%.

When asked about their social commerce usage, 12% of Gen Z shoppers chose the option “No, and I cannot imagine using this service in future” – the smallest share among age cohorts. At 25%, Millennials come in second.

In contrast, one-third of Generation X and Boomers said that they have not used social media for shopping, nor can they foresee using it in their future.

This indicates the reluctance of novice online shoppers, who tend to be older, towards embracing the trend. A similar pattern is observed when it comes to customers who have used social commerce already and plan to continue the practice.

However, openness towards using social media for online shopping is not directly related to the shopper’s age. As opposed to younger shoppers, it is shoppers from Generation X who are the most receptive to social commerce even if they have not used it already.

36% of Generation X selected the answer “No, but I could imagine using this service in future”, followed by 29% of Millennials. In comparison, only 19% of Gen Z and 16% of Boomers chose this option.

More Millennials shoppers (42%) selected “Yes, but I will not use this service again” when it comes to social commerce than other generations. However, it is likely because they have used it more often than other generational cohorts to have reached this decision.