IFH Köln and Media-Saturn examine the customer journey to the

Cross-channel for consumer electronics: The Center
for Research in Retailing (IFH Köln) and Media-Saturn
examine the customer journey to the purchase of
electronic products

Approximately 60 percent of all consumer electronics
purchases are subject to a complex customer journey.

A recent survey conducted by the Center for Research
in Retailing and Media-Saturn indicates a high level of
switching between channels and providers.

Media Markt and Saturn play an important role in the
German consumer's journey to the purchase of
electronic products – online and offline.
Cologne/Ingolstadt, 08.07.2014: Everyone is talking about
multichannel retailing and the customer journey is becoming
increasingly complex. Shoppers who shop electronically also
switch back and forth between the catalogs, online shops and
conventional stores of a variety of providers during the course
of their information-gathering and purchasing process. The
Center for Research in Retailing and Media-Saturn have now
taken a close look at how and from whom consumers obtain
information prior to purchasing consumer electronics in a largescale
analysis
of
the
customer
journey.
The
result:
Approximately 60 percent of all purchases involving consumer
electronics are subject to a complex customer journey – MediaSaturn is the main source of information, both online and offline,
when making purchases at conventional stores. Even when it
comes to online purchases, Media-Saturn is on par with the
Internet retail platforms Amazon and eBay as a provider of
information.
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Media Markt scores points with information competence in the
run-up to making purchases at conventional stores
A look at the customer journey to the purchase of consumer
electronics in a conventional store reveals that Media Markt in
particular is the place to go if consumers want to obtain information
about a product. Customers intending to purchase consumer
electronics and who conduct research on other channels prior to
making their purchase at a conventional store, rely on mediamarkt.de
57 percent of the time – insofar as they make use of online shops.
This means that the online shop operated by the multichannel
provider beats even pure players like amazon.de (54.9%). "The
results show just how important an online presence is today if you
want to create cross-channel incentives to buy while at the same time
galvanizing conventional retailing," says Dr. Kai Hudetz, director of
the Center for Research in Retailing.
Amazon dominates the customer journey online
Approximately 61 percent of all purchases in the category consumer
electronics are preceded by a search for information performed on
other channels and involving other providers – almost 89 percent of
these purchases involve searches performed in alternative online
shops. The top sources of information in this context are the Internet
pure players Amazon (37.1%) and eBay (36.1%). Media Markt's
online shop was not far behind with 30.3 percent of the online
searches. And approximately 23 percent of those surveyed made use
of saturn.de for conducting research in online shops within the
framework of the customer journey.
"As the leading multichannel retailer in our sector, we know just how
important the interplay between the various channels is to our
customers and thus to our business," says Wolfgang Kirsch, CEO of
Media-Saturn Deutschland GmbH: "Only those who can be found
wherever the customers is, will remain relevant over the long term."
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Legend for figure: 44.3% of conventional purchases are made without searching for
information on other channels or with other providers beforehand. Of the 55.7% of
purchases that involve obtaining information elsewhere in advance, this was done at
other conventional stores 43.8% of the time.
Here we go! – "Kölner Handelsrunde" on the topic Customer
Journey on 3 September
The Center for Research in Retailing is also devoting itself to the topic
"Customer Journey Management – Planning, Management and
Control" within the framework of the next "Kölner Handelsrunde"
being held 3 September 2014. Presentations based on both theory
and practice shed light on the change in buying be-havior and provide
insight into the challenges presented by efficient customer journey
management.
Further information available at http://bit.ly/Handelsrunde_CJM
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About the customer journey analysis
Companies learn how their target group shops with the help of a customer journey
analysis. Online shop, conventional store, catalog? The Center for Research in
Retailing helps explain where potential customers obtain information and advice and
make their purchases during the course of the customer journey and where they are
lost to which competitor and why. The Center for Research in Retailing's customer
journey analysis deciphers the company-specific customer journey, provides
benchmark comparisons of competing companies and offers approaches for
increasing the conversion rate. A total of 2,048 consumers over the age of 18
(representative of Internet users resident in Germany with regard to age and sex)
were asked about their consumer electronics purchases over the last six months for
the analysis presented here.
Further information at www.ifhkoeln.de/customerjourney
About the Center for Research in Retailing (IFH Köln)
The center was established in 1929 and serves as an interface between theory and
practice, providing in-depth analyses and strategic advice to the retailing, wholesaling
and consumer goods industries. Be it spe-cific issues or reliable industry insights –
extensive databases and customized projects help prepare and safeguard
management decisions. To do this, the center makes use of tried-and-tested market
research methods and strategic consulting. Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers,
service providers, associations and public institutions place their trust in the center as
an independent partner. Clients benefit from industry-specific and practice-oriented
information, research and consulting in the dynamic sectors involving fixed-location
retailing and wholesaling. The online experts at the E-Commerce Center (ECC Köln)
have been analyzing issues and questions related to the e-commerce since 1999.
Press contact:
Christina Fingerhut
Tel.: +49 (0) 221 94 36 07-92
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ifhkoeln.de
About the Media-Saturn Group
With net revenues of 21 billion euros and approximately 65,000 employees in the
2012/13 financial year, the Media-Saturn Group, in which METRO AG has a majority
shareholding, operates in 17 countries. Media Markt and Saturn, Germany and
Europe’s number one consumer electronics retailers, are bundled under the roof of
Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH. The success enjoyed by these two retail brands, which
currently operate approximately 950 stores in 15 different countries, is based on a
unique selection of low-priced brand-name products, competent staff, excellent
service, a distinctive advertising presence and a decentralized organizational
structure. Each store manager is a shareholder in his or her own store and is thus
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responsible for the product mix, pricing, personnel and marketing. Media Markt and
Saturn conduct their operations separately and are in direct competition with each
other. Both retail brands are currently being developed internationally as
multichannel retailers. The online retailer redcoon, which operates in ten European
countries, has been part of the Media-Saturn Group since July 2011 and the Russian
online retailer 003.ru since July 2012. You will find further information about the
Media-Saturn Group at www.media-saturn.com.
Press contact:
Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH
Corporate Communications
Andrea Koepfer
Wankelstrasse 5
D-85046 Ingolstadt
Phone: +49 (841) 634-1111
Fax: +49 (841) 634-2478
E-mail: [email protected]
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