Consumers in the north east of Germany use vouchers more often than the rest of the country. The regions of Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mechlenburg-Western Pomerania all house some of the country’s savviest shoppers.
Tighter purse strings in the north east could be the reason for the increased voucher use. Research by the Institute of Economic and Social Research, part of the Hans Böckler Foundation, found the greatest number of people with low purchasing power resided in the eastern city of Leipzig.
However Bruno Acar, sales director for the German Savoo, believes it’s much more than poverty that drives voucher use. He mentioned how the country’s middle class are wiser to the internet’s benefits.
“Lower middle-class larger households (two or three kids) with good education are the savvy online shoppers these days in Germany,” he said.
East Germans Are More Tech Literate
Berlin is beginning to garner a reputation as Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley thanks to the number of startups sprouting up in the city. It makes for a more tech-literate community who will fuel the adoption of digital vouchers.
Acar agreed that technology adoption has been faster in the east. “One interesting fact is that after the wall came down 1989, the old eastern Germany got exposure to fast internet more rapidly as optic fibre was put in,” he revealed.
See more detail about the spread of voucher use in Germany Savoo’s infographic below.