Increase in e-commerce activities despite restrained mood

e-commerce consumer climate index of the third gfk-webgauge wave

Nuremberg, 15 August 2002 – European consumers are less optimistic about the development of e-
commerce than they were only six months ago. However, the number of e-consumers is still rising
and so is the overall volume of online orders, as the findings of the third wave of gfk-webgauge, a
survey carried out in six European countries, show.

The share of e-consumers, i.e. consumers who have ordered products or pay services online at least
once in the last six months, continues to increase de-spite recent sobering developments in the New
Economy and restrained con-sumer behaviour in Europe. The share of e-consumers was 27.7 per
cent in autumn 2001, but had risen to 31.4 per cent in spring 2002. In absolute terms and in relation
to the whole population, this means that of a good 187 million people aged 16 to 69 in Belgium,
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK almost 59 million people not only use the
Internet to surf, but also to make private online purchases. Overall, e-consumers expect e-commerce
to continue to develop positively de-spite the New Economy crisis and a generally weak economy.
Two in three Europeans believe this. Optimism is most prevalent in France and Spain, whereas
people in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are less optimistic.

Strong increase in reported e-commerce sales volume

While the number of online shoppers rose only moderately, the volume of pur-chases reported by e-
consumers increased overproportionally, which was con-trary to the positive but nonetheless modest
expectations with regard to future developments in e-commerce. In spring 2002, it was up 170 per
cent on the autumn 2001 figure, rising from EUR 4.2 billion to EUR 11.5 billion in total. Despite the
growing number of e-shoppers and a significant increase in the volume of e-commerce, the general
mood among e-consumers with regard to their own financial situation in future is rather cautious.In
Belgium, France and the Netherlands, there has been a considerable fall in the number of e-
consumers who anticipate a positive development in their own situation, while the share of those
believing in such a positive development increased slightly in Spain and the UK.

Business is good, except in France

While Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK saw a significant increase in the e-
commerce sales volume reported by e-consumers, with an index value of 75 per cent, in France this
figure was considerably down. In Bel-gium and the Netherlands, the sales volume doubled within six
months, rose by one and a half times in Spain and even trebled in Germany and the UK.

The attitude to e-commerce, however, developed very differently. While the index value was slightly
up in France, i.e. the number of optimistic e-consumers in spring 2002 was higher than in the autumn
of 2001, the index value re-mained unchanged for Spain and the UK and was lower for Germany and
the Netherlands. There are still considerable differences between the countries in terms of the
change in purchase rate, i.e. the number of e-consumers. In France, the num-ber of users fell by
around 22 per cent, while it grew slightly in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK and expanded
considerably in both Germany and Spain.

The GfK Group

The GfK Group, a leading global market research organization, achieved total revenue of EUR 536
million in 2001 (2000: EUR 481 million) in its four business divisions, Consumer Tracking, Non-Food
Tracking, Media and Ad Hoc Research. In addition to 15 German subsidiaries, the company has over
110 subsidiaries and affiliates located in 51 countries. Of a total of 4,750 employees, approxi-mately
1,450 are based in Germany. For further information, visit our website: www.gfk.com.

GfK AG, Public Affairs and Communications

Dr. Ulrike Schöneberg
Nordwestring 101
90319 Nuremberg
Fon + 49 911 395-2645
Fax + 49 911 395-4041
public.affairs@gfk.de

Glossary of survey terminology:

gfk-webgauge An information system which provides fundamental quantitative data on growth in

Internet usage and e-commerce for major European countries. Currently, surveys are
carried out in Bel-gium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The
representative sample in each country comprises a mini-mum of 1,000 Internet users.
The survey relating to wave 3 was carried out in February/March 2002, that relating to
wave 2 in September/October 2001.
e-consumers: All Internet users who have purchased goods or used pay ser-vices offered on the
World Wide Web at least once in the last six months.
Index –The number of people who, in spring 2002, believed
consumer that their financial situation would develop positively
mood: Number of people who, in autumn 2001, saw the
future positively
Index –(Number of e-consumers in spring 2002 / Number of e-consumers in 2001)*100
purchase rate:
Index –(Sales in EUR in spring 2002 / Sales in EUR in autumn 2001)*100
market vol-
ume:

Glossary of GfK names and technical terms:

Ad Hoc Research Partly standard, partly customized services relating to marketing questions of the
most varied type, from product and concept tests right up to continuous
monitoring of communication and marketing campaigns.
Consumer Continuous and special surveys and analyses relating to consumer buying
Tracking decisions and habits providing information on almost all fast moving consumer
goods, plus a large number of slow moving consumer goods and services.
Media Qualitative and quantitative information on media consumption including data on
both the classic media (TV, radio and print) and the new online and offline
media.
Non-Food Tracking Continuous and systematic surveying of sales development in consumer
durables markets.