E-Business &
E-payment
E-Business
Germany has a lot of companies that are up and coming in the E-business field. Germany has been and continues to be Europe’s largest market for E-business.
Germans quickly adapted to the internet and online shopping. A study done by two German Television networks ARD and ZDF, in May 2007 62.7% of Germans that are 14 yrs of age or older had regular access to the internet.
There are some companies that do business exclusively online. Some of those companies that are increasingly successful are eBay- an auction site; Forium- a site for financial products; car dealers such as Autoscout 24. In 2001 the German parliament passed a law that gives electronic signatures legal status equal to handwriten ones. Because of this E-commerce has really Grown in Germany. The number of people using the internet to buy goods increased by 6% during 2006, That is now more than half of the German population aged between 14-69. In January 2006, the European Interactive Advertising Association reported that 83% of German Internet users have used the Internet to make purchases, which is compared to the 78% average for the whole of Europe.
Germany has clearly had a good response to the E-business phenomenon. They are very interested in downloads, books, tickets, and clothing. There are some objections to E-commerce such as lack of personal consultation and the inability to inspect the merchandise. Those concerns though have not really put a damper on E-business in Germany. It continues to thrive and grow.
E payments
With the growth of E-commerce in Germany also comes the growth of E-payments. Of course there is the worry of payment security, however with higher security standards they have helped improve customer confidence.
More than one in three Germans bank via the Internet. Banks encourage online banking because it holds down their costs. Many banks such as public-sector banks, co-operative banks, and post bank offer a payment service for internet purchases called Giropay. There are also other services that allow payments through credit or debit cards, allow payment through a paypal account, or payment through your telephone bill.
Germany is on the cutting edge of the E-payment industry. They are open to new technology and enjoy the ease and comfort of banking and shopping from their own home.
Source
http://globaltechforum.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=rich_story&doc_id=11163&country_id=DE&title=Germany%3A+Overview+of+e%2Dcommerce&channelid=4&categoryid=29&country=Germany
