Germany

The less contact the better seems to be the rule of thumb in 2022’s German market, with hands-off brands climbing to the top of the rankings. Many markets around the world continue to feel the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic – customer needs have changed for good in some places, and brands that have adapted to an omnichannel approach dominate the rankings this year.

The German non-retail sector once again emerges as the market leader. The sector’s embrace of online retail and investment in AI-supported tools for personalized online shopping prepares it for the coming years when orders via apps, home deliveries, chatbots and virtual consultations become commonplace. How brands guarantee customer data security will, however, likely continue to be a major challenge.

Reflecting this theme and entering the CEE ranking in its first year at an impressive third place, Picnic is the virtual supermarket that German customers can’t get enough of – it’s like a supermarket without the weekend rush.

Originally a Dutch start-up, Picnic’s USP is offering high-quality food at the lowest prices, delivered to customers free of charge. Unlike major supermarket chains with huge property overheads, Picnic can offer low-cost produce and free delivery as it does not pay high rental costs on physical stores.

Though non-grocery retail remains the top performing sector in the region, Picnic has thrived in the past year. As it has steadily made its name in the German market, Picnic expanded from 500 employees in 2020 to 2,000 in April 2021, and it’s clearly not slowed down on its customer excellence journey.

Consumer behavior has changed drastically in the German market, galvanized by the recent pandemic and extended periods of lockdown. The way customers now prefer to interact with suppliers is remote-first, with digitally enabled brands outperforming brick and mortar stores for customer experience across the board. Encouraging consumers back into towns and cities is a clear challenge for German brands, but a seamless online purchasing ecosystem should be a priority for any brand hoping for longevity in this new market.

Picnic truly (and literally) delivers when it comes to its online buying journey, which has built vast customer loyalty in the market. With a Time & Effort score of 8.82, customers clearly benefit from its intuitive ordering app, which promises next-day delivery – for free – on orders submitted before 10:00pm. As one customer said: “Great staff, great products, great value for money and super service – I can only recommend that you order there”.

  05. Rituals

  06. Nike

  07. Thalia

  08. Douglas

  09. Baur Versand

  10. Fressnapf