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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The five year outlook for the online search market
- Market context
- AI is transforming online search and shifting expectations
- Advances in technology are transforming mobile shopping and search
- Graph 1: consumers who shopped online via smartphone, by age*, 2024
- Opportunities
- Brands must move beyond tracking-based advertising
- Cater to 16-34s with comprehensive search options
- Support community exchange to appeal to 16-34s
- Younger Germans drive the combination of voice and visual search
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- Financial concerns continue to shape consumers' cautious buying behaviour
- AI drives innovation and growth in the online search market
- All age groups are becoming more familiar with gen AI
- Personal and flexible: AI shapes expectations on how we search online
- Technological advances enhance mobile shopping experiences
- Mobile shopping strikes a chord with Germans
- Graph 2: consumers who shopped online via smartphone, by age*, 2024
- Smartphones are evolving with smart search features
- Fewer third-party cookies complicate online targeting for brands
- AI and social search gain greater importance in a cookie-less online world
- EU regulations impact development of online services in Germany
- EU challenges tech companies but can drive consumer trust in digital services
- How the EU regulates the evolving tech landscape
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Market context
- Traditional search engines are ubiquitous, but evolve with AI trends
- Google remains by far the most popular search engine
- Graph 3: search engines used in the last three months, 2024
- Gen Z is least likely to exclusively use Google as a search engine
- Graph 4: consumers who only used Google as a search engine in the last three months, by age, 2024
- Wide reach makes social media platforms significant players in online search
- Graph 5: social media platforms used in the last three months, 2024
- Instagram is most popular with Gen Z, while Facebook remains important for reach
- Graph 6: social media platforms used in the last three months, by age, 2024
- Regulatory and technological advances likely to drive social search
- AI chatbots set to become a daily presence in consumers' lives
- Younger consumers are embracing AI
- Graph 7: use of AI chatbots in the last three months, by age, 2024
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Starting points of online search
- Germans have online search options, yet search engines remain the primary choice
- Younger Germans leverage the breadth of online search possibilities
- Graph 8: type of online platform consumers go to first when searching for information, NET, by age, 2024
- Human-centric content gives social media an edge as a key search platform for young consumers
- Tap into the potential of platforms with a particularly young consumer base
- Graph 9: consumers going to any social media platform first when searching for information on any topic examined, by platform usage, 2024
- Enthusiasm and higher trust in AI results drive chatbot adoption among 16-34s
- Adapt online presence to be found by in-depth AI search queries
- Category search online
- Searches for clothing and news are more likely on relevant websites compared to other categories
- Graph 10: type of online platforms consumers go to first when searching for information on the following, 2024
- Expand on-website search options to allow multimodal search
- Young women use social media more than search engines for beauty and health info
- Use of search engine features
- Location based searches poised to gain more traction with rise in mobile shopping and search
- Provide comprehensive in-store details online to capture location-based searches
- Adapt to image search behaviour with visual optimisation
- Younger Germans drive the combination of voice and visual search
- Show dedication to safety to enhance consumer confidence while browsing
- Disruptions in online search
- Personalised adverts are the greatest annoyance when searching online
- The contradictory effects of personalised ads
- AI-generated summaries can appeal to young consumers seeking unbiased news
- Behaviours regarding online search
- Data privacy influences consumers' expectations for online search platforms
- Graph 11: behaviours regarding online search, 2024
- AI needs to overcome reliability concerns to unleash its full search potential
- Graph 12: whether consumers trust search results from AI chatbots, 2024
- 16-34s' anonymous browsing habits underpin the need to turn away from external data personalisation
- Graph 13: consumers who often use private/incognito mode to hide their search history, by age, 2024
- Despite privacy concerns, private browsers and search engines remain unpopular
- Leverage community exchange to appeal to 16-34s
- 16-34s boost online research, seeking more neutrality and proof
- Simplify the overview of various testimonials
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- Google integrates gen AI into search
- OpenAI rivals Google with SearchGPT
- Google combines video and voice search with the help of AI
- Apple Intelligence will turn devices into intelligent personal assistants
- AI assistants turn online search into more interactive experiences
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
55% of German internet users aged 16-34 spend more time researching products/services online now than they did a year ago, while 66% double check their search results on other platforms.
Advances in generative AI and its integration into hardware and software are making online search even easier and more personalised. Consequently, the high expectation for quick and accurate results means that brands must adapt their online presence.
However, Germans are sensitive towards sharing online activities and data. 71% of internet users find it important to be able to delete their search history, and 29% often use private/incognito mode to hide their search history, rising to 54% of 16-24s.
Brands should rely less on tracking and instead develop their own data generation concepts, while taking advantage of innovative search tools that allow consumers to make detailed and personalised queries. Additionally, by using human reviews and fostering community exchanges, brands can attract younger consumers and distinguish themselves in an increasingly AI-driven content landscape.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The five year outlook for online search in Germany
- The online platforms consumers are using and primary sources for looking for information on listed topics
- Search engine features used, with location-based search topping the list and multimodal search poised for increased popularity
- Online search experiences that consumers find most annoying, with personalised ads caught between being beneficial and disruptive
- Behaviours regarding online search, with younger consumers’ private browsing behaviour calling for brands to move away from reliance on tracked data
AI is changing expectations of how we search for information and what we receive, requiring brands to ensure their visibility through hyper-personalisation and detailed online representations.
Lena Rittmann, Analyst
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