4th GfK Day: e-consumers in focus

On 20 February GfK Day was organised for the fourth time, this time giving an insight into the most typical e-consumption habits, with the participation of more than 60 Hungarian and international companies and their 120 representatives.

The event opened with a presentation by GfK Hungary managing director Ákos Kozák, who told that the per capita communication spending of Hungarian consumers is USD 264, about half of the communication spending in Western Europe. He opined that social and financial disparities have a great influence on the spreading of digital consumption patterns. Cultural and other special characteristics may also limit the expansion of online retail. Ralph Wirth, innovation and digitalisation director of GfK Germany stressed the importance of social media in reaching consumers. Client service director Otília Dörnyei and country manager Andrea Sztupár spoke about e-commerce sales data in Hungary and abroad; in 2013 online retail represented more than 3 percent of Hungary’s retail turnover. In her presentation client service director Rita Vella focused on changes in the situation of Hungarian consumers. Her view is that the expansion of the 18-49 age group may change present consumption and spending habits drastically. Client service director János Bacher closed the day with his presentations. He asked the key question: what do consumers do with their money? Last year 16 percent of consumers had some kind of savings and there was an upward trend in using these savings. GfK’s willingness to buy index was also climbing last year.