7.16 Shopping in Germany-3 Mail order

Home shopping has affected German buying habits severely - according to the German Mail Order Association, Germany ranks second in the world among home-shopping giants behind the USA. The Association reported that in 1996, 49% of Europe's mail-order trade came from German citizens. They also reported that there are at least 20 main mail order companies, 12 of which are based in Germany and of these twelve, two are the largest houses in the world. This means that around 350 million catalogues are printed each year, which works out to be about four catalogues per person or at least 10 catalogues per household in Germany. Catalogue houses advertise heavily and you are almost guaranteed to receive something unsolicited from them in the mail. Sometimes it's the catalogue itself or a postcard inviting you to order the catalogue. Larger houses, such as Otto, Neckermann or Quelle send regular post card invitations asking 'occupants' to fill-in the card and return it to receive a free gift.