BERLIN, Nov 25 (Reuters) - In only a few years, Germans

have become a nation of online shoppers, with most now turning

to devices to buy clothes, groceries and medicines in the wake

of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A survey showed that 99% of adults in Germany, where more

than 70% of companies still use fax machines, now shop online,

with 39% of respondents doing so at least once a week.

This is despite Germans being more negative on technology

trends than the European average, with a 2022 McKinsey study

finding them particularly critical of hyper-personalisation.

But that is changing, according to the study from the German

GfK institute with Mastercard ( MA ), seen exclusively by Reuters.

Alvaro Pinilla furnished his new apartment in Berlin online,

buying lamps, kitchen utensils, rugs and furniture online.

"It is the comfort of not having to leave home," the

30-year-old lawyer told Reuters. "I also think that online

prices are as competitive, or even better than, in a physical

store."

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as the impending

Christmas season, will mark highs for online trade and Germany's

main retail association HDE expects sales of 87.1 billion euros

($91.66 billion) for the e-commerce industry this year.

"If there's a week when I haven't bought anything, my brain

tells me 'time to treat yourself'," said Pinilla, who plans to

take advantage of Black Friday discounts to buy a new coat,

boots, scarf and gloves.

The survey of more than 1,000 respondents found that fashion

is by far the most popular product category in online retail:

Two-thirds ordered clothing and shoes online in the past 12

months, while at the start of the pandemic in 2020 it was 43%.

"I've kind of got into the habit of buying online during the

pandemic," Pinilla told Reuters, adding he had got better at

finding the things he wanted.

Germany accounted for $37.6 billion of Amazon's ( AMZN ) revenue in

2023, making it the company's biggest international market.

'SALES QUEEN'

Sarah Schedler also enjoys buying clothes online, because

she feels she can find what she needs faster than in a store.

"If something is at full price, I usually put it on my wish

list and then wait until it's reduced," said Schedler, a

29-year-old content manager. "I'm a bit of a sales queen."

Electronics are the second most popular category for online

shoppers, the GfK survey showed, with almost half of Germans

ordering these products online this year.

Schedler plans to replace her 10-year-old laptop this Black

Friday as she has seen good deals.

"I have the feeling that the prices are somehow lower

online, but it could just be my feeling," she said.

In just four years, online grocery shopping has also risen

to 25% from 7% in 2020, while the proportion of people who order

personal care products on the Internet has almost doubled, from

18% in 2020 to 35% in 2024, GfK said.

Almost four in 10 Germans prefer to shop on their mobile

phone, 10% a tablet and half from a computer, the survey showed.

"Most people always have their smartphone ready ... This

makes it easy to make spontaneous purchases," said Peter

Robejsek, Mastercard Germany managing director.

HDE estimates sales of almost 47 billion euros were

generated via smartphones, which accounted for a record 55% of

total online retail sales in Germany last year.

($1 = 0.9502 euros)