Statista study unveils what is important to Germans when selecting their energy provider

Energy market debate: Many providers are better than their reputation

Hamburg, 2015-10-01 – the energy market debate is in full swing. The energy market 2.0 should also continue to guarantee providers a free pricing strategy. But the rate is just one topic that the German market for energy is interested in. What is it really about? As part of this scope, Statista unveils a unique study on what customers in Germany really pay attention to when selecting their energy provider – and differentiated for 40 regions/administrative districts in Germany. To do so, 6,000 people were asked, and a total of 26,000 decisions were analyzed.

Energy customers are a single homogeneous mass

Various heterogeneous customer demands are created with the variety of energy providers on the market. In this way, around 20% are “deal hunters” who are particularly fond of a bargain; approximately 16% are neutrally-oriented people who do not struggle with the topic nearly at all; around 20% place particular value on sustainability; an additional 15% pay attention to the regionality; and a proud 29% place particular value on the image that the provider embodies.

East Germany is aligned more toward the price; Northern and Southern Germany pay more attention to sustainability

Through factor analysis, Statista Research and Analysis identified four factors that play a huge role when selecting an energy provider: Rate, sustainability, communication and presence. Considering the relevance of these factors in 40 regions of Germany brought interesting regional differences to light. The “rate” factor (price and price guarantee, among other things) is of great importance primarily in the East and in Rheinland Pfalz, in contrast to Bavaria and Northwest Germany. The best customer evaluations were experienced with the clean energy factor. “Sustainability” was above all particularly emphasized in the south and the north of the country, as well as in Saarland; the East placed less value on it. In the Dessau region, great value, in contrast, was placed on the communication of a provider. “Presence” was particularly a very important factor in the regions of Dessau, Magdeburg and Dresden. In Southwest Germany and in the Berlin region, this factor appears to be of less importance.

Many providers are better than their reputation

Even if various different groups of customers and regional particularities are found in these factors, the study clarifies one thing in any event: Many providers are vastly better than their reputation. This result is derived from the deviation between the perception and the customer evaluation of an energy provider. In first place: Tchibo with a deviation of 30.2%. This company is significantly better than its reputation. This is both in overall evaluation and also in the individual categories of sustainability and presence.

Additional information on the study can be found here: Energy Study 2015