Customer cards in Germany: PAYBACK leads the way in terms of market share and usage

Among all loyalty programmes, PAYBACK has the biggest market share and the highest number of active users in Germany. According to a recent study conducted by the market research institution “Gesellschaft fuer Konsumforschung” (GfK) in August 2007, more than every second household in Germany – that is, 61 percent – has a PAYBACK card. 56.5 percent of PAYBACK card owners always use their card when shopping, 38.5 percent use it occasionally and three percent never use it. Happy Digits came second in terms of market share, with 42 percent. With regards to card usage, PAYBACK ranks before Shell Clubsmart and Happy Digits, followed by the Lufthansa frequent flyer programme Miles & More. “According to our results, in terms of market share and usage, PAYBACK is the leading loyalty programme in Germany by far,” says Herbert Lechner, GfK Division Division Manager Panel Services. In the GfK study, the two cross-industry programmes PAYBACK and Happy Digits are followed by the Shell Clubsmart card, with 13 percent. It is ranked ahead of Miles & More, which achieved 10 percent. 22 percent of German households said that they did not own any of the cards of these major loyalty programmes. The study was conducted by GfK Universalpanel NonFood in August 2007 with a representative selection of 8,000 private households in Germany.