GfK eBike report has majority wishing to buy in store

Research firm GfK has published a new consumer eBike report that has shown the majority of buyers currently wish to make their purchase in a bricks and mortar store; however this is not exclusively true, with younger demographics tilted toward online.

75% of prospective buyers have a preference to buy from a retail location, where expertise is on hand to talk people through the technology and usage. Furthering the capture opportunity for bike retailers, over 90% visit a store for a ‘test drive’ before making a purchasing decision. The disparity in the trend is in the 18 to 24-year-old bracket where 60% say they have bought online if a purchase has already been made.

The factors that most weigh into the consumer’s requirements again differ between younger and older demographics, but tend to pivot around speed and technical features for the former and battery life and subsequent range for the latter.

These align somewhat to CyclingIndustry.News’ own research on the subject of what factors are most important to consumers buying. Our data, which pulls on retailer assessment of their customers’ requirements, suggests that price was cited most commonly, followed by backup support, the brand name on the motor and then the range estimate. The ability to connect with devices was deemed least important in our study at just 6% of respondents believing it important to customers.

As for usage, the eBike report has 45% of owners using their bike at least once per day, with growing numbers building usage into day-to-day routines such as commuting, or for the youth trips to educational facilities.

The study is based on a survey of 2,000 respondents based in either France, Germany, Belgium, Italy of The Netherlands.

Also contained in the eBike report buyers will find consumer views on different brands, which information channels inspire a purchases, understanding the potential of leasing as part of the ownership model, plus more on the customer journey to purchase.