Gift cards for music, video games and apps are popular Christmas presents

• One out of every eight internet users in Germany plans to give gift cards for digital media for Christmas
• A quarter of sales revenue generated by computer and video games comes from download purchases
• Bricks-and-mortar retailers score points by providing advice and offering special editions of digital games

Berlin, 11 December 2015 – Approximately one out of eight internet users in Germany (13 per cent) plans to give gift cards for digital media like films, games, music and apps this Christmas – that’s over 7 million Germans. For younger age groups, in particular, gift cards for purchasing digital media on online downloading or streaming portals are popular Christmas presents. One out of four 14- to 19-year-old internet users (25 per cent) plans to give gift cards for digital media, reports the BIU, the German Games Industry Association, based on data from market research and opinion polling institute GfK. Music is particularly popular – about half of all internet users (49 per cent) who plan to give gift cards at Christmas want to buy gift cards for music services such as iTunes or Spotify. One in every three (33 per cent) of the internet users planning to buy gift cards wants to purchase gift cards for computer and video games to put under the Christmas tree. Vouchers for apps are also popular gifts – approximately one out of every four internet users (28 per cent) planning to buy gift cards wants to buy gift cards for smartphone and tablet app stores.
 
[quotation cite=”Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managign Director of the BIU”] “With the rising numbers and growing diversity of online platforms and services, gift cards for digital media are also becoming attractive gifts.[/quotation]‘Media consumption has been moving increasingly strongly towards digital media in recent years. With the rising numbers and growing diversity of online platforms and services, gift cards for digital media are also becoming attractive presents,’ says Dr Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU. ‘Download portals for computer and video games, in particular, offer a wide range of deep discounts around Christmas, making their gift cards an especially attractive gift for many gaming fans.’

Bricks-and-mortar retailers score points with advice and special editions

For quite some time, there has been a strong trend towards purchasing computer and video games via downloads. A quarter of the sales revenue (25 per cent) generated by digital games for game consoles and PCs in the first half of 2015 came from downloads. The percentage of sales revenue made up by downloads has doubled since 2013 (12 per cent). However, three quarters of the sales revenue generated by computer and video games still comes from digital games that are supplied on physical data storage media. During the Christmas period, in particular, bricks-and-mortar retailers are also able to score points with their ability to provide customers with helpful advice in finding the right games as gifts, as well as with special editions of the many blockbuster games that are released around Christmastime. What’s more, many players still care about owning computer and video games on physical media.

Note on market data:

Market research and opinion polling institute GfK surveyed 2,026 German-speaking internet users who are 14 years of age and older regarding whether they planned to give gift cards for Christmas this year. All data is representative.

About the BIU

BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (German Games Industry Association) is the association of the German computer and video games industry. Its 26 members are developers, publishers and providers of digital games, and they represent over 85 per cent of the German market. The BIU is, for example, the sponsor of gamescom. As an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, the BIU answers all questions on the topic of digital games.

Press contact

Martin Puppe
BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware e. V.
Charlottenstrasse 62
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30 2408779 20
Fax: +49 (0)30 2408779 11
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
Twitter: @game_eV
Facebook.com/BIUeV

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