Kasia Davies
Research expert covering the German market
Social media in Germany - statistics & facts
Social media has connected people in a way that was previously unimaginable. In Germany, there are over 45 million users on social media platforms. There are various ways in which people use such platforms, for some it is a way to keep in touch with friends and family or even to (virtually) meet new friends, as a form of entertainment, or even as a profession. The latter of these has become especially prevalent in the past five to 10 years. Those who make money from social media are called influencers.
Some of the most famous and most followed influencers worldwide include Khabane Lame, Charli D’amelio, and Addison Rae. These stars found their fame on TikTok making videos that went viral, which led to them amassing millions of followers. In Germany the most popular platform for the younger generations in particular was Instagram. Initially, the platform was just a forum for people to post pictures that could be liked and commented on, however, the development of social media meant that features such as instant messaging, Stories and Reels were introduced. The most popular German Instagram stars were Lena Mantler, Younes Zarou, and Pamela Reif. Reif became especially popular from her fitness content on YouTube, where she posted easy 10 to 20-minute at-home workouts. As with many influencers, she has accounts on various social media channels, which is a way for influencers to maximize their income. How most content creators make money is through partnerships with companies. This involves creating a story, post, or video promoting a product or service to their followers. Usually, the creator will be paid a lump sum by the company and then can also sometimes earn commission from followers who use their link to make a purchase.
Thanks to influencers and the heavy promotion of products that takes place on social a new trend has arisen, social commerce. This is where the entire shopping experience takes place on the social media platform rather than on the manufacturers’ website. The advantage for brands with this is that there are fewer possibilities on the consumer journey for the customer to drop out. Furthermore, it has proved to be a successful market with an expected revenue of over six billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Both Facebook and Instagram offer individuals and businesses the opportunity to set up a shop on their platform. For people in Germany, Instagram appears to be the most popular social network when it comes to shopping with over 40 percent of people stating that the platform had made them aware of a product that they subsequently bought.
This trend of social commerce will likely become more integrated into the social media experience. For example, TikTok shop is seeing success in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, as well as the United States. It is, however, yet to arrive in Germany, but over the past year, there have been talks about introducing the feature to more European countries, so it is likely that in the coming year or two, it will be introduced.
Influencers
Some of the most famous and most followed influencers worldwide include Khabane Lame, Charli D’amelio, and Addison Rae. These stars found their fame on TikTok making videos that went viral, which led to them amassing millions of followers. In Germany the most popular platform for the younger generations in particular was Instagram. Initially, the platform was just a forum for people to post pictures that could be liked and commented on, however, the development of social media meant that features such as instant messaging, Stories and Reels were introduced. The most popular German Instagram stars were Lena Mantler, Younes Zarou, and Pamela Reif. Reif became especially popular from her fitness content on YouTube, where she posted easy 10 to 20-minute at-home workouts. As with many influencers, she has accounts on various social media channels, which is a way for influencers to maximize their income. How most content creators make money is through partnerships with companies. This involves creating a story, post, or video promoting a product or service to their followers. Usually, the creator will be paid a lump sum by the company and then can also sometimes earn commission from followers who use their link to make a purchase.
Social commerce
Thanks to influencers and the heavy promotion of products that takes place on social a new trend has arisen, social commerce. This is where the entire shopping experience takes place on the social media platform rather than on the manufacturers’ website. The advantage for brands with this is that there are fewer possibilities on the consumer journey for the customer to drop out. Furthermore, it has proved to be a successful market with an expected revenue of over six billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Both Facebook and Instagram offer individuals and businesses the opportunity to set up a shop on their platform. For people in Germany, Instagram appears to be the most popular social network when it comes to shopping with over 40 percent of people stating that the platform had made them aware of a product that they subsequently bought.
This trend of social commerce will likely become more integrated into the social media experience. For example, TikTok shop is seeing success in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, as well as the United States. It is, however, yet to arrive in Germany, but over the past year, there have been talks about introducing the feature to more European countries, so it is likely that in the coming year or two, it will be introduced.
