Amazon Germany's CEO Rocco Bräuniger called Germans "control freaks" for checking delivery statuses more often than other Europeans. In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, he shared insights on likely Christmas gifts and rejected claims that Amazon harms city centers.
Rocco Bräuniger, head of Amazon in Germany, discussed German customer habits in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung. Many Germans obsess over tracking their packages, such as the courier's distance. "What Germans like to do more than any other Europeans is check their delivery status: for example, seeing how far away the courier is," he said. His take: "Maybe Germans are control freaks."
Looking ahead to Christmas, Bräuniger predicted gifts under trees based on Black Friday sales: WLAN repeaters, air fryers, and robot vacuums. These items were heavily promoted during the discount event.
On accusations that Amazon contributes to the decline of city centers, the executive pushed back. Official trade association figures show online retail accounts for just 13.4 percent of total retail. In areas with strong Amazon presence, city centers are actually faring well, Bräuniger noted.