German consumers under the age of 35 are more likely to turn to social media, AI chatbots and influencer recommendations for product advice, according to a study by Simon-Kucher and Appinio.
Of this cohort, some 54% said that they use Instagram to research product information, while 42% use TikTok. Consumers over 35 are more likely to reference printed brochures (50%) than their younger counterparts (29%).
Other findings include that more than a quarter (26%) of people under 35 said they use AI chatbots to obtain product information, compared with about 9% of older consumers, while 25% of younger consumers rely on influencer recommendations, compared to 12% of older consumers.
Type of content
In terms of the type of advertising content valued by the two cohorts, some 24% of younger consumers said they wanted entertainment and emotional content from advertising, compared with 16% of older consumers. Simon-Kucher said this difference means retailers need to consider both the communication channel and the content used to reach different age groups.
“The biggest mistake isn’t doing something wrong, but trying to do the same thing for everyone,” commented Dr. Tobias Maria Günter, retail partner at Simon-Kucher. “There isn’t just one customer base, and that’s precisely what many strategies ignore. Trying to reach everyone dilutes your impact—and ultimately loses both sides.”
AI chatbots
Notably, both cohorts are ‘still hesitant’ about AI chatbots, however younger people are more likely to use this channel, with a quarter of customers under 35 using chatbots for product information, compared to only about one in ten older customers.
“Hype doesn’t replace actual use. What’s widely discussed isn’t necessarily used,” Günter added. “Some classic advertising methods are far more attractive than expected. Outdoor advertising currently often outperforms AI by a wide margin.”
The study was conducted in November 2025, and surveyed 1,000 people in Germany about media influence and advertising preferences across food, DIY and garden, fashion and shoes, drugstores, electronics, furniture and decor, and sports and leisure. Read more here.
