Digital platforms? - We don't know, we don't need

Digital platforms generate billions in revenue and have fundamentally changed entire industries such as hotels, retail, and the music and film industries in recent years.

But German companies continue to struggle with this development. More than half (54 percent) of the managing directors and board members of companies with more than 20 employees say they have never heard of the platform economy, platform markets or digital platforms.

Only four out of ten respondents (43 percent) say they know the terms. This is the result of a representative survey of 505 companies from all sectors commissioned by the digital association Bitkom.

Compared to last year, when 36 percent of respondents knew the terms and 62 percent had never heard of them, this is only a slight improvement.

"Entrepreneurs who ignore the opportunities offered by digital platforms today are acting with gross negligence. That's like entrepreneurs in earlier years turning a blind eye to automation or electrification."

says Bitkom President Achim Berg.

"Digital platforms will establish themselves in virtually every industry. The platforms are breaking up value chains that have grown over decades, providing greater transparency and creating more competition. Companies should explore all opportunities to build or use such platforms."