EOS Studies - This is knowledge.

Knowing what moves the economy and society: That is our claim for the market and consumer studies of EOS. Our studies, which we produce together with renowned market research institutes, offer exciting facts about customer payment behavior, payment methods, digitalization and the benefits of data.

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EOS Consumer Study 2023

EOS Consumer Study 2023: Is the inflation crisis set to become a debt crisis?

First the Covid-19 pandemic, now record-breaking inflation and an energy crisis: Times have been tough recently, for companies as well as for us as humans. How have consumers in Europe experienced recent months? The “Europeans in Financial Trouble?” EOS Consumer Study 2023 investigated how consumption patterns and payment behaviors are changing in the current economic situation.

For the survey, a total of 7,729 consumers aged between 18 and 65 from 13 European countries provided information about their financial situation. The survey took the form of an online questionnaire and was completed between February 3-9, 2023.

Download survey report (1.3 MB)

"Europeans in financial trouble?" EOS Consumer Study 2023

EOS Study: One in five people are taking on debt as a result of inflation.

How have rising prices affected the financial situation of consumers? An EOS study reveals that many people have had to take on debt to compensate for inflation.

Debt in Europe due to inflation: consumers having to tighten purse strings.

EOS Study: Young people want more financial education.

Do you think young people have no desire to deal with their own finances? As a recent study shows, this is certainly not the case. The level of interest is great – as are their fears for the future.

Financial education for young people: Many young consumers feel financially insecure.

EOS Study: Is money still ‘men’s business’?

Who saves more, who makes decisions more confidently, and who has greater financial reserves? An EOS study reveals how differently men and women handle financial issues – and suggests possible reasons.

An image illustrates the financial insecurity of women amid the crisis: A woman with a calculator looks at a bill and holds her head worriedly.

EOS European Payment Practices 2022

The latest survey by EOS with insights and assessments from 3,200 financial executives.

EOS Survey “European Payment Practices 2022”: Companies need to step up the pace of their digitalization efforts.

Europe’s companies need to act. Because the payment practices of customers are worse than ever. At the same time, new technologies and social changes are challenging conventional processes and business models.

What are companies doing so as not to miss the boat? How are they making their receivables management more efficient? How data-driven are their decisions – and what is the role of artificial intelligence in this context?

The survey “European Payment Practices”, which EOS conducted in 2022 for the 13th time, provides the answers to these and other questions.

In 2022, the proportion of receivables in Europe that were paid late or were unrecoverable was 21 percent.

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Poor payment practices are spelling trouble for European companies.

How Europe’s companies are counteracting bad debts.

For many European companies, their existence is at stake, as a growing number of customers are paying their bills late or not paying them at all. And many financial executives fear that the situation is going to get even worse in future. Read here how companies are fighting back by outsourcing their receivables management and about the role played by new digital payment methods.

Illustaration of a picture showing a brain with a man standing in front of it asking questions.

If you don’t digitize, you end up sitting on your receivables.

For companies, defaulting customers don’t just mean less liquidity but also more work. Although a digitized reminder process can help reduce this workload and increase repayment rates, until now only half of all European companies surveyed had taken this step. Find out here why investing in a digital receivables management system pays off.

Illustration of a computer showing red crosses and green hooks.

European Payment Practices 2022: Survey structure

Respondents

Between March 4 and April 19, 2022, telephone interviews were conducted with 3,200 financial executives from companies with an annual turnover each of at least €5 million.

Countries

16 countries from Western and Eastern Europe: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Survey

Since 2007, the EOS survey “European Payment Practices” has evaluated the mood of the international economy. In 2022 it appears for the 13th time.

EOS Chatbot Survey 2021

How do companies use chatbots?

More and more companies in Europe are using chatbots.

The technology offers a lot of potential for communication and thus benefits not just companies and customers, but employees as well.

Two out of three companies in Europe are already using chatbots. The results of the recent Chatbot Survey 2021 by the EOS Group provide fascinating insights into how chatbots are currently being used and what expectations will be imposed on them in the future.

Download survey report (1.4 MB)

Another five percent of companies plan to introduce a chatbot in the next 12 months.

months

Chatbots are very popular in companies, but there is still a lot of untapped potential.

The chatbot revolution.

Hardly any communication tool is more efficient today than the chatbot. A prime example is the bot of the World Health Organisation (WHO): the bot answered 13.5 million questions via the messenger service Whatsapp alone - and in 19 languages! So it is not surprising that many companies also want to take advantage of the communication skills of digital helpers. But how many of them really exploit the potential of this trendy technology?

Humans and chatbots – a match made in heaven?

They are available around the clock and offer quick help. But will digital assistants soon compete with their human colleagues - or merely relieve them of tedious routine tasks? Read why in the end all parties can benefit from the use of digital assistants: employees, customers and the companies themselves.

EOS Chatbot Survey 2021: Survey structure

Respondents

2,800 companies from 14 European countries
Companies in the B2C segment, with a minimum workforce of 20 and annual revenue of at least €5 million (with the exception of Croatia)
200 computer-assisted phone interviews per country

Countries

Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, France, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Russia.

Survey

Kantar, a leading international market research institute.

EOS survey 2021 "Covid-19 Financial Report"

The financial situation of German consumers deteriorated as a consequence of the Corona crisis.

One in ten has excessive debt due to the pandemic.

Within a very short time, the Covid-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. From a financial perspective in particular, the pandemic forced a lot of people to reconsider planned expenditures or to take on debt just to make ends meet. The Covid-19 Financial Report commissioned by the EOS Group shows that in Germany there are people who slipped into excessive debt over the last year.

Download survey report (243 kb)