Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Europeans—especially Germans—are visiting more businesses online, more often than ever
COVID-19 | Digital | Europe
November 4, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed more European consumers and industries online. Germans’ use of digital channels has jumped 28 percentage points, versus an average of 13 for the continent as a whole.
To read the article, see “Reimagining the auto industry’s future: It’s now or never,” October 27, 2020.
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Visual form
Sparkline grid chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart is a matrix of small sparkline panels covering multiple industries across 16 European countries. Read one country or industry sparkline at a time, then scan across the full grid to compare where online engagement jumped most sharply.
What is being compared
It compares changes in engagement with industries through online channels across European countries and sectors. The chart highlights how much digital-channel use increased during the COVID-19 period, with Germany standing out against the continental average.
Measurement system
The measure is change in digital-channel engagement, expressed in percentage-point increases. Each sparkline shows the movement for one country-industry pairing or one country’s industry bundle, allowing the reader to compare the size of the shift rather than just the direction.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The graphic uses many small trend panels instead of one large line chart, so the reader can compare multiple countries and industries in parallel. The repeated sparkline form makes outliers like Germany’s larger jump stand out from the rest of Europe’s more modest increases.
Main takeaway from the visual
Europe moved decisively toward online business engagement during the pandemic, but the shift was not uniform. Germany stands out as the biggest mover, making the chart read as a widespread digital acceleration with one especially strong national outlier.
Key standout values or extremes
The clearest anchors are the average 13 percentage-point increase across Europe and the 28 percentage-point increase in Germany. The source article also notes that 72 percent of first-time German users and 70 percent of regular users planned to continue engaging online even after the crisis.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.