The survey distinguishes between prams, travel systems, buggies and double/multiple prams. In Germany, France, Italy and England, travel systems constitute the highest selling category. In Italy, they even account for more than 50 per cent, although this percentage is falling. In Russia, it is the buggies that make the largest contribution to total sales, amounting to a 55 per cent share. A comparison of each country’s growth rates in the first half of 2015 reveals that the markets in England and Germany each posted double-digit improvements, whereas Italy and France sustained a slide in sales of 7 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. With stagnating sales triggered by falling prices, the Russian market plummeted by 12 per cent.
 
The German market delivered a strong performance in the distribution channels examined by the GfK (online trade, specialist baby retailers, hyper/cash&carry stores). Whereas online and specialist retailers witnessed a 44 per cent and 16 per cent leap in sales respectively, the hyper/cash&carry stores recorded an above-average jump in sales of 105 per cent – based, however, on a low starting point. Besides low-price buggies, the superstores saw a growth in demand for travel systems. As far as the prices of individual products are concerned, great differences were identified between distribution channels. Whereas a two-piece travel system costs an average of EUR 450 on the internet, the same product in a superstore averages at slightly more than half (EUR 240).
 
In England, where sales were stagnating, a surge in demand was suddenly recorded from January to June 2015. High-end prams and travel systems made an above-average contribution to growth. Compared to the first half of 2014, the average price for both categories has risen. Whereas consumers were still paying an average of EUR 462 for a travel system in the first half of 2014, they had to dig a little deeper in the first half of 2015, the average price having climbed to EUR 550.