In 2024, despite 85% of Germans joining the holiday shopping spree and buying Christmas gifts, retail sales for the Christmas period rose by less than 1% YoY in real terms. Despite the festive spirit, Germans remained cautious, with 59% of Christmas shoppers opting for more affordable gifts compared to 2023.
Consumers seeking cost-effective gifting options are also driving retailers to rethink strategies, demanding a blend of online and offline channels. With 53% of shoppers seeing Christmas gift shopping as a chance to socialise, retailers can encourage spending with lounge areas and more inviting store atmospheres. Moreover, a focus on AI-driven personalisation and capitalising on early holiday shopping trends has become integral for survival in a fast-changing market.
However, retailers face a silver lining in the form of growing demand for sustainable products. As consumers become increasingly eco-conscious, retailers have opportunities to distinguish offerings with eco-friendly gifting options. A targeted marketing approach, focusing on environmental responsibility, could not only enhance brand reputation, but also attract new, conscientious customers.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Overview of Christmas retail sales, market drivers and outlook for the next five years
- Products purchased for Christmas 2024 and channels used for purchase
- Retailers used to shop for products for Christmas 2024
- Who consumers purchased Christmas gifts for in 2024
- How much consumers spent on Christmas gifts, and how this changed compared to 2023
- Consumer behaviours when shopping for Christmas
Despite high engagement in festive shopping, driven mainly by younger and more affluent buyers, consumers remained cautious in 2024 and focused on affordable and sustainable gifts.
Armando Falcao, Associate Director – Retail Reports
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Take Christmas shopping beyond the transactional
- Encourage cautious shoppers with social opportunities
- Attract younger Christmas shoppers with day-out shopping experiences
- Enhance the in-store experience with events and good food to target younger and wealthier shoppers
- Align online and in-store shopping experiences
- Supercharge ecommerce for a seamless online journey
- Explore the potential of AI to influence younger buyers’ buying decisions online
- Embrace the green wave in Christmas gift shopping
- Help Germans shop more sustainably for Christmas
- Boost Christmas sales with more sustainable gift ideas for young families
- Elevate gift offerings with exciting and more eco-friendly packaging
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CONSUMER
- Shopping habits during Christmas 2024
- Fashion, vouchers and food dominate Christmas 2024
- Graph 1: product categories purchased for Christmas, 2024
- Fashion, food and drinks are the most popular Christmas gifts
- Younger women buy fashion during Christmas
- Christmas shoppers favour online, but shop in-store almost as much
- Graph 2: channels used to shop for Christmas, 2024
- Target wealthier shoppers with an exclusive online shopping experience
- Offer a seamless omnichannel shopping experience to target younger Christmas shoppers
- Graph 3: channels used to shop for Christmas, by generation, 2024
- Boost differentiation and loyalty by aligning the online and in-store brand experience
- Younger women lead in Christmas gifting and drive festive retail sales
- Graph 4: repertoire of Christmas gift categories purchased, 2024
- Graph 5: repertoire of Christmas gift recipients*, 2024
- Appeal to young women with personalised and eco-friendly Christmas gifts
- Retailers used to purchase Christmas gifts
- Amazon dominates Christmas shopping
- Graph 6: retailers used to shop for Christmas, 2024
- Fashion retailers can boost their popularity for Christmas shopping in 2025
- Supermarkets and food discounters skew towards older, less affluent Christmas shoppers
- Graph 7: retailers visited, by Christmas shoppers’ average age and income level, 2024
- Tap into the full spending potential of wealthier, younger Christmas shoppers
- Families are the most likely to shop for Christmas at department stores, fashion retailers and non-food discounters
- Graph 8: retailers used for Christmas shopping, by household type, 2024
- Combine shopping with exciting social activities to attract families
- Who consumers bought Christmas gifts for
- Focus on children, self-gifting and reviving family traditions for Christmas 2025
- Graph 9: who Germans purchased Christmas gifts for, 2023 vs 2024
- Target families with pricey and sentimental gifts
- Gen Z leads in buying Christmas gifts for their parents
- Target Millennials with gifts for their children and Gen Z with gifts for their parents
- Graph 10: who Germans purchased Christmas gifts for, by generation, 2024
- Entice Gen Z shoppers with exciting Christmas gift ideas for their parents
- Target less affluent shoppers with affordable self-care gifting ideas
- Graph 11: who Germans purchased Christmas gifts for, by net monthly household income, 2024
- Capitalise on promoting the value of self-care Christmas gift sets for singles
- Amount spent on Christmas gifts
- Spending on Christmas gifts depends on income and household type
- Graph 12: average spend on Christmas gifts, by net monthly household income and household type, 2024
- Encourage higher-earners to spend more on Christmas gifts with exclusive, limited-edition items
- The young drive Christmas gift sales in Germany
- The young and financially healthy are most likely to have spent more on Christmas gifts in 2024
- Graph 13: spend on Christmas gifts compared to the year before, by age group and financial situation, 2024
- Younger shoppers to drive Christmas gift spending
- Christmas shopping behaviours
- Balance cost-consciousness and exciting shopping experiences
- Graph 14: consumer behaviours towards shopping for Christmas, 2024
- Entice families with engaging social experiences and affordable gifts
- Social Christmas shopping
- Stores like Samsung Experience are designed to encourage lingering
- Ride the growing wave of AI-supported Christmas shopping
- Attract young families with sustainable gift options
- Promote environmentally friendly gifts for Christmas 2025…
- …but remain mindful of affordability
- Engage budget-savvy Christmas shoppers with value-driven Black Friday deals
- Graph 15: Christmas shopping behaviours, by financial situation, 2024
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Competitive strategies
- Early promotions and extended sales campaigns
- Personalised marketing and data-driven discounts
- Enhanced omnichannel shopping experiences
- Sustainability-focused products and campaigns
- Flexible payment options
- Exclusive and time-limited product drops
- Launch activity and innovation
- Aldi combines tradition and innovation with the ‘cheapest Christmas markets’ in Germany
- Zalando highlights the relevance and versatility of fashion during the Christmas season
- Douglas engages shoppers at the Christmas market in Dusseldorf
- Whoop entices consumer interest in health and wellbeing with gifts that stretch over an entire year
- REWE appeals to emotion during Christmas
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MARKET
- Market drivers
- Inflation has eased but consumers’ willingness to spend remains fragile
- Graph 16: harmonised consumer price index, by category, 2022-24
- Despite improving confidence, shoppers continued to seek value in 2024
- Graph 17: changes in financial situation vs previous year, 2023 vs 2024
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales remained flat in 2024
- Graph 18: spending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, 2019-24
- Ethical and mindful shopping habits are on the rise
- Generative AI is transforming the retail landscape
- Market size
- Christmas sales increased only marginally in 2024, as Germans remained cautious even in gifting
- Graph 19: Christmas retail sales in-store and online (excl VAT), 2015-25
- Focus on affordability and early shopping for Christmas 2025
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APPENDIX
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
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