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.
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
Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.
Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more£ 5,000 – £ 21,600
Mintel’s 2024-25 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study is designed to help you understand what brands and companies should prioritise in order to educate consumers and ensure...
Find out more£ 2,195
Germany's clothing retail market is experiencing a transformation – with a focus on digitalisation, sustainability, and enhanced consumer engagement – as economic challenges drive the need for innovation...
Find out more£ 2,195
76% of grocery shoppers prefer discounts over other rewards, showing a strong bias towards value as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. However, 45% of grocery...
Find out more£ 2,195
Non-food discounters in Germany are outpacing their food counterparts and other retailers, as 70% of Germans shop at homeware discounters and 66% at fashion discounters. Takko...
Find out more£ 2,195
Following years of high food and drink inflation, German grocery shoppers remain highly price sensitive. 87% of grocery shoppers compare prices between own-label...
Find out more£ 2,195
Fashion holds unparalleled importance for Gen Z, with 53% viewing it as their most vital tool for self-expression. This perspective drives high shopping...
Find out more
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more
