"Germans' ongoing cost-of-living concerns and a weak labour market dampen consumer confidence. Brands that break new ground to strengthen loyalty will secure future spending."
Dr. Jennifer Hendricks, Principal Analyst - Consumer Lifestyles, Germany
Germany enters 2026 with its economy in a holding pattern; labour market weakness is severe, and about half of industry associations are bracing for layoffs. Looking forward, government investment is expected to drive some recovery in GDP growth, albeit small, keeping the macro outlook cautious, rather than optimistic.
This is also reflected in consumer behaviour; 63% of Germans have cut back on their overall spending in the past year, and 44% are adding more money to their savings compared to a year ago as a result of Germany’s current economic situation. This is proof of financial stability taking precedence over non-essential purchases.
Consequently, the most significant threat here is sustained cost-of-living anxiety normalising persistent caution, which can lock in a defensive spending mentality and stall recovery in private-sector demand even if broader economic prospects begin to improve.
As brands grapple with these challenges, the greatest opportunity lies in securing brand loyalty, for example by redefining value with loyalty ecosystems and non-monetary incentives that reinforce brand connections and lay the foundation to boost future spending.
Instant delivery when paying by credit card, invoice orders may take longer
Save 10% when you purchase two reports together.
Save 15% when you purchase three reports together.
Save 20% when your purchase four or more together.
Discount automatically applied at checkout
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.
Contact us
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.
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
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.
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
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.
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.
Contact us
