Customers in Germany have recently ordered less online.
From the perspective of online retail, the Christmas business has so far been disappointing, as the e-commerce association bevh announced based on a survey. Online sales in October and November were 4.2 percent lower than in the same period last year, it said. Black Friday discounts are included.
The results are based on a representative survey in Germany. Between January and November, around 40,000 consumers aged 14 and over were surveyed about their purchasing behavior in online retail. Sales were extrapolated from the answers.
Things were particularly bad at the end of the year for clothing, including shoes (-8.2 percent). However, sales in the toy sector increased slightly (+2.7).
Customers are increasingly turning to cheap offers
According to the industry association, the reason for this is also the uncertainty among consumers. News about massive job cuts in the economy, the traffic lights being turned off and the election of the new US president “did not create an untroubled Christmas spirit among the population,” said the deputy bevh managing director, Martin Groß-Albenhausen.
The poor Christmas business is spoiling the industry’s hopes of ending the year on a positive note. “Given the general tendency of customers to save and increasingly resort to cheap offers, the bottom line is that there is less left for retailers,” says Groß-Albenhausen.
Overall, the year for online retail has not been as good as 2023. According to the bevh, sales between January and November were 1.2 percent lower than in the same period last year. (dpa)