People in Germany want to spend less money on Christmas presents this year. According to a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, they budget an average of 263 euros – 34 euros less than last year. A good 2,000 people aged 18 and over were interviewed for the survey on behalf of the German Trade Association (HDE) from October 22nd to 24th.
21 percent want to spend significantly or slightly less than in 2024, 10 percent want to spend more, 54 percent want to spend the same amount. 6 percent don’t spend anything on gifts, 9 percent don’t say anything. A quarter of those surveyed plan to spend less than 100 euros on gifts. According to the survey, the most popular gifts include vouchers, toys, books and cosmetics and personal care products.
HDE sees a difficult environment and many uncertainties
For November and December, the HDE expects sales of around 126 billion euros – an increase of 1.5 percent compared to the previous year. However, adjusted for price increases, this would only correspond to the level of 2024.
“The Christmas business remains stable despite a difficult environment and many uncertainties,” said HDE President Alexander von Preen. Many retailers were cautious or pessimistic about what was by far the busiest time of the year. Retailers generate around 18.5 percent of annual sales in the last two months of the year.
Last year, dealers increased their revenues by almost 4 percent compared to 2023. The Christmas business went better than forecast.