As soon as the clocks go back, windows and gardens, from the UK, Germany and Scandinavia to Italy and Spain, are adorned with all manners of twinkly stuff. The Christmas season starts earlier every year: some complain about the loss of magic as from October discounters are full of fairly light chains and other glitzy Christmas decorations, and Lebkuchen and gingerbread make their first appearance on the shelves of supermarkets. Source: Euromonitor International from National Statistics Pre-Christmas Cheer: A Collective Return to Childhood Savings Ratio as a Percentage of Disposable Income in Eastern and Western Europe: 2007-2012 However, Radio Prague reported retail industry sources as saying that parents appeared to be inclined to combine costlier electronics with cheaper wooden toys and family board games this year. The survey also found that Czech children will receive five presents on average this Christmas, with electronic toys and gadgets a firm favourite. As consumers are looking for bargains, internet retailing in Greece has been registering rising sales every year since the economic recession, with further room for growth expected.Īccording to Bronislav Pánek from Deloitte & Touche, “Czechs want to enjoy the Christmas holidays and put the economic crisis and their own problems aside for a few days”. Meanwhile in Greece, sales in the run-up to Christmas were down by 20% in 2012, with worse business expected this year, according to the Hellenic Retail and Business Association. People from Madrid, Valencia and Catalonia are the country's biggest spenders. Spanish retailers are looking at yet another tough Christmas as the average sum spent on Christmas presents, toys, lottery tickets, food and leisure was down to €560 in 2012 (€114 less than 2011) and falling. Dreaming of a Cheap Christmas as Stockings Remain Half EmptyĮurope’s crisis regions continue to tighten their purse strings at Christmas. One growing clothing segment is luxury lingerie: despite the dire economic conditions in much of Europe, Euromonitor International predicts that women's underwear will see some of the strongest growth rates in women’sĬlothing. Amazon is facilitating this in its Kindle store with the “Give as a gift” function. In Germany, downloads of books, music, games, films and software now have an 11% sales value share in the entertainment market, according to market research company GfK, with e-books taking a 40% share, which is expected to grow in the run-up to Christmas. 72% of respondents indicated that they will buy in-store, while 28% will use both e-commerce and m-commerce methods of purchasing. The survey found that 43% of respondents indicated that they use both websites and stores to search for products and 55% use both for comparing products. Digital technologies including mobile and social media play an important role in gift research and comparison. In its Christmas Spending Survey 2012, the consulting company Deloitte identified the ways in which Irish consumers search, compare and buy products, both online and in stores. For the media, it’s a time of increased advertising, as in the UK, where the department store John Lewis leads the Christmas advertising round by launching a £7 million Disney-style campaign across conventional and social media. For many less affluent consumers, Christmas is a time to give presents that are useful, to enjoy the increased social activities on offer and to gather at home to enjoy food, drink and company. Digital media are both facilitating the shopping experience and the object of desire. Second-hand items, upcycled products and bargain hunting are growth areas for “green” consumers searching for sustainable presents.Ĭhristmas is the time when wishes are fulfilled, dreams become true, and more money is spent than throughout the year.Families will not stint at festive meals As budgets shrink, food and drink will be one of the areas that remain important at Christmas.Online shopping will become more important each year, as smartphones and tablets facilitate shopping The increasing sophistication of smart device functions is providing users with theĬonvenience of shopping on the move, with apps facilitating the experience.Pre-Christmas cheer: a collective return to childhood.Dreaming of a cheap Christmas as stockings remain half empty.These and other topics will be examined in this year's look at how European consumers are approaching the Christmas period. What most consumers across Europe have in common at this time of year, though, is a return to family values, a celebration of friendships and copious opportunities for eating, drinking and being merry. While for many European families this Christmas is yet another exercise in restraint, other consumers will seek out expensive gadgets and exclusive designer pieces.
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