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In a tense economic context, the French are no exception as the end-of-year holidays approach by considering not spending too much. Across Europe, the time has come to let go.
While the economic situation calls for caution, the French have declared in recent days in a variety of studies how much they want to be generous during the upcoming end-of-year holidays. There is a desire to let go and break a routine marked by the rigor of monitoring one’s budget and hunting for bargains in order to reduce expenses as best as possible. And this is not a French exception.
On a European scale, Christmas is shaping up to be a time that everyone wants to enjoy. Even though the inflation rate fell sharply in the European Union last June to stand at 2.6%, European consumers were affected by the surge in prices which cut into their budgets. The recent Boston Consulting Group 2024 “European Consumer Sentiment” report indicated in October that 39% of Europeans are now spending more on essential goods. They have thus reduced purchases of textiles (-20%), snacks and alcohol (-15%). And even if the price trend is downward, almost three quarters of Europeans still observe an increase in stores (73%) while 25% declared that their income had fallen during the first half of 2024.
Unsurprisingly, inflation is therefore a real worry for Europeans, starting with the French (85%), the Spanish (76%) and the Italians (73%), reveals a Shopfully/Offerista Group* study carried out in eight European countries. To cope, they plan to indulge in fewer trips (51%) and fewer meals at restaurants (52%), but not at all to restrict themselves during the holidays. Only 17% of respondents decided to give up Christmas shopping completely. This is particularly the case in Bulgaria (27%), Germany (20%) and France (20%).
Like the French, all Europeans therefore plan to play the anticipation card to have fun at Christmas. For example, 40% will start the gift hunt earlier than usual, especially in Spain (43%). As for Italians, Black Friday (27%) will be a privileged opportunity to fill Santa’s bag. Otherwise, to close their budget, they will distribute expenses better (56%) and they will be more vigilant about promotional offers (46%), knowing that the quality/price ratio remains a sine qua non priority (40%). The good compromise thus lies in the frequentation of both physical stores and a connection to online merchant sites for almost half of Europeans. A strategy that the Germans (62%) and Austrians (56%) are particularly adept at.
*ShopFully and Offerista Group conducted the “Christmas Shopping 2024” study by collecting data from a sample of users aged 18 and over in 8 European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy and Romania) via the ShopFully and Offerista Group applications. The survey was carried out between September and October 2024.
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