Christmas sales

Customers are now buying clothes, watches and vouchers

The trade association is satisfied after the third Christmas shopping Saturday. There were a quarter more customers than in the previous year, said chairman Rainer Willi. Vouchers, clothing and sports equipment are currently the most popular purchases.

Watches, jewelry and toys are also doing well at Christmas, according to the trade association. This year's Christmas sales (total December sales are counted, please note) are expected to exceed the previous year and reach 7.5 billion euros. The third weekend of Advent was "even a tad better than the second". "Things are going well," said Styrian trade chairman Gerhard Wohlmut.

"If the fourth weekend of Advent also performs above expectations, we will be well above the previous year's turnover of 7.34 billion euros in December."

An average of 50 euros per gift
According to a recent survey of 1,000 Austrians, a third of respondents will spend less this year than in 2023. Half will spend a similar amount to last year. On average, 50 euros will be spent per gift.

Incidentally, vouchers are particularly popular with retailers: "In most cases, the value of the voucher is exceeded by 15 to 20 percent when it is redeemed," said Wohlmut. However, in some cases this can lead to annoyances for customers, as was the case recently with the Kika/Leiner bankruptcy.