Residents of Hamburg to spend big this Christmas

25 November 2021

Record expenditure planned, survey finds - trend goes back to stationary trade

Residents of Hamburg are planning record spending on Christmas presents this year, a survey by the FOM University of Applied Sciences has found. Around 1,900 people in Hamburg were interviewed for the survey. Traditional gifts such as books, perfume and games were particularly popular. Shopping in stationary retailers is also trending and many people are looking forward to the festivities, the survey found.

Record spending on Christmas gifts

"We expect the anticipation of Christmas and the concern about more price rises to fuel buying significantly in the run-up to Christmas," said Prof. Dr. Oliver Gansser, Scientific Director of the FOM's Christmas survey. Residents of Hamburg are expected to spend around EUR 581 on Christmas presents - EUR 70 more than in 2020 and EUR 100 more than in 2019.

Trend to stationary trade

Unlike trends in 2020, most respondents are going to shop in stationary retailers with 70 per cent saying offline shopping was important. A good half of residents want to buy Christmas presents online and one in five at Christmas markets. Books, cosmetics, perfume as well as toys, clothing, shoes and accessories are particularly popular gifts. Smart home appliances, infotainment products as well as vouchers were mentioned less frequently than in previous years, the survey found.

Anticipation predominates

Around 88 per cent of interviewees are looking forward to spending time with family or friends this Christmas and 77 per cent are looking forward to the festivities. Almost half of Hamburg's residents expect to feel relaxed in the run-up to Christmas and about one in four, on the other hand, fear stress.

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