Online Shopping Habits in Germany: Consumers Buy More During the Week

Online Shopping Habits in Germany: Key Insights

• Consumer Spend Has Shifted Since 2019: Data analytics of Mastercard payments reveals that consumers are increasingly shopping earlier in the week since the pandemic. This shifting habit is enabled by remote work and flexible schedules. Consumers are also spending more on self-care.

• Holiday Shopping Is Happening Earlier: The popularity of shopping events to stock up for the holiday season is well known. Last year, Black Week and other events took place earlier and shoppers followed.

Shifts in consumer behavior are natural and data analytics make it possible to track these changes over time. Recently, it has become clear that online shoppers in Germany tend to make their purchases earlier than they did five years ago. 

Although it is only the end of September, and you may dread hearing it, holiday shopping is also happening earlier. Here is what Mastercard's shopping pattern analysis has revealed about shifting consumer habits in German eCommerce.

Consumer Spend Has Shifted to Weekdays

Before the pandemic, Saturday was a typical day for most shopping. With the shift to remote working and flexible work schedules, consumers shifted away from Saturday (-2.9 percentage points from 2019) and increasingly shopped during the week. Shopping on Monday increased (+0.4 percentage points), as did shopping on Tuesday (+1.8 percentage points) or Wednesday (+0.8 percentage points). 

Similar to shopping for everyday items, leisure spending is also increasing during the week compared to 2019. For instance, consumers are more likely to spend money on self-care (+2.2 percentage points) or fitness (+3.8 percentage points) on weekdays. In this segment, Tuesday is again the day on which consumers spend the most. A general trend that has been observed is that consumers are more willing to spend their money on wellness and health since the global health crisis.

Holiday Shopping Is Also Happening Earlier

The same trend of changing habits can be seen in the holiday season: Consumers in Germany tend to buy products for the holiday season earlier and earlier. eCommerce makes it easier to compare prices, and online shoppers are looking for the best deals. 

That's why participation in shopping events such as "Black Week" or "Singles' Day" is as high as 67% among the youngest consumers aged 18 to 29. Participation declines with age, dropping to 41% for users aged 50 to 59 and 21% for those over 70.

These shopping events, which take place in October and November each year, are an ideal opportunity to purchase holiday gifts at discounted prices. In 2023, retailers began the Black Week earlier than usual, which shifted the average holiday shopping times back. As a result, peak holiday shopping periods occur during Black Week and just before Christmas.

Last year’s survey by GfK in partnership with Mastercard shows that online shopping is an essential channel for purchasing holiday gifts. 73% of consumers said they had shopped online for Christmas before. 

Of the categories purchased

• 51% purchased holiday gifts online 

• 28% bought holiday decor 

• 27% bought gift vouchers 

• 27% bought advent calendars

There is a high propensity to buy holiday items during shopping events such as Cyber Monday because of their timing. The earlier they are, consumers will follow.

Sources: E-Commerce Magazin – Mastercard