Christmas shopping in Vienna: record numbers in the shopping boom!

Christmas shopping in Vienna: record numbers in the shopping boom!

The pre-Christmas shopping boom is in full swing! After a record-breaking first weekend in Advent, which was heavily influenced by Black Friday, people continued their shopping activities on the second Saturday in Advent. There was an enormous number of customers, especially in Vienna's city center. The shops and shopping centers were crowded and many people took advantage of the beautiful weather to stroll and visit the festive Christmas markets. This is confirmed by Rainer Will, managing director of the trade association, who noted that the number of visitors to the shopping streets increased by up to 20 percent compared to the previous year, while increases of up to 40 percent were even reported on the first Saturday of Advent, when Black Friday and Advent Saturday coincided. Sunday, December 8th, the celebration of the Conception of Mary, also attracted many people to shop the Saturday before.

Visitor numbers are also increasing in Germany

A similar picture emerges in Germany. Despite high inflation and crisis situations, footfall in the country's shopping streets continued to rise in 2023. This is reported by Hystreet, a service provider that measures pedestrian flows in over 100 cities. The evaluations show a nationwide increase of around two percent compared to 2022. The popular shopping streets in Cologne, Leipzig and Munich in particular recorded an increase in the number of visitors. Cologne's Hohe Straße, one of the busiest shopping streets, even experienced an increase of 15 percent in 2023. This data shows that despite economic difficulties, city centers are still valued as social meeting places, as Hystreet's Julian Aengenvoort explains.

Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufingerstrasse in Munich are the most visited streets in Germany, with 28.6 million passers-by each. Christmas business has also returned to the pedestrian zones in North Rhine-Westphalia, where a total of 6.7 million people were in the most heavily frequented places, such as Schadowstrasse in Düsseldorf. The results of these trends demonstrate a remarkable upward trend in retail, both in Austria and in Germany, as confirmed by a look at the urban shopping landscapes, where the voucher boom continues unabated, as 42 percent of Austrians plan to give away vouchers today.at reported.

The situation is similar in the large German cities, which are noisy 24rhein.de show that despite challenges, people are flocking to their city centers again. The hope of increasing sales through the happy Advent season is palpable and gives retailers hope for positive results.