Confcommercio, 6 out of 10 Italians ready to take advantage of the sales

From tomorrow, six out of ten Italians are ready to hunt for a discount. Almost 49% of shoppers will take advantage of sales to purchase an item they have wanted for a long time, with a greater propensity among younger consumers. The percentage of those who expect to spend more than in 2024 is increasing, going from 20.2% to 22.1%.
These are the main results of the survey carried out by Confcommercio Imprese per l’Italia in collaboration with Format Research on consumer purchasing behavior and the dynamics of the retail sector in the upcoming 2025 winter sales.

According to the survey, approximately 68% of consumers will purchase both in physical stores and online. Clothing (93.9%) remains the most popular category, followed by footwear (76.0%) and underwear (40.7%). The percentage of consumers who will use social networks to search for items on sale is decreasing, from 37% in 2024 to 31.4% this year. 55% have changed their purchasing habits as a result of climate change: data confirmed by 77.6% of companies reporting a delay in the start of demand for winter clothing. 53% only buy what they actually need during sales.

19% prioritize product quality regardless of the discount percentage. Businesses expect that during the January 2025 sales the number of customers in stores will be similar to that of January 2024, without expecting a significant increase. 64% of stores will offer discounts of up to 30% on products on sale.

Sales continue to represent an opportunity for businesses to acquire new customers, with almost 58% expecting visits from new shoppers. Furthermore, 78.2% of businesses expect winter sales to impact up to 20% of overall annual sales. 43.4% of retail businesses of fashion suffered a contraction in revenues in 2024 compared to 2023. Over 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs approve the introduction of a single sales start date throughout Italy.