NIQ Retail Spend Barometer
Austria
Food Retail on the Rise, Slump in Technology: Austria’s Market in the Quarterly Report
- For everyday consumer goods, Austrian consumers spent 2.7 percent more in the second quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
- The situation is different for T&D products, such as household appliances, technical consumer goods, or DIY supplies. Here, retail spending in 2024 fell by 0.3 percent compared to the previous year’s quarter.
Growth in the FMCG market thanks to targeted pricing strategies
For everyday consumer goods, Austrian consumers spent 2.7 percent more in the second quarter than in the same quarter of the previous year. For the first time in a long while, this sales growth resulted from higher demand in terms of volume. After several years of declining sales, a positive trend reversal has been evident since the fourth quarter of 2023, particularly in categories such as cooking oil, rice, pasta, and meat and dairy alternatives.
The TV sector benefits from the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, while the rest of the T&D market is under pressure.
The situation looks different for T&D products such as household appliances, technical consumer goods, or DIY supplies. In these segments, retail spending in 2024 decreased by 0.3 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Segments like mobile computing, monitors, and smartphones saw significant sales declines due to market saturation, with drops of 6 percent in mobile computing, 13 percent in monitors, and 10 percent in smartphones.
Driven by the European Football Championship, TV sales are a positive exception, showing growth in the second quarter of 2024 after a prolonged slump. After years where major sporting events had little positive impact on T&D sales, the 2024 UEFA Championship provided a boost, especially in flat-screen TV sales. Other products, such as air purifiers (33 percent sales increase) and air conditioners (65 percent sales increase), also saw significant growth due to the hot summer months.
“Austrian consumers are very deliberate in their purchases: they consciously wait for the ideal moment to benefit from the best offers. In a market that is increasingly saturated, it’s important to react flexibly to trends and continuously adapt strategies to meet consumer needs. With our combined market and consumer data, companies gain the ‘Full View’—a comprehensive overview of the Austrian market—and can respond to changes early on. This allows us to provide clear recommendations for targeted adjustments to their strategies.”
Oliver Schmitz, responsible for the retail sector at NIQ/GfK in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland