Overview
- Trade researcher Kai Hudetz reports the category is more crowded than ever, with a flood of new formats competing for shoppers.
- Premium editions have surged in price, including sex toy calendars at €209, wine at €96 and perfume at €495, alongside cheaper mass-market versions.
- Surveys show strong early adoption, with more than half of Germans owning a calendar before Advent and 82% viewing them as suitable gifts for children, partners and friends.
- Consumer advocates warn that elaborate presentation inflates costs, with per-item prices in calendars sometimes more than double standard retail packaging.
- Cost-conscious strategies include waiting for steep discounts around early December despite sell-out risks, making DIY or shared reusable calendars, and joining church-led, noncommercial Advent activities such as Bad Honnef’s daily neighborhood gatherings.