Overview
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s consumer ministry and the state Verbraucherzentrale caution shoppers about look‑alike fake shops, urging checks of the impressum, EU contact details, and use of the fake‑shop finder.
- Complaints about digital fraud topped 10,000 last year and have already reached about 8,000 in the first three quarters of 2025, with the Verbraucherzentrale reporting 12% of online shoppers hit by fake shops over two years.
- Retailers have stretched promotions into mid‑November with advance deals that marketing experts say dilute the single‑day focus and can confuse customers.
- Price analysis from Idealo found 73% of items cheaper around Black Friday in 2024 but an average saving of about 7%, with larger cuts on TVs and vacuum cleaners and lowered consumer discount expectations.
- Surveys indicate solid interest in shopping, with YouGov showing nearly half likely to buy and PwC estimating average planned spend of €265, as trade groups forecast roughly €5.8 billion in sales, about 2% below 2024.