Our Christmas top sellers
22.12.2016
Translation: machine translated
From photo printers and fondue sets to drones and virtual reality goggles: We know what the Swiss are giving each other for Christmas this year. One thing is already clear: it's not just the shopping that's digital, but also the gifts.
Christmas shopping by the local population is increasingly taking place online. This is reflected in a sharp increase in sales at Digitec Galaxus, Switzerland's largest online retailer. But what's going under the Christmas trees this year? We have the answers.
Technology, gadgets and gizmos
This Christmas is more digital than ever: the best-selling products at Digitec and Galaxus before Christmas include a wide range of electronic devices across all categories. The trend towards technology has arrived, not least in the toy sector: Digitec and Galaxus are selling an above-average number of robotics items and interactive figures these days, for example. For example, the robot dog WowWee Chip, the programmable robot Mobsya Wireless Thymio or the learning caterpillar Flitzi from Fisher-Price. The Hatchimals - brightly coloured interactive plush toys that hatch from an egg - have also been out of stock in Switzerland and many other countries for weeks. "The trend towards such toys is likely to continue to grow over the next few years," says Hendrik Blijdenstein, Head of Purchasing and member of the executive board at Digitec Galaxus.
Drones are also extremely popular. Sales of remote-controlled flying objects picked up again significantly in this year's Christmas sales, making them one of the most popular products at Digitec and Galaxus. They currently account for around a third of total toy sales. Swiss customers' preference for high-quality devices is striking; the Mavic from DJI or the Typhoon from Yuneec fall into this category, for example. However, cheaper entry-level drones are also in demand, especially as Christmas gifts.
Compared to Christmas 2015, so-called power banks, i.e. external batteries for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, also sold extremely well this year. Powerbank sales have increased by around half compared to the previous year. The background to this is the change in user behaviour: Streaming music and videos as well as mobile gaming are now commonplace - and with them, high battery requirements.
Virtual reality glasses are all the rage in the gaming sector this winter, with three models: the VR glasses for Playstation 4, as well as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive models. The gadgets have only been available since this year - and sales have increased exponentially in the first few months of sales. "However, due to the high prices (they cost from 500 francs upwards), we suspect that these are products that our customers mainly buy for themselves for Christmas - rather than ones that end up under the Christmas tree," says Blijdenstein.
On the other hand, game consoles, video games, action cameras (especially the new GoPro Hero 5 Black), photo printers (Canon Selphy and HP Sprocket), lights that can be controlled via smartphone (Philips Hue) and portable speakers that play music via Bluetooth. The best-selling models here are from Ultimate Ears, JBL and Bose. .
Mid-century design and Lego Technic
In addition to technology, the Swiss will also find plenty of traditional items under the Christmas tree. Of particular note here is the mid-century design trend that characterises many flats and houses today. This year, for example, serving trolleys - small tables with wheels for placing food or alcohol - are selling better than ever before: sales at Galaxus have increased more than fivefold at Christmas compared to the previous year. Local online shoppers are also buying plenty of bar accessories such as elegant bottle openers and cocktail glasses to match.
This year's traditional gifts also include many jewellery items and watches as well as kitchen appliances such as pasta makers. The latter reflects the trend towards home-cooked, healthy food. Kitchen appliances are dominated by models from KitchenAid, Kenwood and Bosch. Other particularly popular kitchen appliances at Christmas are raclette and fondue sets.
When it comes to classic Christmas gifts, the old role models still shine through: While men often order women's jewellery, women buy high-quality cordless screwdrivers (Bosch) and razors with above-average frequency at Christmas. Among the latter, the OneBlade from Philips is a hit this year. Electric toothbrushes, on the other hand, are popular with both sexes, selling almost twice as well at Christmas time as the annual average.
Children can also look forward to traditional gifts: the Lego toy brand has staked out a considerable area for itself under the Christmas tree. Lego Technic models, including a Porsche, a shovel wheel excavator and a tractor, are selling significantly better this year than at Christmas 2015. And Davos sledges and bobsleighs are also doing much better than last year at Galaxus. So the Swiss are not letting the lack of snow spoil their winter mood.
Selected products from this article
Alex Hämmerli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.chAt Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.