BLACK FRIDAY SURVEY 2025: two-thirds of Germans take advantage of deals, impulse beats shopping list

A recent survey by MediaMarktSaturn shows that 59 percent of Germans are inspired by special offers rather than shopping with a fixed list. For most, the budget remains realistic.

Ingolstadt, 19 November 2025. For many, Black Week is an opportunity to time their tech purchases. Just in time for the start, MediaMarktSaturn conducted a representative survey of over 1,000 people in Germany about their shopping behavior. The results of the “Technik-Puls 2025” survey reveal, among other things, how Germans approach the upcoming shopping season, how they search for deals, and how they share them in their private sphere. Differences are particularly evident between age groups.

A look at consumer trends this fall:

• Black Friday firmly planned: 65% of Germans have already shopped during Black Week, 46% of them even multiple times.
• Impulse rather than plan: The majority (59%) are inspired by offers, while only 32% shop according to a fixed list.
• Black Friday budget 2025: 39% of respondents plan on spending up to €300, while 21% deliberately do not set a fixed limit.
• Why do we look for deals? The joy of fulfilling a wish (30%) is the biggest driver – not the fear of missing out (2%).

Find the full survey here: https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/content/themen-specials/aus-aktuellem-anlass/technik-kauf-umfrage-2025

Black Friday: Inspiration beats shopping list 

Black Week is well established in German retail: 65% of respondents have already used the week of special offers to make purchases, 46% of them even multiple times. Shopping itself rarely follows a rigid plan. The majority (59%) are inspired by the offers and make spontaneous decisions. Only around a third (32%) wait for suitable deals with a fixed shopping list and budget. There are significant regional differences: while Black Friday has a fixed place in the calendar in Hamburg and Bremen, with 64% of respondents each, Berlin (38%), Brandenburg (34%), and Saxony (31%) are more cautious, with a high proportion of non-buyers.

The Black Friday budget for 2025: realistic, with room for maneuver 

Germans are realistic when it comes to their budget for this year's Black Week: the largest group (25%) plans to spend between €100 and €299. A smaller budget of less than €100 is planned by 14%. One-fifth (21%) deliberately do not set a fixed budget in order to remain flexible. The majority of younger people are planning budgets of up to €300, while older age groups are less likely to set a fixed limit. Hamburg residents are particularly keen to spend: 12% of respondents there are planning a budget of €1,000 or more, which is well above the German average of 2%.

Why we hunt for bargains: reward instead of FOMO 

The biggest incentive for searching for deals is not the fear of missing out (FOMO), which only 2% of respondents mention. Instead, Germans are driven by a mix of emotional reward—such as fulfilling a long-cherished wish (30%)—and the rational certainty of having made a smart purchase (28%). Successful deals are usually discussed in small circles (42%), but for 8% of respondents, deliberately concealing purchases is also an issue from time to time.

Digitally informed, personally advised

When researching before purchasing expensive electrical appliances, a clear pattern emerges: the most important sources of information are manufacturer websites (20%), comparison portals (17%), and customer reviews (15%). Despite this digital dominance, personal advice remains crucial: for almost three-quarters (73%), it is “important” or “very important.” Its importance increases significantly with age: while only 18% of 18- to 29-year-olds rate advice as “very important,” the figure rises to 42% among the over-70s.

____

About the methodology

Over 1,000 people in Germany were surveyed for this representative survey in fall 2025. The survey was aimed at people aged 18 and over and covered various age groups, genders, and regions. The content of the survey included general shopping behavior during Black Week, planned budgets, motivation for searching for deals, the importance of advice, and willingness to repair items.