Austria

Although Austria enjoys solid economic freedom and a strong rule of law, a shift to the far right could create policymaking instability. Whilst unemployment is relatively low and inflation is falling, the economy is set for a marked slowdown in the…

Retail volume sales of womenswear are projected to fall over 2023. This is partly due to stabilisation following two years of rebound, especially in 2022, from the slump recorded during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. However, demand has…

Sportswear in Austria is starting to show signs of saturation after an excellent recovery from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many consumers purchased sportswear/athleisure for comfort and ease during long periods at home in the wake of…

As in womenswear, retail volume sales of menswear are projected to decline over 2023, as the category stabilised following rebounds, especially in 2022, from the Coronavirus (COVID-19)-induced slump in 2020. Moreover, economic uncertainty amid high…

Men’s jeans and women’s jeans are projected to see retail volume sales decline across price segments over 2023. In Austria, the purchase of new jeans was not a priority at the end of the review period, with many consumers already owing one or more…

Hosiery slowed down in Austria in 2023 in comparison with 2022, as the cost of living crisis instilled caution over spending among consumers. Additionally, consumers purchased more hosiery in 2022, after two years of reduced demand due to the…

Footwear has been under particular stress with the shift from traditional leather shoes to other materials and sports shoes for many years. In particularly, children’s footwear has been under pressure, and it is projected to see the biggest decline…

Purchasers of childrenswear focused on quality and less at quantity as they became more mindful of personal finances and textile waste. Still high inflation in 2023 translated into retail current value growth, despite the decline in retail volume…

After two challenging years due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the recovery of apparel and footwear started in earnest in 2022, but retail volume sales did not return to the 2019 level. On the other hand, high inflationary pressure on…

Given the economic uncertainty at the end of the review period, Austrian consumers purchased fewer apparel accessories. While the boom in fashion face masks (“other” apparel accessories) ensured a positive retail volume growth performance overall in…

Fear of Coronavirus (COVID-19) played little or no role in 2023 and tourism flows, inbound and outbound, are set to reach close to their pre-pandemic level of 2019. In addition, domestic tourism flow is projected to exceed the 2019 pre-pandemic…

Tourism flows to from and within Austria in 2023 continued to evolve strongly towards pre-pandemic levels, as most of the fears around travel and social distancing inherited during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) period dissipated. In the aftermath of the…

Sweet biscuits, snacks bars and fruit snacks recorded solid growth in value terms in 2023. Sweet biscuits continued to generate the lion’s share of value and volume sales during the year. Overall, the increase in levels of mobility after the period…

Sugar confectionery registered good growth in value and volume terms during 2023. Pastilles, gums, jellies and chews continued to generate the largest proportion of value sales and experienced good value growth in 2023, contributing strongly to the…

Austrian consumers are extremely fond of snacking. Whether confectionery, savoury snacks, ice cream or sweet biscuits, snacks bars and fruit snacks, consumers like to treat themselves with a snack. The demand for snacks remained stable in 2023 with…

Savoury snacks experienced significant growth in value terms during 2023. However, this significant value growth stemmed mainly from price increases, with inflation remaining high in Austria for the second consecutive year. Within snacks, savoury…

The demand for lodging continued to increase in 2023. Hotel room nights are set to be only slightly below the 2019 pre-pandemic level at the end of the review period, while inflationary pressure on prices saw current value sales exceed the 2019…

The trend towards plant-based products, including ice cream, continued in 2023. Plant-based ice cream recorded the most significant growth within ice cream during the year. Not only is the consumer interest in plant-based ice cream growing, but the…

After low demand during the pandemic years, gum sales were up in 2023, after experiencing a revival in 2022. The relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and the reduced incidence of wearing masks pushed up demand for chewing gum in 2023. Gum is mainly…

The demand for chocolate confectionery remained stable in 2023, with a slight increase in volume terms but a solid rise in value sales. Value growth stemmed largely from increases in average unit prices. The overall rate of inflation in the country…

In 2022, Austrian consumers were still very uncertain as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They tended to err on the side of caution, booking complete travel packages via travel agencies. Otherwise, they preferred to book hotels…

Sharp price increases for a second year in a row failed to significantly dampen the strong demand for travel, and passenger numbers recovered strongly to move towards the 2019 pre-pandemic level. In 2022, sharp increases in fuel and energy prices,…

The number of households is set to increase moderately in Austria over 2022-2027, with single person remaining the dominant household type. In 2022 household spending was affected by inflation, which elevated living costs. The fastest household…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

Wound care in Austria has continued to see declining sales in retail volume terms with current value growth being the result of an inflation driven increase in unit prices. Wound care last saw growth in retail volume terms in 2021 as consumers…

With consumers becoming more active again and spending more time away from home going to the gym, doing sports outside, and going on outdoor pursuits such as walking and cycling the overall demand for weight management and wellbeing has decreased…

Sales of vitamins have continued to drop sharply in retail volume terms in 2023, with price inflation unable to prevent the category from recording a decline in current value terms, too. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 there was a surge in demand…

Sports nutrition has been one of the few bright spots in consumer health in Austria in 2023 with sales continuing to benefit from developing health and fitness trends in the country. With consumers being more concerned about their overall health and…

Retail volume sales of sleep aids are declining for the second year running in 2023. The outbreak of COVID-19 led to increased levels of fear and anxiety in 2020 and 2021 which helped drive record sales of sleep aids. With conditions improving in…

Paediatric consumer health has recorded a small sales decline in current value terms in 2023. Children are becoming more prone to getting sick now that the pandemic is over, with them not staying home as much anymore, going to school/daycare,…

24% of Austria’s adult population still smokes in 2023, although this figure has been steadily declining for several years, falling from 27% in 2018. The pandemic provided further incentive to quit smoking with medical bodies highlighting the added…

Herbal/traditional products has continued to grow in current value terms in 2023 albeit volume growth has been curbed by financial uncertainty, high inflation and a sharp rise in the cost of living. With incomes stretched consumers have been focusing…

Elevated inflation and spiralling manufacturing costs has led to further price increases within eye care in Austria which has helped to support current value growth in 2023 but has led to a significant decline in retail volume terms. Despite seeing…

Digestive remedies continues to see strong mid-single digit growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit this is mainly being driven by price increases rather than an increase in demand. High inflation and the rising cost of manufacturing and…

Dietary supplements has seen mixed results in 2023 with some categories recording healthy growth while others have seen a steep drop off in demand. Overall, consumers are frequently using dietary supplements in 2023 as they look to lead healthier and…

Dermatologicals is seeing mid-single digit growth in current value terms in 2023, although like many areas of consumer health this is largely the result of price increases. Prices have been rising across all categories of dermatologicals as a result…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies received a strong sales boost in 2022 due to consumers returning to working in the office more frequently again and kids returning to in-school classes. This led to consumers spending more time among other…

The World Health Organisation declared the end of the COVID-19 health crisis in 2023 with this having an overall negative impact on sales of consumer health in retail volume terms. For example, demand for products with a strong focus on immune health…

While sales of analgesics are seeing mid-single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, sales have seen a steep decline in retail volume terms. The main reason for this disparity between value and volume growth in analgesics is the sharp rise in…

The global economy is facing weaker growth and increasing fragmentation, as a result of rising geopolitical tensions, especially due to the war in Ukraine and the US-China strategic rivalry. Protectionism, industrial policy and a focus on resilience…

Austrian incomes remain among the highest in Western Europe. However, the government responded to the challenges posed by soaring inflation in 2022 by implementing a substantial anti-inflation relief package to assist those most affected. Going…

Vienna is set to remain Austria's most populous city by 2027 while Linz leads in disposable income per capita. Austria's cities boast high internet connectivity, paving the way for 5G network adoption and digital transformation. Salzburg, Graz and…

Yoghurt and sour milk products are set to register a moderate performance in 2023, with rising retail value sales. Yoghurt, which includes plain yoghurts, flavoured yoghurts and drinking yoghurts, generates the lion’s share of sales. Flavoured…

In 2023, plant-based dairy is set to perform well, with average unit prices remaining relatively stable. The demand for plant-based products continues as more and more consumers take an interest in animal welfare, the environment and health.…

Other dairy is set to record a stable performance in terms of current retail value and volume sales in 2023. Although average unit prices have remained stable during 2023, they continue to be at a high level. As consumers have less money to spend,…

Drinking milk products are set to record a moderate performance in 2023. Retail volume sales will register a stagnant performance, as current retail value sales of overall drinking milk products decline compared to 2022, as average unit prices of…

Dairy products and alternatives is set to record stagnant current retail value sales in 2023, while dairy continues to generate the bulk of sales. With the health and wellness trend rising, dairy products benefit from generally being considered…

Austria is a country with a strong tradition of cheese-making, and the consumption of a wide range of cheese remains very popular in the country, leading cheese to account for the largest share of value sales within overall dairy products and…

Following the record-high growth rates for Butter during 2022, due to inflation and the higher cost of energy, boosting price points, the average unit price of Butter slightly declined in 2023. The amount of special offers for branded butter products…

Prepared baby food continues to generate a substantial part of baby food's current retail value sales, with glass jars and pouches being extremely popular due to the high levels of convenience they offer. As such, prepared baby food is set to…