DHL's E-Commerce Trends 2025 report reveals what matters most to online buyers in CEE during the Christmas shopping season: fast and flexible delivery, trusted logistics partners, and seamless returns, alongside growing expectations for social commerce, AI tools, and sustainability.

UX (user experience) has in recent years been a buzzword in discussions about attracting retail customers. However, nothing puts consumers’ emotions and well-being to the test more than the pre-Christmas frenzy and visits to shopping centres. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s retail customer experience survey, 42% of Polish respondents say that their shopping experience is impacted by sound and music, with 41% and 38% citing the interior design and lighting in a shopping centre respectively. Over 40% of the surveyed respondents say that they are irritated by crowds and noise when shopping. These are important insights for property landlords and managers responsible for creating optimal conditions that will drive positive shopping experiences.

According to the results of the survey conducted by Colliers among consumers from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, respondents indicated that they would spend less or the same amount of money on food and gifts (50% and 74%, respectively) when compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019. Thanks to high inflation, the money will not stretch quite as far as in previous years. The survey also showed an increased awareness of the problem of food waste - reducing the amount of groceries bought for this reason was declared by Hungarians (24%), Poles (18%) and Romanians (16%).