Press· Data as of:

Data from Germany · compared with the USA

Gift Report 2026: How Germany shops for gifts with AI

Data, charts and headlines free for editorial use. Based on 6,256 anonymised gift searches on beeshopping.de.

Press release (PDF)Infographic (PDF)
gift searches analysed
6,256
AI gift ideas
67,722
clicks on gift suggestions
4,200
to a finished list of ideas (median)
41 sec

A snapshot, not a study. These figures describe gift searches in Germany. The US appears in the country comparison, based on 547 searches. The figures show how beeshopping.de was used between 24 July and 11 November 2026. They are not a representative survey.

What is beeshopping.de?

beeshopping.de is a free AI gift finder from Bavaria, Germany. Answer four short questions and get personal gift ideas in less than a minute.

Try it yourself

Four questions to a gift idea

  1. Who is it for?

    For example wife, father, child or colleague.

  2. What is the occasion?

    Birthday, Christmas, anniversary or your own occasion.

  3. What are their interests?

    Select, type in or choose "Surprise me".

  4. What is the budget?

    The AI then suggests eight gift ideas.

Possible headlines

Use them as they are or rewrite them. Each headline leads to the matching finding.

  1. The gender gap under the tree: gift-givers budget more for boys than for girls this Christmas

    Go to finding

  2. Christmas 2026: gift-givers budget 30% more for children than for a birthday

    Go to finding

  3. The wish-list paradox: they ask for tech, they click on experiences

    Go to finding

  4. Generation "Surprise me": in one in two gift searches, the AI gets free rein

    Go to finding

  5. €82 for her birthday, €64 at Christmas: the Christmas budget for wives and girlfriends is smaller

    Go to finding

  6. Dad grills, Mum gardens: gift clichés are alive and well

    Go to finding

  7. Suggested 190 times, never clicked: the gifts nobody wants

    Go to finding

  8. Who leaves Germany most stuck for gift ideas? Sisters top the list

    Go to finding

The findings

Each card states country and sample size. Sentence, chart and link can be taken individually.

Country comparisonGermany and USA

Germany vs. USA: two gifting mindsets

53% vs. 33%"Surprise me" in Germany and the US

In Germany, "Surprise me" is chosen in 53% of searches; in the US, in 33%. US searchers more often type in their own hobbies (31% versus 19%).

For comparison: In the US, 39% name generative AI as their primary tool for at least one holiday shopping task (Deloitte, 15 Oct 2026). Deloitte

GermanyUSA
Chose "Surprise me"53%33%
Typed in own hobbies19%31%
Average budget€55$64
Budget up to €25 / $2530%18%
Searches for teenagers11%27%
Searches with a click on an idea33%25%
Searches analysed5,618547
Sample:
Germany n=5,618, USA n=547
Reliability:
“Surprise me”, share of teenagers and budget up to 25 significant
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: US sample is much smaller; the US version has only been online since August. Budgets in local currency, not adjusted for purchasing power.

Chart as PNG

Money & budgetGermany

The gender gap under the Christmas tree

€10more Christmas budget for boys than for girls

Gift-givers budget an average of €75 for boys at Christmas and €65 for girls. The gap shows across all occasions, for children and teenagers alike.

  • Boys
  • Girls
  • Christmas (children + teens)
    Boys:
    €75
    Girls:
    €65
  • Children, all occasions
    Boys:
    €59
    Girls:
    €53
  • Teenagers, all occasions
    Boys:
    €65
    Girls:
    €55
Sample:
Germany; Christmas n=141 boys / 107 girls; all occasions: children n=387/398, teenagers n=269/232
Reliability:
significant (p<0.01; children all occasions p=0.01)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: Budget = amount per gift chosen in the finder. The top level, "€100 and more", counts as €100. Not actual spending.

Story idea: Hook for family, society and equality desks: where does the gap come from? Are tech and gaming wishes simply pricier than craft and painting sets?

Chart as PNG

Money & budgetGermany

Christmas belongs to the kids

+30%more budget for children at Christmas than for birthdays

Gift-givers budget €71 for children at Christmas, compared with €54 for a birthday. Nearly one in two Christmas searches (47%) is for a child or teenager.

For comparison: The German Retail Federation expects gift spending of €262 per person for Christmas 2026, that is for all gifts combined (HDE, 3 Nov 2026). HDE

  • Birthday
  • Christmas
  • Children€54 → €71+30%
  • Teenagers€58 → €71+22%
  • Husband/boyfriend€71 → €71+1%
  • Wife/girlfriend€82 → €64−21%
  • Parents€55 → €51−7%
  • Friends€44 → €43−1%
Sample:
Germany; Christmas: children n=151, teenagers n=97; birthday: children n=579, teenagers n=378
Reliability:
significant (p<0.001)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: The comparison mixes summer and autumn data. In autumn alone, the increase for children is 19%.

Story idea: Consumer and business desks: who benefits from the Christmas budget? Fits with the German retail forecast of €262 gift spending per person.

Chart as PNG

Love & familyGermany

The Christmas budget for wives and girlfriends is smaller

−21%less budget for her at Christmas than for her birthday

Gift-givers budget €82 for a wife or girlfriend on her birthday and €64 at Christmas. For husbands and boyfriends the budget stays at €71.

  • Birthday
  • Christmas
  • Wife/girlfriend
    Birthday:
    €82
    Christmas:
    €64
  • Husband/boyfriend
    Birthday:
    €71
    Christmas:
    €71
Sample:
Germany; wife/girlfriend: Christmas n=38, birthday n=232; husband/boyfriend: n=53 / 306
Reliability:
significant (p<0.001), but small Christmas sample
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: Small sample (38 Christmas searches). Phrase as a tendency.

Story idea: Lifestyle and relationship desks: is the Christmas budget spread across more people? Idea for a reader poll.

Chart as PNG

Trends & clicksAll countries

The wish-list paradox: they ask for tech, they click on experiences

2×as often: experience ideas are clicked compared with tech ideas

Every 100 experience ideas shown attract 5.8 clicks, compared with 3.0 for tech. Yet tech is the most selected interest in Christmas searches.

  • Experiences
    5.8
  • Learning & discovery
    5.4
  • Puzzles & games
    4.8
  • Jewellery
    4.1
  • Books
    3.5
  • Fashion & style
    3.4
  • Tech & gadgets
    3.0
  • Wellness & spa
    2.8
  • Coffee & sweets
    2.2
  • BBQ & grilling
    2.1

clicks per 100 ideas

Sample:
All countries; 67,722 AI ideas shown, of which 4,145 experiences and 5,596 tech
Reliability:
significant (p<0.001); Christmas comparison with a small click base (41 and 27 clicks)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: A click means interest, not a purchase. The chart shows a selection of ten categories.

Story idea: Trend piece: time over stuff. Experience voucher, escape room and workshop providers make good interviewees.

Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourGermany and USA

Generation "Surprise me"

53%choose "Surprise me"

In 53% of searches in Germany, people choose "Surprise me" instead of or alongside specific interests. In the US the share is 33%.

For comparison: 29% of Germans use AI tools for gift ideas, and 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds (NIQ, 3 Dec 2025). NIQ

53%
Germany
33%
USA
Sample:
Germany n=5,534, USA n=535 searches with interests stated
Reliability:
significant (Germany vs. USA p<0.001)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: Share of searches in which at least one interest was selected or typed. In 32% "Surprise me" is the only input.

Story idea: AI and digital desks: how much decision-making do people hand over to AI? Complements surveys such as NIQ (29% of Germans use AI for gift ideas).

Chart as PNG

Love & familyGermany

The cliché check: Dad grills, Mum gardens

42%of searches for boys name gaming; for girls, crafts

For fathers, gift-givers most often choose DIY and barbecue; for mothers, gardening and wellness. Gaming leads for boys (42%), crafts for girls (42%).

  • Dad
    • DIY & workshop27%
    • BBQ & grilling24%
    • Tech & gadgets23%
  • Mum
    • Garden & plants25%
    • Wellness & spa19%
    • Jewellery17%
  • Boy
    • Gaming & tech42%
    • Football35%
    • LEGO23%
  • Girl
    • Crafts42%
    • Painting & drawing30%
    • Horses & ponies21%
  • Teen boy
    • Gaming32%
    • Tech & gadgets30%
    • Music19%
  • Teen girl
    • Beauty & care36%
    • Fashion & style30%
    • Jewellery25%
  • Husband/boyfriend
    • Tech & gadgets27%
    • Sports & fitness22%
    • Gaming21%
  • Wife/girlfriend
    • Experiences30%
    • Jewellery20%
    • Wellness & spa18%
Sample:
Germany; n=211 to 486 per recipient
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: The interests on offer differ by recipient (e.g. LEGO for children only), so the selection itself reflects some of the clichés.

Story idea: Society desk or column: do we give in gender roles?

Chart as PNG

Money & budgetGermany

Who is worth how much?

€78average budget for wife/girlfriend, the top value

The highest budget is planned for wives and girlfriends (€78), the lowest for colleagues (€34). For mothers and fathers it is almost the same, at €54 and €55.

  • Wife/girlfriend
    €78
  • Husband/boyfriend
    €69
  • Teen boy
    €65
  • Boy
    €59
  • Father
    €55
  • Teen girl
    €55
  • Mother
    €54
  • Girl
    €53
  • Friend (male)
    €46
  • Friend (female)
    €43
  • Colleague
    €34
Sample:
Germany, all occasions, n=4,766 searches with a budget
Reliability:
wife/girlfriend vs. husband/boyfriend significant (p<0.001); father vs. mother no difference
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: Budget = amount per gift chosen in the finder. The top level, "€100 and more", counts as €100.

Story idea: Chart piece or ranking article: "What our loved ones are worth to us".

Chart as PNG

Love & familyGermany

Gift-givers are most often stuck for ideas when buying for a sister

64%choose "Surprise me" when buying for a sister

"Surprise me" is chosen most often when the gift is for a sister (64%). Colleagues (62%) and wives or girlfriends (61%) follow.

  • Sister
    64%
  • Colleague
    62%
  • Wife/girlfriend
    61%
  • Friend (female)
    58%
  • Mother
    57%
  • Girl
    54%
  • Teen girl
    50%
  • Husband/boyfriend
    49%
  • Father
    48%
  • Teen boy
    47%
  • Boy
    44%
Sample:
Germany; n=102 to 776 per recipient
Reliability:
sister vs. boy significant (p<0.001)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Story idea: Service piece: gift ideas for the hardest recipients.

Chart as PNG

Love & familyGermany

At Christmas, the best friend disappears

26% → 9%share of searches for friends, birthday vs. Christmas

For birthdays, 26% of searches are for a friend. At Christmas it is 9%.

  • Christmas
    47
    16
    12
    16
    • Children & teens: 47%
    • Partner: 16%
    • Parents: 12%
    • Friends: 9%
    • Others: 16%
  • Birthday
    32
    17
    11
    26
    14
    • Children & teens: 32%
    • Partner: 17%
    • Parents: 11%
    • Friends: 26%
    • Others: 14%
  • Children & teens 47% / 32%
  • Partner 16% / 17%
  • Parents 12% / 11%
  • Friends 9% / 26%
  • Others 16% / 14%

Christmas / Birthday · per cent

Sample:
Germany; Christmas n=675, birthday n=3,673 searches with a recipient
Reliability:
significant (p<0.001)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourGermany

Sofa shopping: gift hunting happens after work

41 secfrom first tap to the list of ideas (median)

41% of Christmas searches start after 6 pm. From first tap to a finished list of ideas takes 41 seconds (median).

0 h–23 h · per cent

Chart values
0 h0.8%
1 h1.0%
2 h0.3%
3 h0.0%
4 h0.0%
5 h0.5%
6 h1.1%
7 h3.3%
8 h2.8%
9 h3.7%
10 h4.5%
11 h5.2%
12 h5.5%
13 h6.0%
14 h5.1%
15 h5.6%
16 h7.8%
17 h6.0%
18 h7.3%
19 h9.1%
20 h9.2%
21 h8.8%
22 h5.2%
23 h1.1%
Sample:
Germany, n=783 Christmas searches; timing all countries n=5,837
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: Local German time. The distribution also depends on ad scheduling.

Chart as PNG

ChristmasGermany

The Christmas countdown starts in August

0.7% → 12%Christmas share from early August to mid-September

In early August, 0.7% of searches in Germany were about Christmas. By mid-September it was already 12%.

Week 31–46 · per cent · ⋯ Campaign pause, weeks 40 to 43

Sample:
Germany, weeks with at least 50 searches
Reliability:
descriptive; values from week 44 not comparable with summer
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: From week 44 an additional Christmas ad campaign was running. Only weeks 31 to 39 are suitable as trend evidence. Week 46 up to 11 Nov only.

Chart as PNG

Love & familyAll countries

The in-law problem

130×in-laws were typed in by hand

In-laws were typed in by hand 130 times because they are not in the recipient list. Most often it was a daughter-in-law, sister-in-law or brother-in-law.

Sample:
811 recipients typed in freely, all countries
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Story idea: Column or guide: what do you give the in-laws?

Chart as PNG

Trends & clicksAll countries

The AI's duds: a notebook suggested 190 times, zero clicks

0 clickson 190 notebook suggestions

The AI suggested a notebook and pen 190 times; it was never clicked. The most clicked idea is the "experience box for two", with 18 clicks.

  • Experience box for two (shown 243×)
    18
  • Cosy blanket (146×)
    7
  • Mini drone for beginners (167×)
    6
  • Craft beer tasting set (178×)
    4
  • Amazon gift card (378×)
    1
  • Portable Bluetooth speaker (126×)
    0
  • Premium notebook & pen (190×)
    0

clicks

Sample:
All countries; matched by exact idea title or collection
Reliability:
descriptive, small samples per idea
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Note: The AI words ideas freely; similar ideas with a different title are not combined.

Story idea: Listicle: gifts nobody wants. The gift card finding contrasts with surveys in which vouchers rank high.

Chart as PNG

ChristmasGermany

Christmas searchers are more decisive

39%of Christmas searches lead to a click (birthday: 32%)

39% of Christmas searches lead to at least one click on an idea. For birthday searches it is 32%.

  • Christmas
  • Birthday
  • Click on an idea
    Christmas:
    39%
    Birthday:
    32%
  • Budget up to €25
    Christmas:
    22%
    Birthday:
    30%
Sample:
Germany; Christmas n=783, birthday n=4,308
Reliability:
significant (p<0.001)
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourAll countries

Self-gifters: "for me"

100+searches for oneself

More than 100 searches were for a gift for the searcher themselves, typed in as "me" or "for me". These include children looking to fill their own wish list.

Sample:
811 recipients typed in freely; 99 to 112 depending on the counting method
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourAll countries

From farming to the fire brigade: 1,050 hobbies

1,050different hobbies typed in freely

In 36% of searches, people type in their own details instead of only selecting options. This produced 1,050 different hobbies, from farming to the fire brigade.

  • Sports
  • Music
  • Cooking
  • Hiking
  • Painting
  • Horses
  • Gardening
  • LEGO
  • Crafts
  • Cars
  • Gaming
  • Reading
  • Horse riding
  • Farming
  • Fishing
  • Fire brigade
  • Handball
  • Basketball
Sample:
1,872 interests typed in freely, all countries
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourAll countries

The first idea wins

2×as often: the first idea is clicked compared with the last

The first idea in the list gets 5.3 clicks per 100 impressions; the eighth gets 2.6. Whatever the AI names first is clicked twice as often.

Slot 1–8 · clicks per 100 ideas

Sample:
All countries; around 8,500 impressions per position
Reliability:
significant
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Details

Story idea: Digital and AI desks: how strongly does the order of AI answers steer our decisions?

Chart as PNG

AI & behaviourAll countries

One in four searches gets refined

25%start a second run

25% of searchers start another run after the first result. They ask for "something more unusual", for example, or change the budget.

Sample:
All countries, n=6,256
Reliability:
descriptive
Data as of:
11 November 2026
Chart as PNG

Who is behind beeshopping.de

Paul Miedl, founder of beeshopping.de

Paul Miedl is a founder and product developer. beeshopping.de is his own AI project.

Paul Miedl is the founder of beeshopping.de. He has worked in product, innovation and project management for more than 20 years and has founded 3 start-ups. As a freelancer he advises companies on using AI; alongside that he is responsible for a cybersecurity product in the telecommunications industry. beeshopping.de is based in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

years of experience with digital products
20+
start-ups founded
3
own AI products live
9

He is available for interviews and background conversations, for example on gifting behaviour, AI in everyday life and building AI products.

More about Paul MiedlLinkedIn profile

Giving is very personal, and yet many people do not know what to give.

Our data shows that it is often not about the next gadget, but about time together and shared experiences. The more we know about the recipient, their interests and the occasion, the more fitting and personal the gift ideas become. That is exactly where the potential of AI lies: getting from just a few details to good, personal gift ideas quickly. AI is a tool that inspires and makes the search easier. That leaves more time for what really matters: making others happy and creating special moments.

Paul Miedl, founder of beeshopping.de

How you can use the data

All figures, charts and texts on this page are free for editorial use. Please credit "beeshopping.de" and link to the homepage where possible. Phrase statements as observations from the use of an AI gift finder, not as statements about all Germans. Further breakdowns, for example by recipient, occasion or interests, are available on request.

Credit linebeeshopping.de, Gift Report 2026 (analysis of 6,256 AI gift searches, as of 11 November 2026)

Downloads

Press release, infographic and logos, free for editorial use.

  • Press releasepdf
  • Infographicpdf
  • Logo, wordmarkpng
  • Logo, iconpng

Background to the data

How the data was collected6,256 anonymous gift searches, no personal data.

Every search on beeshopping.de creates an anonymous record: recipient, occasion, interests, budget, the ideas suggested and the clicks on them. We analysed 6,256 completed searches from 24 July to 11 November 2026 (Germany 5,618, USA 547). Internal test traffic was removed. Only clicks within a gift search are counted, not clicks on topic and occasion pages.

Sources

What you need to knowNot representative. Budget does not mean spending.
  1. 1Not representative: 96% of users arrived via search ads.
  2. 2Budget means the amount per gift chosen in the finder, not actual spending. The top level, "€100 and more", counts as €100.
  3. 3A click shows interest, not a purchase.
  4. 4A search is not the same as a person; returning users count more than once.
  5. 5Some groups are small; differences there are tendencies.
  6. 6Ads were paused between 26 September and 25 October; from 26 October an additional Christmas campaign was running.
  7. 7The US sample is much smaller; US budgets are in dollars.
About beeshopping.deA free AI gift finder from Bavaria, Germany.

beeshopping.de is a free AI gift finder from Bavaria, Germany, and needs no registration. From four answers, an AI creates eight gift ideas with a short explanation in around 13 seconds. The service is financed through Amazon affiliate links at no extra cost to users.

Press contact

Paul Miedl, founder of beeshopping.de

I look forward to hearing from you.

beeshopping@paulmiedl.de

Your press kit

Your selection as a ready-made briefing: headline, short text, quotable sentence and chart for each finding.

Nothing selected yet.