The lingerie market - Germany

1.1 Introduction

The lingerie market includes various types of products such as underwear, bras, and nightwear. The global lingerie market is a very promising and thriving one (grows by more than 8% per year).

The German lingerie market is also growing steadily. Nonetheless, big brands still dominate this market. For high-end products, Victoria's Secret is one of the best-known brands for high-end products, whereas H&M remains the most successful supplier of low costs products. Besides, local brands such as Sloggi and Schiesse are also popular.

In Germany, consumers do care a lot about the quality of the products they consume. This also applies to lingerie. The most important criteria for German lingerie consumers are:

• Comfort,
• The quality of fabrics,
• The last trends.

New firms have entered the market. These are online stores able to offer low-cost lingerie. These products, however cheap, aren't always poor quality items. Most of the time, these brands have to sell quality items otherwise they couldn't survive in the German market.

The nature of consumer demand has been evolving for a few years now. The demand for ecological and ethical lingerie is increasing. Innovative designs and high-end products are becoming more and more popular. Personalization now plays an important role in consumer choice. Consumers are increasingly opting for products that fit their morphology.

The challenge for lingerie manufacturers is to meet the new demands of German consumers. German consumer standards in terms of quality and price have not changed, but expectations are no longer the same. When it comes to lingerie, consumers want to give a meaningful dimension to what they wear. They are looking for products that are perfectly tailored to their needs, that are durable, and of high quality.