GS1 Italy’s Non-Food Observatory: non-food shopping changes amid caution, second-hand goods and AI

According to the new edition of the GS1 Italy Non-Food Observatory, the world of non-food fast-moving consumer goods is rather diverse and multifaceted.

A universe of products and goods that, across the 13 sectors covered by the study, exceeded 2025 112,3 billion euros in spending, with a moderate annual growth trend (+0,6%) and in line with that of 2024. However, behind this apparent stability, very different dynamics have emerged across the sectors, reflecting the changing hierarchy of purchasing priorities. Italians are spending more on sectors devoted to personal wellbeing, health and self-care, and less on discretionary spending related to the home and durable goods, where the product renewal and replacement cycle is becoming longer and demand is more selective and increasingly concentrated on high-performance or highly energy-efficient products.

Modern distribution is shrinking

It is not only consumer behaviour that is evolving, but also the reality of specialised modern non-food distribution , which continues to reduce its presence across Italy. During 2025, 0,6% of the physical outlets of large specialised stores closed. 29.876 shops now remain in operation, or almost 13% fewer than five years ago.

Also during 2025, the number of large food retail outlets fell by 1,1%, dropping to 24.630, or 2,4% fewer than in 2021. The trend was different for the other two channels monitored by the Non-Food Observatory: in 2025, the network of cash & carry stores lost 0,3 percentage points, settling at 376 outlets, but expanded by 3% over the five-year period. Department stores followed the same path, with 2.256 outlets, showing an annual decline of 2,5%, but growing by +0,6% between 2021 and 2025.

Gaining ground over this period has mainly been online commerce (+20,9% sell-out between 2021 and 2025), which nevertheless saw 2025 sales fall by 4,2%. E-commerce has focused heavily on convenience, which is the main reason why it is chosen, but the progressive adoption of artificial intelligence is now expanding its service and purchasing-advice component. This dynamic is forcing physical shops to build their appeal increasingly around distinctive and differentiating advantages, such as expertise, a carefully curated range and the ability to build trust. Shops therefore fulfil a different function than in the past: they are no longer merely the place where a purchase is completed, but are becoming spaces for advice, trial, discovery and interaction.

Fewer mobile phones, more cosmetics

In 2025, Italians’ approach to non-food spending and the allocation of purchases changed, and the GS1 Italy Non-Food Observatory’s analysis clearly shows this. Of the 13 sectors covered, three ended the year with broadly stable value sales, four declined and the remaining six managed to increase sell-out at rates higher than 1%.

Also in 2025, consumer electronics remained the leading sector in terms of turnover, with a value of around 22,5 billion euros, broadly stable compared with the previous year (+0,1%), but down 3,2% compared with 2021. Clothing and footwear ranked second, at 21,6 billion euros of sell-out, down 0,3% compared with 2024, but with a positive five-year trend of +8,0%.

The sectors linked to personal care and wellbeing were the main growers in 2025: self-medication products confirmed their position among the most dynamic sectors, recording the most significant growth of 2025 (+5,6%), reaching a value of around 9,5 billion euros. Perfumery products also continued to expand, albeit at a more moderate pace than in previous years, recording an increase of 3,8 percentage points and exceeding 7,5 billion euros in turnover.

Toys perform well, furniture struggles

The performance of optical products (+3,6%) was also positive, recovering after the slight decline in 2024, as was that of toys (+5,3%), which showed a rebound after the previous year’s contraction, while still accounting for a relatively small share of the overall market.

Sports goods confirmed moderate growth (+1,5%), consolidating a market value of more than 6,3 billion euros, while edutainment showed broad stability (+0,3%) after recovering in 2024.

Among the home-related sectors, the picture is more varied: household goods showed slight growth (+1,2%), as did home textiles (+0,5%). By contrast, furniture and home furnishings and DIY continued the period of weakness already observed in previous years (respectively -0,5% and -2,1%), probably also in connection with the slowdown in home-related spending and the gradual fading of the effects of building incentives. Finally, stationery remained broadly stable (+0,1%), interrupting the decline recorded in 2024 but showing no signs of any real acceleration.

Comments

"Edition after edition, the Non-Food Observatory continues to describe changes in non-food consumption and the evolution of commercial channels, both physical and online, now also examining the impact of artificial intelligence on shoppers and retailers," says Paola Mattioli, GS1 Italy’s new research and communication director. "An analysis that goes beyond macro-trends to explore 13 product sectors, offering a highly precise overview of Italians’ different purchasing behaviours, between non-negotiable priorities such as self-care, postponable spending and replaceable goods."

"The overall picture emerging from this new edition of the Non-Food Observatory is that of a universe in which the hierarchy of segments does not change, but the way Italians select channels, products and spending occasions does," says Samanta Correale, business intelligence senior manager at GS1 Italy. "Consumers appear to have adopted an increasingly selective approach, favouring essential goods, rewarding longer-lasting options, considering repair as an alternative to purchasing and showing growing interest in the second-hand market."

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.