Walking pads booming on Galaxus
2.10.2025
Translation: Katherine Martin
An increasing number of people in Europe are buying under-desk treadmills. These so-called walking pads now account for 90 per cent of treadmills sold on Galaxus, with demand tripling since last year. Millennials and young women are especially keen on using walking pads to incorporate exercise into their working day.
Taking 10,000 steps per day is commonly thought to help you stay in good health. In fact, as far as the latest research is concerned, just 4,000 steps are enough to significantly reduce your risk of developing deadly diseases. Either way, scientists have concluded that the more exercise you do, the better.
However, this knowledge doesn’t usually marry up with people’s day-to-day lives. In Germany, the average person spends ten hours per weekday sitting down (article in German). On top of that, a quarter of the world’s population doesn’t do enough exercise.
But a counter-movement is gradually taking shape, with walking pad sales on Galaxus increasing almost twelvefold since 2022. So far this year, sales have more than tripled compared to the same period in 2024. Unlike treadmills you’d find in a gym, desk treadmills are designed for walking instead of running, with most reaching a maximum speed of 7 km/h. The devices, which tend to positioned under height-adjustable desks or in front of TVs, now make up 90 per cent of treadmill sales on Galaxus.
The walking pad boom goes hand in hand with the surge in popularity of adjustable desks. Today, three out of four desks purchased on Galaxus are height-adjustable. In 2020, it was one in five.
The uptick in sales of height-adjustable desks is partly being fuelled by the Covid effect. With many people now regularly working from home, they’re also adding more furniture to their workspaces.
Remote work and the TikTok effect
The walking pad boom is being driven by social, health and work culture factors. Timon Kunz, a Galaxus Portfolio Development Manager whose remit includes treadmills, narrows it down to five:
- Working from home has replaced the daily commute: Instead of walking to the tram or bus stop, we’re now walking on the treadmill while we answer our e-mails.
- Life optimisation: We’re all short on time, so we’re increasingly building exercise into our working day to get our steps in.
- Space-saving: The latest walking pads are flat and often foldable, making them suitable for smaller home offices and living rooms.
- Falling prices: The price of walking pads has nosedived since the pandemic, partly as a result of the wider selection of pads available and increased competition among manufacturers. Galaxus customers now pay an average of 305 francs or 325 euros for a walking pad – 44 per cent less than in 2021.
- The TikTok effect: Influencers who record themselves using their walking pads embody that crossover between the productivity craze and the focus on body image.
Young people are at the forefront of the walking pad trend. Half of all customers who’ve bought desk treadmills are aged under 35, with 25 to 34-year-old millennials making up the largest group of buyers. «Manufacturers are heavily targeting this age group with their online advertising,» Timon says. On average, young people also spend more time sitting down than the rest of the population (article in German). «With this in mind, it stands to reason that they’d feel more of a need to exercise while working or gaming.»
Exercise treadmills capable of faster speeds, on the other hand, appeal to an older target group; only 30 per cent of customers who buy them are under 35.
Gender differences also come into play, with women purchasing two thirds of the walking pads sold on Galaxus. However, the gender gap closes when it comes to exercise treadmills.
The walking pad trend demonstrates that healthy living doesn’t necessarily mean sweating away in a gym or on a hiking trail. Instead, more and more people are incorporating exercise into their video calls and Excel spreadsheet sessions. For them, the path to wellness begins under their desk.
What do you make of the walking pad trend? Have you bought one too? How do you like it? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Alex Hämmerli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.chAt Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.
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