This text is an automatic translation from Русский. It was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Read original →How Inflation Is Reshaping Shopping Baskets and Online Habits
An analysis of inflation's impact on consumer behavior: the rising popularity of private labels and discount retailers, the growth of the 'anti-retail' model, the e-commerce boom, and declining average transaction values on marketplaces.
AI summary
Inflation has changed the consumption model of Russians: buyers have become more price-sensitive, actively using discounters and private labels. The e-commerce market has grown 7.5 times over five years, but the average check has decreased by 8.4%, indicating a shift to small everyday purchases. Experts predict the preservation of new habits even with declining inflation, especially in the regions.
To Save or to Spend
Rising prices for goods, including essentials, have made shoppers more price-sensitive. Over the past year, hard discounters have grown in popularity: on average, Russians visit them 4-5 times a month. Meanwhile, the share of retailers' private label brands in the consumer market continues to grow steadily—for the first time surpassing the 15% mark. As a reminder, private label products typically cost less than comparable name-brand items. Recognizing this trend, retail chains are adapting to shopper preferences by expanding their private label offerings and improving product quality.
The editors of the Telegram channel "ANTIRITEIL" argue that today's consumer has become hyper-rational. An "anti-retail" model has emerged—a strategy of consciously resisting traditional retail tactics by downshifting to private labels and relentlessly hunting for discounts, promotions, and cashback. "A new type of shopper has emerged who doesn't just look for discounts but actively plays against the rules imposed by retailers, using digital tools to maintain total control over their budget," the editors note. However, this strategy has distinct regional characteristics: from sophisticated "conscious optimization" in Moscow, where "anti-retail" aims to maximize value for money, to forced "basic consumption" in smaller cities, where it manifests as a boycott of all non-essential spending. Thus, according to the ANTIRITEIL editors, inflation hasn't leveled but has actually intensified regional inequality.
Artem Nikandrov, author of the Telegram channel "BAZAR TUT RAZVELI," emphasizes that changes in Russian spending patterns aren't driven by inflation alone. The expert identifies two contradictory trends in the consumer market. The first is a shift toward a savings model—people are cutting back on entertainment and non-food items, leading to declining foot traffic in shopping malls and restaurants. Food retail, however, remains immune to this effect: on the contrary, household spending on food has held steady at around 30% of total expenditures for the past 20 years.