a Buyer during the period of a pandemic has become more economical, said "RG" Chairman of the Presidium of the Association of companies of retail trade Sergey Belyakov. He stressed that the downtime of enterprises in the period of isolation had a negative impact on the material wellbeing of people. Hence the trend for austerity, a move to cheaper brands. This is evident not only in non-food products. Even to buying food, the consumer was treated differently.
"Now the majority of buyers are guided by the price, are more willing to buy stock, although more recently the determining factor for many was the brand of the manufacturer," he explained. Belyakov said that consumers began to choose cheaper types of meat, preferring poultry, reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, confectionery products, refused to spices and sauces.
The head of the HSE notes that, in General, the diet of Russians in the period of the pandemic has not undergone critical changes. The usual composition of the food basket in most cases preserved, but became cheaper by focusing on promotional items and products from lower price category. At some time dropped the demand on the pasta and cereals, at the expense of those stocks that made the buyers in March, during the boom.
According to Belyakov, in great demand began to use the products of private brands the largest networks. As a rule, their price lower than similar products due to the special regulations of procurement, more than simple packaging and lack of additional expenditures on advertising and promotion.
He also noted that in many ways helped to avoid shortages during the period of excessive demand that retailers increased their stocks. For example, in March the demand for cereals and canned goods grew by almost 300%. As a result, the networks had to stock up on them in quantity, in 12 times exceeding the norm.
