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Main article: Russian economy
Consumer spending in Russia
Main article: Consumer spending in Russia
Retail
Main article: Retail trade in Russia
Pets
Main article: Pets in Russia
2024: Consumer demand in April by 5% exceeded the record level of 2014 after 10 years of stagnation
By May 2024, consumer demand in Russia was very strong, although the intensity of growth is decreasing.
Retail trade turnover, taking into account inflation in Apr. 24, increased by 8.3% YoY, for Jan-Apr. 24 growth by 9.9% YoY, and the volume of paid services to the population increased by 6.8% and + 6.2% YoY, respectively.
Consumer demand (goods + services) grew by 8% YoY and + 8.8% YoY over 4m24.
All these numbers are not enough, what do they talk about without understanding the context and the "coordinate system" - a lot of it or little, what to compare with?
By the amount of 12 m, retail trade turnover in April 24 exceeded the pre-crisis level by 2.9%, but still 0.8% below the level of Dec.14 (a month before the start of the full-scale and longest crisis since 1998 2015-2016).
However, if we compare Apr. 24 with Apr. 14, over 10 years the increase is only 4.6% and + 5% when comparing the first 4 months.
Already in May 2024, annual retail sales should surpass the historical maximum in comparison with the moving 12th amount, i.e. zero growth over 10 years, Spydell Finance wrote.
With services, everything is much better. The demand for services exceeded the level of Feb. 22 by 10.7% and + 19.7% to the level of Dec. 14 by the amount of 12 m in Apr. 24. In the monthly comparison in Apr. 24, services are 23.3% higher than in Apr. 14 and almost + 25% compared in the first 4 months of the year (4m24 to 4m14).
Consumer demand for goods and services in the amount of 12 m in April 24 exceeded demand in February 22 by 4.6% (the crisis is over with a confident consolidation of the result), and by December 14 the growth was only 5.2% due to the high weight of retail sales.
Therefore, impressive achievements in the growth of consumer demand are only compensation for 10 years of stagnation (+ 5% for 10 years is frankly weak, so there is still potential).
In Apr. 24, consumer demand was 9.7% higher than demand in Apr. 14 and + 10.2% in comparison with the first four months.
In January-April 2014, retail sales form almost 75.7% in the structure of consumer demand, and two years ago - 76.7%.
Revenues allow you to maintain effective demand, but the limitation is the lack of a commensurate supply of goods and services due to sanctions from the United States and its satellites and the internal weakness of the consumer sector, which leads to higher prices.
2022: 31st in food spending share
Russia took 31st place in the ranking of countries in terms of the share of food costs. Such data are given in the study "RIA Novosti," which was published in December 2022. Read more here.
2020: Energy consumption per capita
and2018: Map of food consumption by region of Russia
On December 13, 2018, big data specialists X5 Group, a multi-format retail company in Russia, investigated the goals with which Russians visited grocery stores in 2018.
To do this, experts analyzed data from 3.7 billion checks of the Pyaterochka retail chain in 64 regions of Russia per year. Based on impersonal data on the composition and amount of purchases, they formulated the main goals of purchases.
Most often, customers visit stores in the evening, so Kh5 analysts separately analyzed what they buy at this time of day. This type of procurement received the conditional name "Dinner." This type included baskets with an average sum and a set of foods typical of a single meal.
The ten most popular products in the evening procurement are hard and semi-hard cheese, dumplings, pasteurized milk, sausages, coffee, chicken, cigarettes, sausage, tomatoes, white bread.
3% of all purchases are cheese, 2.7% each - dumplings and milk. Thus, it can be concluded that the most popular product for dinner was dumplings, and for breakfast - cheese.
Most often they chose dumplings for dinner in the Altai Territory (4.5% of the total amount of checks), Yaroslavl and Novosibirsk Regions (3.6% and 3.5%, respectively), Perm Territory (3.4%), Kostroma and Moscow Regions (3.3% each). In the listed regions, this product was spent the most in the evening or it was one of the three most popular products.
Chicken for dinner was preferred in Chuvashia (4.2% of the amount of evening purchases), Kalmykia (3.2%), Mari-El (3%), Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod and Kurgan regions (2.9% each). Here, chicken pieces were in the top 3 foods.
Sausages were most popular as a dish for dinner in Yaroslavskaya, Vladimir (3% of the cost in the check) and Moscow regions (2.9%). At the same time, in the Moscow, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo regions, ready-made dishes were bought more often than in other regions.
Drinks as part of the evening purchase, according to the study, are milk, kefir and beer. The list of the most popular products for the year also includes instant coffee.
Residents of the Moscow and Leningrad regions, entering the store for groceries in the evening, were more often spent on cigarettes.
2016
Value-oriented segments of consumers in Russia
In a 2016 study, research company GfK identifies the following value-oriented consumer segments in the world, including Russia.
"Ambitious": These are people who dedicate themselves to achieving and expressing social status. In this chase, they put their interests before those of others. Their main goal is money as an indicator of success and the ability to buy things that demonstrate their achievements. At the same time, they pay special attention to their appearance, as one of the necessary elements indicating status. They seek control over people and resources, while being willing to take risks to achieve their goals. If necessary, they are ready to compromise with their conscience, even sacrifice friends. Their desire for success is ultimately a means of self-indulgence, but still, in comparison with their ambitions to take the lead, this is secondary to them. What should be the main message in communications targeting the Achievers: You earned it; you deserved it; show the world that you did it.
The rise in the share of Ambitious, which is aimed at careers, making money and achieving higher social status, suggests that wider horizons are opening up for more expensive products that will help owners boast about their achievements, and on the other hand for the ready-made food segment. The Ambitious don't have much time to spare and will choose to either eat out or cook something quickly at home.
Ambitious has a high involvement in resources about gadgets, navigation guides/maps.
Nurturers: Maintaining long-term relationships and fulfilling commitments to family and friends is important. Family and home are the centre of their lives. Their home is the main place for them. It is important for them to have close friends to rely on, as well as to make efforts to help others. In relationships, they value sincerity and honesty. A lot of money and high status are not important, enough for them if they and their families can live a good life. They don't like to be bound by tradition or prejudice about how they live. What Nurturers need to say: show your care, friendship is important, family comes first.
"Savers": In any case, they try to make their best efforts, while being restrained and modest. They don't seek to make a lot of money - just the money they need to pay bills and expenses. This type of person is frugal about their money. They try to make their lives as simple and concise as possible. They love the culture of their country and would not want it to be influenced from outside. They lead quiet, domestic lives, and at times they may have a feeling that the world is changing too quickly. Usually, they are satisfied with their social situation, believe in their own significance and do not seek power and responsibility. They don't need adventure and risk. They focus on basic: price, security (and they are more concerned about their safety than other segments) and simplicity. What is relevant for the segment: get what you see; simple; optimal price-quality ratio.
Hedonists: They need a continuous sense of enjoyment. They are constantly in search of a new exciting experience. Looking for adventure and risk to feel alive. These people feel young, rushing to find adventure every day. Most of them like to indulge their desires and have a good time, preferably in the company of close friends. They're interested in everything life has to offer, and they don't appreciate religion and traditions that place limits on what they can say or do. They understand they need money to maintain their lifestyle and are therefore quite ambitious, willing to take risks and take the initiative to get ahead. It's important for them to think freely and do what they want. They want to be independent, choose their own goals and are not afraid to be different. What they want to hear: enjoy; just do it; live in the moment.
Representatives of the segment "Hedonists" are very curious, greedy for impressions, love pleasure, pamper themselves, friends and pets. They usually spend a lot of time outside the house, in cafes, movies and restaurants, love shopping, fashion, travel. A decrease in the share of consumers with hedonistic values may lead to a deterioration in the situation for the restaurant business and fashion retail. I am glad that this segment is "outgoing," quickly responds if you offer a new tempting experience. "Shopping experiences" is for hedonists in the first place.
"Hedonists" watch less TV, spend more time online and like to communicate. Media with the highest affinity index (engagement) among "Hedonists" - sites of entertainment, games, "visual" online resources such as Instagram and other social networks.
Self-directed: It's important for them to be truthful with themselves, and it's much more important than having a lot of money or power over other people. They will not chase social status if it requires compromising on their principles. They value freedom of thought and action, choose the right goals for themselves and achieve them. They are interested in the whole world and everything that it has to offer. They believe it is important to respect national, religious and racial differences. But at the same time, they do not believe that they should blindly follow the rules and conventions. They do not seek to save the world, but appreciate fulfilling obligations to loved ones/friends. Such messages are close to them: go your own way; don't follow the crowd; be yourself.
"Socially oriented rationalists" (SocioRationals): They want to preserve peace not because they are idealists, but because they consider it reasonable, understanding the consequences of what is happening. They see the world as large and multifaceted, where differences must be respected to maintain order. They value openness, tolerance and providing the same opportunities for everyone. It is important for them to work for the welfare of society. They value knowledge and feel the need to continue learning throughout their lives. They can find inspiration in religion and ideas of humanism. They recognize that they cannot change the world alone, they need the support of others. What messages are responded to: fair trade and ethical sources of resources; reasonable and responsible; quality and cost.
Traditionalists: They believe that the way of life they inherited is the best and does not need to be changed. They want their lives to be guided by the religious canons, cultural traditions, rules and values on which they were brought up. In their world, people follow prescribed rules and norms in all aspects, including the manner and duties of men and women. Family has a high priority for them, and they try to spend as much time as possible with their relatives. They don't need any surprises and they don't want to risk it. The main message in communications on Traditionalists: well-deserved time; just as it has always been; legacy. "Traditionalists" tend to respect traditions and cultural heritage. Increasing the importance of this segment responds to the growth of patriotism, which can be expressed, for example, in greater support for local brands and products.
The most significant television audience is "Traditionalists." They watch TV more than others, like to learn more about repairs and a garden/vegetable garden. Online, they are more interested in the weather, TV program and resources than others Mail.ru.
Russia's values are close to Europe
The largest segments in Russia according to the results of 2016 studies are "Caring" (22%), "Ambitious" (19%), "Self-sufficient" (15%) and "Traditionalists" (14%).
If we compare Russia and other countries, then in its profile the Russian consumer will be closer to European countries.
Russia is distinguished against the background of the rest of the world by a high share of family-oriented Nurturers. The same large share of "Caring" - in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Australia.
In Asian and eastern countries, the segment focused on achieving and expressing social status is very widely represented - "Ambitious" (Achievers), especially in India and Saudi Arabia.
In Europe and America, "Socially oriented rationalists," "Self-sufficient" are more widely represented. Asia also stands out for its high share of Traditionalists. Here, Russians have a lot in common with Asian consumers.
Value guidelines do not change quickly, accelerated changes occur under the influence of stress factors. The economic crisis and significant changes in the geopolitical situation around Russia were precisely such stressful factors that left their mark on the values and consumption profile in the country.
According to GfK research based on value segmentation, during the crisis (since 2014) in Russia there were fewer Hedonists, and more Ambitious and Traditionalists. The segment of "Self-Sufficient" has also decreased. This trend in the dynamics of consumer segments suggests that Russians have become less relaxed, more pragmatic, aimed at achievements, but also less self-sufficient.