Poles changing purchasing behavior in a pandemic

According to the PwC report ‘New image of the Polish consumer’, the Covid-19 epidemic caused almost 1/3 of Poles to experience a drop in income. In particular, women in the 25-44 age group experienced it, which is most likely related to the greater burden of remote teaching of children in this group. At the same time, we observe an increase in household spending in this period.

In Poland, 41 percent of Poles expect an increase in spending in the coming months, and 20 percent believe that their spending will decrease. Significantly more often, the 65+ age group anticipates much greater expenditure, which shows concerns about the condition of the economy, including inflation.

The pandemic did not affect the purchasing habits of almost 1/5 of Poles. The main change is to do more shopping in local stores and to increase the frequency of shopping in these places. Increasing the frequency of grocery shopping in large-format stores is declared primarily by the 18-24 age group. There is also a visible trend of "self-sufficiency", i.e. the independent preparation of products such as bread, cakes, cheese, preserves, as well as the cultivation of vegetables and herbs.

"We are all consumers, and the last months have shown that the world around us, the market, companies, but also we as customers are not the same anymore. Our behavior has changed on many levels - not only in the purchasing path but also in the context of work, the use of technology, transport, choice of entertainment, or concern for the environment. This poses many challenges for companies, which must not only re-gain consumer confidence in this new, unpredictable reality but also ensure the highest quality and availability. of its products or services while maintaining maximum care for the health, safety, and shopping experience of the consumer," Krzysztof Badowski, Partner at PwC, leader of the consumer goods team and retail in CEE / CIS, commented.

(WBJ)