Poles' consumer patriotism becomes lifeline for economy

As a result of the pandemic, one in five Poles more often than before decided to buy food produced in the country, according to research by ARC Rynek i Opinia. Deloitte points out, however, that 53 percent of us, during a pandemic, are ready to pay more for local products, even if the store also offered cheaper, foreign alternatives. Domestic consumers increasingly pay attention to whether they are supporting the domestic economy by buying a given product. This may be an important impetus for her in the fight against the current economic crisis. However, consumers do not always know which brands are actually based on Polish capital and which are owned by foreign concerns.

"Poles indicate that the origin of the product is also important to them, as well as its price, quality, and functionality. However, the results of research showing how often Poles take into account the factor of Polishness in their consumer choices are very diverse and range from 5 to 50 percent. Anyway, today, due to the globalization and internationalization of the economy, it is not always easy to distinguish a Polish product from a foreign one. Therefore, consumer patriotism today often consists in preferring specific enterprises, national and regional brands," Dr. hab. Daniel Puciato, professor at the WSB University in Wrocław, said.

Price and quality are still the key criteria for Poles in everyday shopping, but every year more and more consumers also pay attention to the origin of the products they put in the basket. As the December survey by ARC Rynek i Opinia for the Warsaw School of Economics showed 59 percent of Poles are more likely to choose domestic products than imported ones. This is a similar percentage as in the Czech Republic or Germany, where 58 and 57 percent of subjects declared consumer patriotism, respectively. In turn, a much greater percentage is characteristic of Italians. Almost three-fourths of the respondents prefer domestic products to imported ones.

(Newseria)