Shopping has become smarter

Retailers saw a decline in consumer interest growth, but this did not affect sales of personal electronics.

Referring to preliminary estimates of the consumer market in 2013, the head of the regional Ministry of Economic Development, Galina Babkina, said that "Novosibirsk residents have switched from active consumption to a savings regime." The minister explained the slowdown in the growth rate of retail trade turnover by this trend.

The retail trade turnover in the region from January to September 2013 amounted to 312.8 billion rubles. This is only 4 percentage points higher than the same period last year. Meanwhile, back in January, the growth of consumer interest literally went through the roof: the growth of retail turnover for the first month of this year exceeded the figures of the beginning

2012

by 16 percent, and the region jumped from

The 11th

places for third.

The Minister also noted the impact on the decline in sales of goods in markets and fairs of an increase in the number of new modern trade enterprises, attractive with a high level of service, affordable prices and a variety of shopping and entertainment services.

The Russians in their desire to cut costs were unanimous: retail slowed down growth in the whole country. It can be assumed that the forecasts of the next crisis affect the moderation of consumer appetites by the end of the year.

Nevertheless, analysts note among the most prosperous in terms of consumer activity of the population, along with Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, and the Novosibirsk region. In our propensity to spend money, we are increasingly approaching the Western consumer model, preferring a vacation or a technological gadget to buying a new dress or a soft sofa.

Enough for travel

Indeed, up to this point, Novosibirsk residents did not seem to be going to change their lifestyle especially abruptly. The structure of retail trade turnover by types of goods has not changed significantly for several years, according to statistics. More than half is traditionally accounted for by non-food products. We have generally spent the past decade less on food and more on electronics, leisure and cars.

It is interesting that this year tourism has become almost the only paid services market that has shown the most significant growth in consumer activity this summer compared to 2012.

But interest in expensive cars, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Strategic Studies of Rosgosstrakh, has diminished in favor of budget brands and models. If last year 15 percent of Novosibirsk residents intended to buy a new car, this year there are less than two percent of those who want it, but still more than in the Siberian Federal District as a whole.

Over the past six months, Russians in general and Siberians in particular have begun to buy less furniture and household appliances. Will the aggressive policy of trading companies during the New Year's sales season change the situation? According to experts, most likely yes, because, as a rule, the most indicative period of the year for retail is the last pre-holiday month.

One way or another, retail does not have to count on a fat jackpot - judging by the data of Rosstat, we are increasingly trying to rely on what is in our wallets than on credit resources. Bankers confirm that the ardor with which Russians frivolously climbed into new debts has subsided significantly.

Healthy Savings

A few months ago, the regional statistical office, among the reasons for the decline in turnover in the trade sector, called the slowdown in the production and sale of alcoholic beverages. For producers of strong alcohol, the situation, in general, remained far from rosy even by the end of the year: Siberians began to buy much less alcohol, in particular vodka, than last year.

Still, the introduction of a ban on the sale of alcohol in non-stationary points and a temporary restriction of sales from 22 pm gave results. It is difficult to call this a conscious saving of the family budget on the part of the population, but as far as health is concerned, the benefits are unequivocal.

It is too early to sum up the economic results of the legislators' anti-tobacco action, but it can be assumed that here too there are gradual shifts towards a decrease in sales. Most likely, the rise in the price of tobacco since the beginning of the year, according to the Novosibirsk Regional Statistics, by 27 percent will still force some smokers to give up their addiction and again save money.

In favor of services...

However, our frugality is caused, among other things, by the growth of other expenses, in favor of which we have to deny ourselves the purchase of regular new things and gastronomic delights. So, in the sector of paid services, on the contrary, there is a tendency of growth in volumes - for ten months they were provided to the residents of the region in the amount of 90 billion rubles. And here our region is ahead of its neighbors in the Siberian Federal District.

In the total volume of paid services, more than half is accounted for by communications, transport and utility bills. It is easy to guess that next year this part of the expenses will grow even more.

As for prices in the structure of paid services rendered to the population, since the beginning of the year, according to regional statistics, the cost of tickets to the theater has increased the most - by almost 55 percent. Excursion services have risen in price by more than a third. Housing and communal services rose in price by 10.2 percent. Almost the same - sanatorium and health, prices for hairdressing services, as well as for tailoring, documentary photography, and so on, jumped higher.

...and gadgets

On the other hand, the cost of cellular communication services tends to decrease - conversations on a mobile phone have become almost five percent cheaper. By the way, in the total volume of paid services, more than a fifth part falls on cellular communications. The more accessible communication becomes, the more actively sales of telephone sets grow.

Thus, according to the Svyaznoy group of companies for September, since January 2013, over 430,000 mobile phones worth 2.4 billion rubles have been sold in Novosibirsk, which is 18 percent higher than in 2012. Growth was once again demonstrated by cheaper smartphones: more than 200 thousand units have been sold to us since January - 50 percent more than a year ago. That is, at least every fifth inhabitant of the regional center has in their hands not an ordinary mobile phone, but a technological gadget.

In addition, Novosibirsk has become one of the first cities in Russia where NFC services for contactless payment for goods and services are being most actively developed. Novosibirsk residents have already been shown how to use a smartphone instead of a transport card when paying in the subway.

According to the results of nine months of 2013, tablet computers became the fastest growing category of personal electronics in Novosibirsk. Their sales more than tripled. Moreover, the rates demonstrated by the Novosibirsk gadget market are higher than the growth in this sector in Russia as a whole.

Reference: According to Novosibirskoblstat, based on a sample survey of the situation and business activity in the retail trade, in the 4th quarter of 2013, the largest number of interviewed heads of organizations rated the current economic situation as satisfactory - 62.5%. Among the negative factors for themselves, they note high competition in the market from other retail organizations (70% of respondents), high taxes (53.3%) and rent (31.7%), insufficient effective demand (28.3% ), high percentage of commercial credit (21.7%) and transport costs (20%).

According to executives, the average level of trade margin in the fourth quarter of 2013 amounted to almost 28 percent. At the same time, the majority of respondents believe that it is significantly lower than the level that would be sufficient to reimburse their costs and provide the necessary profit.

Julia Nazarenko, "Soviet Siberia", No. 242 (27111) dated 12/25/13