Superfluous from abroad and cheap brands: high prices change consumption in markets

Out of a list of 100 grocery items, about 11 are not found in stores. This is what a survey of the Rupture Index by Neogrid, a company specializing in solutions for supply chains, points out, and the reason is far from being shortages.

According to the survey, in fact, establishments have reduced the stock of products classified as premium and indulgence, the superfluous, on account of consumers’ preference for essential items.

Goods like wineschocolates, premium beers, mayonnaise, ice cream and snacks, considered the items that people usually get gifts with, have been dropped from shopping lists and, consequently, the volume of stocks in the markets has decreased.

“From the moment that the consumer has this change in behavior, in which he changes brands and changes products, the supermarket operator observes these movements and will not want to invest so much in some items. It’s not worth investing, it won’t be every item he’s going to bet on”, explains the director of Neogrid, Robson Munhoz.

Mayonnaise, chocolate and condensed milk are the main items that were unavailable in stores due to high prices and the fact that they are dispensable in the basic diet of Brazilian families.

Chocolate bars were not found in about 20% of markets, while mayonnaise was unavailable in 12% and condensed milk in 11.5%.

According to the study, due to inflation, consumers give preference to basic food items and basic necessities. The Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras) recorded a 17.8% increase in prices in the last 12 months for items in the AbrasMercado basket of 35 items.

The average value reached R$758.72 in April, according to the entity’s survey. In April 2021, the cost of the basket was BRL 643.67.

On the other hand, the Consumer Insights report by Kantar, a data consultancy, indicates that, to circumvent inflation, the customer has been purchasing fewer units of the basket of commodities, such as coffee, soy oil and milk. Even with the 1.4% drop in the volume of items, there is still an impact on the pocket.

According to the survey, roasted coffee is 59% more expensive in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year. That’s why the drink has been losing space on the Brazilian table, being replaced by the soluble version, which recorded a 30% increase in the purchase of units compared to 2021.

On the other hand, special oils, such as sunflower, corn and canola, have been conquering the space of soybean oil. The three showed an increase of 27.8% in the units sold, while soybeans had a retraction of 4.9%. UHT Milk also dropped in sales: 2.3% less compared to the same period last year.