Sberbank and operator of fiscal data OFD Platform have analysed the consumer behaviour of Russians during the New Year holidays. RUR 1,1 tln was spent in the period from 29 December to 7 January 2019.
Accoding to Sberbank’s corporate webpage, the average non-cash payment expenses during the holidays were RUR 16,1K. For the first time in four years, this amount increased compared to last year’s result.
The structure of holiday spending significantly changed. Russians prefer to buy groceries in small food shops. However, citizens of Russia still spend almost one third of their holiday budget at supermarkets. Shopping for clothing and shoes is not popular during New Year holidays. Such expenses are only 8.4% of the total amount.
As for public catering, the average bill at fast food restaurants is still the same, but bills at cafés and restaurants increased. The average bill grew by 5% and was RUR 1,3K. The leading regions in terms of bill amount at public catering venues were the Omsk, Sverdlovsk and Nizhny Novgorod Regions. Moscow and Saint Petersburg were not even included in the top five.
The average bill in the hotel segment increased by 13%, and the expenses growth didn’t depend on room cost. Guests of hotels spent two times more on outdoor activities and spas than in 2018.
The geography of trips and, thus, expenditure of Russians during the New Year holidays is quite wide. In 2019, transactions using Sberbank’s cards were carried out in 169 countries, including Zimbabwe, Aruba, the Cook Islands and other exotic places.
As for the most popular country for the New Year holidays, Russians have changed their preferences in the recent years. Georgia made a significant breakthrough: it is fifth in the rating of holiday destinations, yet it was 17th in 2016. Spain and Italy became more popular: they are now in the top five. The leader of this rating is still the Republic of Belarus.