Travel for yourself, gifts for children
Tired of antiquated restrictions, people are trying to compensate for the lost opportunities on “long” holidays and are ready to spend more money, but not on everything, as it was before. For example, Russians save on gifts for adults, but not on their own travels. Children are also in the spotlight. The costs for them have increased during the New Year holidays. Experts told MK how Russians’ spending changed, what they were more willing to buy and where they began to travel more often.
CloudPayments analysts analyzed online sales in November-December 2021 and 2020 and found out what products were in demand, as well as how much people spend on average on gifts for the New Year. Moreover, many Russians start buying gifts in advance – already from the beginning of November – and try to get them at discounts, preferring to shop on Black Friday (November 25-28) and on Bachelor’s Day (November 11). But there are those who postpone the purchase of gifts literally at the end of December: it is during this period that the next peak of purchases falls. In 2021, compared to 2020, people generally tried to spend less on New Year’s gifts. So, in 2021, Russians saved the most on purchases of clothing for men and women, electronics, sporting goods, as well as furniture and household goods. The average purchase price of adult clothing in December 2021 compared to the end of 2020 decreased by 29% from 9,720 rubles to 7,524 rubles; Russians spent 22,897 rubles on furniture and household goods in 2021, which is 26% less than in 2020, for sports goods – 18% less (the average purchase price in 2021 was 14,056 rubles). The average check for online purchases of electronics decreased by 10% and amounted to 6 540 rubles.
At the same time, the buyers did not save on children’s clothes and toys. The average purchase amount of children’s clothing increased by 11% compared to 2020 and amounted to 3,976 rubles, an average of 4,532 rubles is spent on toys this year, which is 15% more than in 2020. It is also interesting to note that the average amount of online purchases increased in the categories “Cosmetics” and “Accessories for women”: by 54% (average bill in 2021 – 5,732 rubles) and by 13% (average bill in 2021 – 7,184 rubles) respectively.
“The protracted pandemic is forcing people to be careful with their spending, as we can see, people are trying to save on gifts in 2021, preferring cheaper options or buying gifts at a discount during sales,” notes Dmitry Spiridonov, co-founder and CEO of CloudPayments. people try not to save on goods for children. “
In addition to gifts, travel was another popular item of spending on New Year’s holidays before the pandemic. This year, we can note the revival in this direction. Russians are more likely to buy tickets for airplanes, trains and excursions than a year earlier. Online turnover in the category of air tickets in the period from 1 to 13 December 2021 compared to the same period a year earlier increased by 197%, the number of transactions increased by 186%, and the average check increased by 4% from 37,629 rubles to 39,126 rubles. This growth is associated not only with the recovery in demand, but also with the rise in the price of plane tickets.
“If last year the hopes of traditional airlines for the New Year holidays did not come true due to the complete closure of borders and the subsequent paralysis of passenger traffic, this year some markets saw a revival, although it is still far from the record level of 2019,” says Vitaly Arkhangelsky, Director of Jet .Paris-AVIAV TM (Cofrance SARL – Nice, France). – The markets of Southeast Asia, South Africa remain closed or closed before the most anticipated peak. China is trying with all its might to prevent the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus ahead of the Winter Olympics. This year, unfortunately, the New Year holidays coincided with a peak in the incidence of a new variant of the coronavirus in flight and cabin crew from North American airlines. This led to massive cancellations of flights across North America from her. Therefore, the expected peak in air travel on a global scale did not happen. On the other hand, the situation in North America has given business jet operators a chance. It was not difficult to notice that demand for private flights increased precisely in the US-Europe communication market, where border crossing restrictions were significantly weakened, and the supply fell due to illnesses of crews and weather conditions at major airports. “
According to Romans Tur travel agency analysts, Russians are now actively buying tours for the New Year holidays. Most often they choose according to several criteria: the presence of the sea and warm sunny weather. The most popular destinations from late December to January 10 are Egypt, Dominican Republic, Maldives and Cuba. Tours in Russia are also in demand, the most popular destination is Sochi. According to the representative of Romans Tur, due to the epidemiological situation, the choice among tourists has really decreased, but nevertheless this year there is a lively interest in travel.
Online demand for train tickets from 1 to 13 December 2021 has also increased compared to the same period a year earlier. Online turnover increased by 57%. The most popular destinations for travel by rail are Adler, St. Petersburg, Kazan.
The demand for bus transportation has also increased. From December 1 to December 13, 2021, online sales in this category increased 139% over the same period in 2020. The average check increased by 39% from 1,996 rubles to 2,782 rubles.
And in the period from December 1 to December 13, 2021, online demand for the services of excursion organizers increased compared to the same period last year. Online turnover in this category grew by 127%. Sightseeing tours and weekend tours to country holiday homes and sanatoriums are popular in this category.
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