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- What kind of retail: almost half of consumers expect a reduction in the range in 2026
What kind of retail: almost half of consumers expect a reduction in the range in 2026
Changes in the retail market have increased the pessimism of Russian buyers. About 40% of Russians allowed a reduction in the assortment in stores, Izvestia learned. Against this background, the consumption model is also changing: customers are saving more often, switching to discounters, and also using online services and AI more actively to select products. Despite the growth of cautious sentiment, there will be no risks of a significant reduction in the range, experts are confident. The key factors for Russians are still price and quality. How consumer activity is changing and what retailers are offering in response to this is in the Izvestia article.
What are consumers' expectations for the coming year
Almost half of Russians (40%) expect a reduction in the range of goods on the domestic market, according to a March survey by the B1 consulting group (formerly Ernst & Young), the results of which were reviewed by Izvestia.
Compared to the autumn of 2025, the share of such respondents increased by 13 percentage points, and in annual terms — by 14 percentage points, reaching a maximum since the spring of 2023. More pessimistic estimates were recorded only in the fall of 2022: then 51% of respondents spoke about a possible reduction in the supply of goods in the coming year.
The majority (44%) of the survey participants believe that there will be no noticeable changes in the market. This is 9 percentage points less than in the fall of 2025, and 6 percentage points lower than in the spring of the same year. The share of Russians expecting an expansion in the supply of goods and services decreased to 16%, the lowest level since the spring of 2023. At the same time, young people aged 18-24 and 25-34 assess the situation worse than others. Previously, they were considered the main optimists among consumers, the report says.
Price and quality factors remain the main factors in the choice of goods and services among Russian consumers — 92% and 81% of respondents say this, respectively. At the same time, the share of those who value the possibility of online ordering with delivery increased by 11 percentage points in six months, to 35%. And the number of those who value the possibility of online shopping with pickup increased by 8 percentage points, to 24%. This is due to the increasing shortage of time for customers, as well as the wider spread of delivery and pickup as shopping formats, analysts say.
The majority of consumers are also ready to buy new products — only 15% of respondents stated the opposite. The respondents named an attractive price as the main factor in choosing new products.
The study involved 1,108 people over the age of 18 from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of the country.
What factors influence the consumer interests of Russians
The experts surveyed evaluate such sentiments in different ways. Zulfiya Shilyaeva, head of CMWP's retail real estate department, attributes them to a reduction in parallel imports. In September 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that it would exclude about 200 items from the list of such goods. The restrictions include products from Oral-B, Ricon, Braun and Biorepair brands, Amazone, Trimble and Spin Master. The ministry explained this as a correction against the background of import substitution of goods by Russian manufacturers or the resumption of official supplies.
Buyers are tired of having to choose among a large number of goods, according to B1 experts. Against this background, they have a growing interest in using artificial intelligence — almost a third (29%) of respondents use it when making purchases, according to the survey. For example, Lamoda's virtual fitting room was used by more than 1 million users in April, said a representative of the retailer. Neural networks are designed to make life easier for customers, simplify the search, selection and comparison of goods in an array of big data, analysts conclude.
The strengthening of the savings model also affects more conscious consumption, according to the expert of the Pro trading space optimization service.Stores" by Irina Bolotova. According to her, consumers are more likely to seek savings and opt for inexpensive discount stores. This category is becoming the fastest growing in the retail market. For example, in the first quarter of 2026, the revenue growth rate of the Chizhik network turned out to be almost three times higher than that of Pyaterochka— 29.8% versus 9.9% (both are part of X5). And Lenta launched the Family discounter in April.
This trend is partly confirmed by the survey results: more than 66% of young people made spontaneous purchases less often this spring and saved more often. In the fall, there were 6 percentage points fewer of them. However, respondents over the age of 45 were more likely to make sudden purchases. The share of those who buy less due to savings decreased by 4 percentage points, to 50%, according to the B1 study.
Pragmatic consumer sentiment is associated with unsatisfied demand in a number of product categories, according to a top manager of a large retail chain. According to him, after the departure of many international companies, some of their audience could not find local analogues "to their liking." Moreover, this year brands that could not replace the departed international giants may leave the Russian market, Zulfiya Shilyaeva added. According to CMWP, all Turkish Oxxo, Club, NetWork and Mudo stores are expected to close. At the same time, the number of new players in the market is also decreasing. There were 52 in 2024 and 38 in 2025. And in January – March 2026, only two new brands entered the market - one Russian and one foreign. Thus, the indicator decreased by 1.8 times compared to the same period last year.
The development of retailers' marketing programs can contribute to improvement, Irina Bolotova admitted. According to her, today even global players sacrifice their profits and lower margins in order to delay customer loyalty for a long time.
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