The consumer has changed the request and is ready to sacrifice quality
Imported goods, especially gadgets and household appliances, have only risen in price in Russia in recent months. Now, it seems, the reverse dynamics has begun: buyers are fixing a steady decline in prices for TVs and laptops, and a noticeable decrease — by 20-50%. This trend is associated with the strengthening of parallel imports: new supply chains are finally established. Whether prices will remain low, or whether it is worth rushing to buy now, the MK correspondent discussed with a specialist.
A large flat-panel TV is not cheap, but now you can find a good Chinese or Korean version for 30-40 thousand rubles, say the sellers of retail stores. For comparison, even in the winter there were no price tags less than 60 thousand. A lot of products are marked as sale — they have red price tags with an announcement of a 15, 20, and sometimes 40% discount.
According to Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, today there is a solid supply of TVs in Russia — enough for about 6 months — so there is no need to urgently run and buy equipment for the future, as many did in the spring of 2022. At the same time, previously unknown Chinese and domestic brands, which have yet to win the trust of the consumer, will rule the roost.
– You need to have a good understanding of what is happening in the market today. New Russian TVs are really cheap, but they are incomparable with the conditional Samsung: it was more expensive not because of the brand, but according to objective criteria, this is just a technique of a different level. However, the request has changed: today the buyer has shifted to inexpensive models. Yes, of course, the screen resolution and screen brightness on inexpensive models will be worse, but at the same time they are so cheap that no one pays attention to it. For comparison, a Russian TV will cost 12,000 rubles, and a Samsung TV will cost at least 40,000. Naturally, a person will close his eyes to all the shortcomings! He admits, yes, that the picture is better, but he decides that the difference is not worth 28 thousand rubles.
In addition, as Murtazin noted, private label (private trademark) stores and marketplaces are gaining popularity today, and people are ready buy them. At the same time, on average, the demand for TVs is declining. According to the expert, the TV market was kept by marketing — active advertising campaigns of brands that urged people to buy their new products. Russian firms do not have such marketing, and the need to change the TV set has been greatly reduced. Therefore, the market fell by 35%, and even more in money terms.
— On average, people buy fewer TVs and go for the cheaper ones. Their life span is up to 11 years. The figure is quite stable. This period is moral obsolescence, over the years the TV has time not only to break, but rather to annoy the user, — added Murtazin.
As noted in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, today the supply of Russian trademarks has increased significantly which are promoted by large marketplaces and retailers. There is no more shortage, which means there is no reason to raise prices.