Price takes priority for Russian shoppers in choosing everyday goods, private labels and new products

Price and quality continue to lead as the top drivers with only minor fluctuations of 1%–3% over the past two years. 

At the same time, online shopping with delivery is becoming an increasingly important factor in purchasing decisions. The share of respondents valuing home delivery has increased by 11% over the past six months, while demand for online purchase with in-store pickup has risen by 8%. This trend is likely driven by growing time constraints among shoppers, as well as the greater availability of delivery and clickand-collect services across retail formats. Interest in online shopping with delivery has become more widespread across all income groups. 

Among female respondents, 41% highlight the importance of home delivery, while a further 27% value the option of in-store pickup. For men, home delivery also remains relevant—ranked at 29%—on par with brand preference (28%). 

For residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, online shopping options are more important than for consumers in other cities, with 42% valuing delivery and 27% valuing click-and-collect. In comparison, the figures are 32% and 24% in million-plus cities, and 34% and 23% in smaller urban areas. Moreover, for urban dwellers in the capital cities, the availability of delivery or click-and-collect is more important than brand, which is cited by 24% of respondents in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Consumer interest in food private labels has remained virtually unchanged over the past six months. Growth dynamics in the private label segment mirror those of the broader grocery retail market: according to Nielsen[1], the growth rate of private label food categories decelerated from 22% in 2024 to 17% in 2025. ‘Dry groceries’ stands out as the only food category with consistently rising consumer interest—up 7% since autumn 2024 across four survey waves. Meanwhile, interest in non-food private labels has declined across all categories.

The most pronounced decrease was observed in clothing and footwear (–21% over the past six months), while declines in home cleaning and laundry supplies (–7%) and personal care, perfume and beauty products (–10%) were more moderate. Sales dynamics reflect a similar trend, with Nielsen[1] reporting that growth in non-food private label sales slowed from 16% in 2024 to 7% in 2025. 

Private labels already account for 15% of food retail turnover and 13% of non-food sales[1]. Looking ahead, growth is likely to be driven primarily by lower prices relative to branded alternatives. More than half of respondents (54%) stated they would be willing to purchase private label products, provided they are priced below branded equivalents while offering comparable quality. However, lower prices alone are not sufficient across all categories: one-third of respondents emphasized that their choice depends on the product category. 

With the exception of younger demographics, most age groups continue to expect stability in access to goods and services. Interestingly, while younger respondents (aged 18–24 and 25–34) previously showed the most optimistic expectations, by spring 2026 these same groups had become the most pessimistic in their outlook.

Over the past year, the share of consumers purchasing grocery items several times a week has gradually increased, reaching 57% in spring 2026, while other response options have declined compared with spring 2025. These shifts reflect a broader consumer move towards faster, more convenient shopping, driven by the desire for product freshness and the ability to treat oneself with satisfying purchases. 

The trend towards shopping several times a week is consistent across all settlement sizes included in the study. Consumers with lower incomes (up to RUB 50,000 per household member) are more likely to stock up on groceries for longer periods—accounting for 24% of this group, compared with just 14% among those earning over RUB 150,000. The overall pattern of visiting offline stores remains stable: most consumers have not altered their shopping routines. One exception is hypermarkets, where the share of consumers reporting reduced shopping frequency exceeds the share of those whose shopping frequency has remained unchanged.

Sixty-nine percent of consumers still do not use AI when making purchases. Strikingly, low adoption spans all age groups, with only a 9% gap between the youngest (18–24) and oldest (55+) respondents: 63% and 72%, respectively, report not using AI. 

Consumers do, however, engage with new technologies in a variety of use cases, primarily at the product selection stage. Specifically, 16% use AI to compare product characteristics, 14% to search for suitable options, 11% to read reviews, and 9% to look for cheaper alternatives. This indicates an underlying interest in leveraging technology to access product information and comparisons, highlighting an opportunity for retailers to further develop AI assistant functionality.