Consumers are looking for new solutions because of the inflation, which was announced as 80.21 percent by the Turkish Statistical Institute and as 181.37 percent by the independent research institution ENAG. Citizens who want to protect themselves against inflation started to buy products they need or may need in advance. “We see a stocking trend in the consumer,” said Mehmet Bülent Deniz, President of the Consumer Union Federation.
Consumer Union Federation conducted a survey to see the change in consumer habits in the inflation environment. According to the survey, 59.8 percent of consumers spend time and energy to buy discounted products and shop at more than one market. While 48 percent expect the product they need to go on sale, 50.8 percent compare the prices of similar products on the shelves even for the smallest product.
65.3 percent of consumers buy discounted products even if they do not need it. The rate of consumers who say that they cannot predict prices in the future is 73 percent. 74 percent of the respondents think that if they do not buy the discounted product at that time, they will not be able to find it at that price in the next days.
WHITE GOODS FIRST
Consumers’ fight against inflation continues in a different model in large products such as white goods. There is an explosion in the application of “buy now, let’s deliver later”, which is used for weddings that are postponed especially during the pandemic period.
We visit the dealers to see these applications that increase the stock trend. The couple shopping in a store tells that they went shopping in July last year for their wedding in June. “We can’t keep up with prices, so now we wanted to complement small appliances,” he says.
Barış Akgün, who works in a white goods store, said that there was a big explosion in practice, and said, “We are selling until a year later. In general, the consumer buys 5-6 months in advance,” he says.
On the other hand, this chance of the consumer is also in danger. Due to constantly changing prices, increasing storage costs and supply problems, some brands have started to shorten the one-year period. Tayfun B., the sales representative in one of these stores, describes this situation as follows:
DIFFERENCE 15 THOUSAND TL IN 4 MONTHS
“We now keep the products for a maximum of 15 days. But we always advise customers to buy early. 4 months ago, a friend of mine bought white goods and television for 28 thousand liras. Today, the same products are 43 thousand TL. They made a profit of 15 thousand TL in 4 months. The wedding will be in June, then no one knows what the price will be.”
THERE ARE THOSE WHO GET THEIR NEEDS THREE YEARS EARLY
Arçelik is one of the largest white goods manufacturers in Turkey. It has more than 15,000 dealers. Senior executive (CEO) Hakan Bulgurlu says:
“Because we are used to living with inflation, we can react quickly. Why is almost everyone buying a vehicle or white goods these days? For example, her daughter does not have a boyfriend yet to get married, they are not engaged, they did not even want to go. In other words, he buys the product 2-3 years in advance. An environment with inflation knows that its cost will increase a lot. And the dealer says, ‘I’ll hold it for you’.”