The expert predicted how the behavior of Russian buyers will change in 2023

The past year 2022 has repeatedly made us think that the era of fun and carefree consumption is far behind – and this means that those who provided the industry will have to urgently change the vector of development. The crisis is indeed obvious, but this does not mean that the culture of shopping and shopping centers will become a thing of the past – people are too used to it. Aishe Agekyan, the head of a shopping center in a Swedish company, spoke about how trade should develop.

The main mistake that retailers can make now is to think that they are now at the bottom of the abyss; most likely, the business is only at the beginning of a difficult journey, and maximum flexibility will be required to overcome difficulties. This opinion was expressed by Aishe Agekyan, the head of a shopping center in an international Swedish company, when she spoke to colleagues at an industry event in Moscow.

– You need to understand: for many years we lived in fat times. This is not a judgment, and I don’t want to say that it was bad. This is a statement of fact. Now we must be as honest as possible not only with our clients, but also with ourselves. Of course, a crisis is a time of opportunity, but only if you soberly assess these opportunities. The last three years have shown that the planning horizon has narrowed to 10 minutes. This means that our task is not to create large-scale, some gigantic plans, but to look at what can be changed here and now.

According to the expert, what is happening now with Russians in the sphere of consumption has long been studied and named – in marketing there is such a thing as the “lipstick effect”.

– What is the difference between the current crisis and those that we have experienced? The fact that several crises are happening at the same time: political, economic, social, individual, and so on. People do not feel at all any confidence in the future, the life that we are accustomed to, which we have been building for many years, is slipping away. However, you still want to live as before, at least imitate it. The man goes to the mall. He can no longer afford his favorite brand or expensive handbag, but he can at least afford lipstick. And he will buy this lipstick, grab the illusion of a past life. The task of today’s shopping center is to give it this opportunity, Agekyan explains.

She added that a lot of attention today should be paid to creating a pleasant atmosphere for shopping – even if a person is not ready to spend a lot of money, he must want to return to the mall. An important nuance is the condition of common areas, especially toilets. According to her, any client, even if he buys a little, will definitely visit the bathroom, mother and child room, parking and wardrobe, as well as the food court. If these places are dirty and sloppy, 80% of the experience will go down the drain.

– Shopping centers today should also strive to be public spaces, places where people just enjoy spending time. We must understand: they will not spend a lot of money and uncontrollably. The most important thing for them is to recharge with positive, relax, and learn about something new. But now we can reach a different level of service: in other words, to bring culture to the masses. Today, people no longer need Black Friday and other nonsense, it only lasts for a few days. A modern client is more likely to be interested in a good social project.

The expert also emphasized that, according to polls, it is those who made good money who made up the backbone of the former shopping center audience who feel especially uncomfortable today. Therefore, even for those shopping centers that previously focused on the rich segment, it is very important to understand: the faster you change and understand what is happening with your guest, the better for your business. By the way, it was like that in fat times, but now it has become especially important. The expert recommends paying special attention to an individual approach:

– Today the client feels lost. It should be the other way around: it is in our power to make him feel an individual approach. I recommend you: look at your buying group. Who are these people, what is important to them? I give you a hint: they never save on animals and children even in the most difficult times – here you are, here is a niche that can be safely developed.