Brand power, support for Ukrainian goods and even greater rationalization of demand — how the war changed the consumer behavior of Ukrainians in 2022

10 months of living in a state of war had a serious impact on the formation of new consumer patterns among Ukrainians. The research company Gradus Research surveyed whether people remain loyal to their favorite brands, which are now a key factor in their choice of products, and whether they plan their purchases in advance. The analysis of the research results made it possible to highlight several important trends in the change of consumer behavior, with which we are starting 2023.

Greater rationalization of demand

The circumstances in which Ukrainians found themselves due to the war, pushed them to even greater rationality in consumption. Lack of work (37% of the population remains unemployed) and a decrease in the level of income, which 78% of citizens claim, force them to buy cheaper brands (64% of respondents). At the same time, almost a fifth of the population (18%) can afford to buy more expensive brands.

More consumers plan purchases in advance (76%), and only 15% of citizens decide to buy a product directly at the point of sale, meaning that they buy it spontaneously.

Love marks continue to work: the power of brands matters

54% of surveyed consumers pay special attention to the brand when making a purchase. Another one-third of the population (33%) claims that after the beginning of the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, the product brand does not matter for them.

55% of those who continue to buy familiar brands do so because of a positive experience of buying goods from these brands.

Preference is given to shopping in supermarkets and stores, where branded products are sold, rather than markets - 74% of respondents against 16%. At the same time, half of Ukrainians (48%) tend to make purchases at their favorite points of sale, and the other 41% choose convenient options for shopping on the road, without being tied to the usual place.

The demand for Ukrainian brands is growing steadily

Support of Ukrainian manufacturers has been an important factor of choice for most Ukrainians ever since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Currently, 69% of surveyed Ukrainians state that they consciously choose products of Ukrainian brands.

And 56% of those who started buying new brands during the war do so to support Ukrainian producers.

"Analyzing the key changes in the behavior of Ukrainian consumers, the conscious intention of citizens to support the state and its economy by choosing goods of local brands is clearly visible. And even the need to save money does not stop people from buying their favorite goods in the usual places of sale, once again proving that the brand is now more important than ever — even more important than it was before the war. People plan their purchases, so it is important to get into their plan/list and not count on a spontaneous decision in front of a shelf," says Evgeniya Blyzniuk, sociologist, CEO & Founder of Gradus Research.

The full report "Consumer Trends 2023" contains analytics on the following issues of purchasing behavior since the beginning of the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine (by gender, age, region and type of settlement):

1. Changing attitudes towards brands — the importance of the brand when making a purchase
2. Change in buying behavior — buying new unfamiliar brands or those that have been known for a long time
3. Reasons for starting to buy new, unfamiliar brands
4. Reasons for continuing to buy familiar brands
5. Change in purchasing behavior for everyday goods — switching to cheaper brands, to more expensive brands
6. Change in buying behavior for everyday goods — refusal to buy favorite brands vs. continuing to buy favorite brands
7. Change in purchasing behavior for everyday goods — buying products of foreign / international brands vs buying products of Ukrainian manufacturers
8. Changing purchasing behavior for everyday goods — impulse purchases vs. planned purchases
9. Changing purchasing behavior for everyday goods — shopping at stores on the road vs shopping at favorite stores
10. Change in purchasing behavior for everyday goods — shopping in supermarkets/stores vs. shopping in markets

The full research report is available upon request at ai@gradus.app.

The survey was conducted by the research company Gradus Research using the method of self-filling the questionnaire in the mobile application. The Gradus online panel displays the population structure of cities with more than 50,000 residents aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size and region. Period of survey: December 6-7, 2022, sample size: 1,000 respondents.