As prices continue to rise, supermarkets in Tokyo are focusing on selling larger quantities of products at cheaper prices than usual in an effort to encourage customers to visit their stores.
At the Benny Super Sano store in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, the average purchase amount per customer over the past year has increased by approximately 3% compared to the previous year due to rising prices.
Meanwhile, the frequency of store visits per shopper last year was about 4% lower than the previous year.
Stores have been focusing on efforts to encourage customers to visit their stores, recognizing that consumers are increasingly shopping less frequently due to a growing trend toward saving money.
One of these is the sale of large-capacity products packed in 1kg or 2kg units of meat such as pork and chicken.Since the beginning of last year, sales have changed from irregular sales to regular sales from Thursdays to Sundays. I decided to do this.
According to the store, these products require less processing time, so they are cheaper than regular products, and by selling them on specific days of the week, they increase awareness among customers and encourage them to visit the store. This means that it has also become .
A woman in her 70s shopping said, ``Rather than just buying something because it's cheap, I now carefully consider whether or not I need it before buying it.When it comes to meat, I buy it in large pieces, then cut it into smaller portions and use them in small portions.'' I was talking.
In addition, a woman in her 50s said, ``I hope they don't raise prices this year. Even for products that don't increase in price, the quantities are smaller or smaller, so I hope that doesn't happen.''
Benny Super General Manager Tomoya Akatsu said, ``We believe that the price increases have already been raised to a certain extent, so this year we will be adding value, such as cutting and seasoning products to reduce the hassle of cooking. "I want to offer new products. I want to create a sales floor that makes shopping more enjoyable for customers."
Expert: “Even though the momentum of food price increases has slowed, prices will continue to rise”
Regarding the outlook for future prices, experts believe that the consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, will fall to around 2% through this summer, as the pace of food price increases will slow down. I am.
According to a survey by Teikoku Databank, a private credit reporting company, major domestic food manufacturers are planning to raise prices on approximately 60 more foods between January and May this year compared to the same period last year. %, and the pace of price increases is expected to slow.
Regarding the outlook for future prices, Yoshitaka Shinke, Senior Executive Economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, said, ``While companies' desire to raise prices remains strong, the decline in import prices and other factors will weaken upward pressure on costs, making them the main driver of price increases.'' "The rate of increase in food prices will slow down compared to last year. The rate of increase is expected to settle down to around 2% through this summer."
He also said, ``Even if the pace of price increases slows, prices will continue to rise, and people will continue to feel pressured on their lives.As real wages continue to decline, if this year's spring labor unions do not result in high wage increases, individual There is a possibility that it will lead to weakness in consumption,'' and it is necessary to closely monitor the trends in wage increases during this year's spring labor union.
On the other hand, the government is focusing on trends in the government's measures to reduce the burden of electricity and city gas, as if support is reduced in the future, it will be a factor pushing up prices.