This decrease was added to the most recent records and left behind the recovery that had tended to be observed towards the end of 2023 and the first months of the current year.
The firm said that although inflation has been declining compared to last year, it is still at levels that are considered high for basic products.
In terms of formats, small and bulk represented 49.1% of purchases, up from 47% a year ago (47%).
For example, a 6.8% drop was observed in the quantity of beverages purchased in June, compared to the same month in 2023. And, in the case of dairy products, the drop was 6.2% and 1.8% in home care items.
At the same time, the value of the food basket rose by 7% and the personal care basket by 8.4%.
Another reflection of higher inflation – and how it affects people’s pockets – is that in the second quarter, the food category accounted for half of all purchases. In other words, consumers could be prioritizing these products amid greater spending restrictions.
Personal care, for example, accounted for only 8.4% of the total.
In terms of formats, small and bulk items accounted for 49.1% of purchases, up from a year ago (47%), while extra-large items accounted for 6%, down one percentage point from June 2023.
On the other hand, spending on products that are on “sale” increased 16% in annual terms.
From the perspective of the purchasing channel used by Chileans, the analysis confirmed an evident preference for the modern versus the traditional: 63% versus 37.5%, respectively.
The number of purchases made in hypermarkets rose from 29.4% to 30.1% between April and June last year and the same period last year, while the number of purchases made in supermarkets decreased from 20.2% to 18.9%.
Distributors, in turn, increased by one percentage point in one year, reaching 7% of total transactions.
In terms of e-commerce, purchase frequency has dropped by 15% over the past year.
Zoom a la RM
This edition of Consumer Insights included a focus on the behaviour of the capital by sector. Thus, the largest contractions in purchase volume occurred in central-eastern Santiago (-2.4%) and Puente Alto, Maipú and La Florida (-3.4%).
In the case of channels, there was a strong growth of distributors in Maipú, from 5% a year ago to 8% today. The same percentages were observed in the northwestern part of the capital.
Grocery purchases rose in Puente Alto, but sales in southern and northwestern Santiago led sales in that channel with 17%.
The area with the greatest presence of the e-commerce channel was found in Santiago Oriente (11%).
