Ukrainians have changed their priorities in buying equipment: what they chose in 2024 and what prices they paid

The year 2024 was marked by a change in consumer preferences of Ukrainians in the segment of appliances and electronics. While in 2023, purchases of household appliances prevailed, this year the demand has shifted to digital appliances, gadgets, and autonomous power supplies. This was reported to UNN by the COMFY chain of stores.

In 2024, the growth rate of sales of goods in the appliances and electronics segment in the Ukrainian market slowed down. While in 2023, Ukrainians bought a lot of household appliances, 2024 was the year of digital appliances and gadgets

Sales of traditional categories of goods, such as refrigerators, smartphones and TVs, remained at the level of the previous year. At the same time, the high season and Black Friday saw an increase in the popularity of trendy products, including multi ovens, monitors, gaming products, game consoles, laptops, accessories and electric toothbrushes.

The demand for autonomous energy sources, from compact power banks for phones to powerful charging stations with high capacity, grew particularly fast. In addition, the military and volunteers continue to purchase a significant portion of equipment to fulfill their current combat missions.

In 2024, the trend that characterized Black Friday before the full-scale war returned: Ukrainians choose premium quality gifts for the holidays. That is, goods not from the needs category, but from the wants category. The approach is as follows: I want to buy a good quality device at a discount or a product I have long dreamed of at a higher price range. For example, coffee machines, TVs with large diagonals, vacuum cleaners, etc.

COMFY notes that prolonged power outages due to shelling also had a significant impact on consumer behavior in 2024:

“The blackouts in March, June and winter forced Ukrainians to buy additional power supplies. In July, the market experienced a significant shortage of goods on the shelves, but the situation was stabilized. In 2024, unlike in 2023, charging stations and large-capacity power banks were in greater demand. It became clear that power outages would continue and that we needed to adapt. Charging stations with 1000 W and more, power banks with 50,000 mAh: in the top sales”.

In terms of price growth, the overall growth in prices for household appliances and electronics in Ukraine in 2024 is equal to the inflation rate.

“There was no sharp increase in prices for goods, all changes occurred gradually. The price was influenced by demand (for example, during long blackouts), logistics costs and competition in the market. In December, there was another increase in the dollar, and we predict that in early 2025, prices for goods will gradually catch up with the new exchange rate,” COMFY added.

Recall

The release of “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl” has become not only a high-profile event in the world of gaming, but also influenced the gaming gadget market. The game's release on November 20 triggered a rapid growth in sales of gaming laptops, consoles, monitors and accessories, especially during Black Friday.