Black Friday will have greater demand for meat and basic food in supermarkets

Brazilian consumers intend to buy more items from the basic food basket, meat and hygiene products in supermarket promotions during this year’s Black Friday.

According to a survey carried out by the consultancy Shopper Experience at the request of Apas (Associação Paulista de Supermercados), respondents want to take advantage of the offers planned for the last week of November and stock up with items that have increased in price in the last 12 months due to inflation.

Hygiene and beauty items appear at the top of intentions. Almost seven in ten (69%) consumers want to take products from this category on Black Friday this year. The report highlights that the segment had inflation of 1.56% in the month, accumulating an annual increase of 18.92%.

An increasingly scarce product on the plate of Brazilians, meat appears in second place on the list. The product had already gained space in Black Friday 2021 shopping, but the expectation is that it will be even more sought after in the next round of supermarket discounts.

According to the survey, 56% of consumers say they bought meat in last year’s promotions. For this year, two out of three respondents plan to put the item in their cart — which represents a 17% increase.

The greatest interest occurs even at a time of falling prices. If in 2021 meat was considered the villain of inflation, now it shows signs of a truce.

In this month of September, the IPCA (Extended National Consumer Price Index) registered a deflation of 0.29%. This is the third consecutive decline, driven mainly by the decline in gasoline prices.

A similar deceleration process has been taking place with some cuts of meat. The pieces used for barbecue, for example, were cheaper compared to August, according to monitoring carried out by Apas in partnership with Fipe.

The most significant reduction was observed in the price of filet mignon, which fell by almost 7%. Diaper and picanha also registered deflation in supermarkets in September, as well as some products that make up the basic food basket, such as coffee, milk and sugar.

Basic items, by the way, were the ones that registered the greatest growth in purchase interest for Black Friday 2022. According to the Apas survey, 47% of Brazilians took some item from the basic basket home during the 2021 mega-promotions; now 58% are planning to buy — an increase of 23.4%.

Beers, which usually enter the radar of consumers at this time of discounts, had a decline in purchase intentions (from 53% to 49%), as well as soft drinks (from 57% to 51%).

Supermarkets expect to sell more

For food retail, Black Friday is the second best date in terms of sales volume, second only to the holiday season. With the greatest interest from consumers, 56% of entrepreneurs expect to see sales rise this year.

However, even though 83% of Brazilians plan to buy items at the supermarket, the minority of the sector indicates being prepared for the date. According to the Apas survey, 37% of entrepreneurs have not yet purchased products for Black Friday.

The report says that, as prices are already falling, the sector is leaving to negotiate with suppliers at the last moment, in the hope of getting an even more advantageous condition to offer the consumer.

Customers should spend more on Black Friday

According to the survey, the average amount spent in supermarkets is estimated at R$ 564.87, which includes purchases with food, beverage, hygiene and cleaning items.

For the Economic Consulting Department of Apas, the increase in employment and income should be reflected in consumption. “Such factors generate optimism among entrepreneurs and consumers. We should experience an economic heating before Black Friday, increasing the movement in stores”, estimates, in a note, Diego Pereira, economist at Apas.