With less income, consumer search simpler products

Last week, Joelma Quioratto, 20 years old, married and childless, had to go shopping. Although she and her husband are employed and earn income from R $2000 per month, Rishad was cautious with the financial situation and not intended to spend. But the refrigerator broke: stopped freezing and was spoiling the food. "I just bought a new refrigerator because the former reached the limit, I didn''t fix it."
In Exchange, Rishad has opted for the price. She would like to take home an automatic defrost refrigerator (frost free), like the old refrigerator. However, ended up buying a two-door refrigerator, but manual defrost. I''d like a frost free, but the value is a bit out of the budget. So, I chose to take a greater account of, with the same functions and a freezer that meets my needs, "he explained.
The new refrigerator frost free she would have to shell out R $2,699. Already the refrigerator with manual defrost left by R $2,199. Was in installments in 12 times, with a provision of R $183.25. "I opted for providing less than fit on my budget."
Joelma rationality in time to go shopping in a still uncertain economic environment has appeared in retail sales results. Consultancy GfK research shows that, in the first half, there was growth in retail sales of 15.9% in the number of semi-automatic washing machines, popularly known as tiny tanks, and a 0.8 percent retreat in the automatic washing machine in comparison with the first half of 2016.
In the same period, the quantities sold of two-door refrigerators with manual defrost increased 3.6%, and those of refrigerators, also two doors, but frost free, fell 3%. The consultancy monitors retail sales 90% of home appliances to the final consumer, including electronic commerce.
Trend. For Henrique Malvar, Director of consultancy GfK technology industries, the results do not point to a trend of "back to the ABS" because of the loss of income that happened as a result of the crisis. In his opinion, this is not a trend, because it''s not something cyclical but structural.
"At the moment we''re living in, with two-and-a-half years of recession and high unemployment, consumers began to make choices and to get the best cost/benefit ratio," Mascarenhas.
Paul Miri, President of appliances Whirlpool Brazil, owner of the brand Brastemp and Consul, says he noticed movement in the market. The slice of refrigerators with manual defrosting in the total market sales, which was 57 percent in 2012, retreated to 37% in 2014 and today is at 38%. "I don''t believe that the participation of the fridge defrosting manual in total market return to the previous level of 50%."
Anyway, he points out that the biggest downturn in sales in frost free refrigerators market occurred in the Northeast because of the fall in employment and income.
Already the Arno, which produces tiny tanks, reported through the note, "I felt an increase in sales of semi-automatic washing machines (tiny tanks), mostly in the North and Northeast," according to Julia Castro, marketing manager. Today, the manufacturer has three types of tiny tanks and reports that plans to launch new models in the coming months.