The intensifying competition among retailers through promotional campaigns has significantly altered shopping behavior in Türkiye, with branded products gaining a stronger foothold.
Ipsos Türkiye data show that the share of branded goods in household consumption has climbed to nearly 60 percent, driven largely by aggressive promotions, while private label and unpackaged products have lost ground.
The broader economic backdrop of monetary tightening, aimed at keeping domestic demand at a reasonable level and controlling inflation, continues to weigh on the retail sector. According to figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), households have postponed spending on electronics, clothing, and footwear, while growth in food consumption has slowed at times. This environment has accelerated the pace of promotions as retailers seek to sustain sales volumes.
Ipsos Türkiye CEO Sidar Gedik highlighted that households in 2025 spent 36 out of every 100 liras in discount markets, maintaining their leadership in shopping frequency. Local chains grew above average, emerging as one of the standout channels of the year, while supermarkets and small neighborhood shops continued to lose share.
He noted that rising price sensitivity has led households to spread their shopping across more channels, reflecting a more fragmented retail landscape.
TÜİK’s retail sales data also reveals that while consumption of essentials such as food has recorded only limited growth, non-essential categories like cosmetics have seen sharp increases.
Gedik interprets this trend as consistent with what Ipsos Global Trends describes as “New Nihilism.”
“In times of economic uncertainty, large-scale purchases are postponed, while disposable income is directed toward smaller, individual expenditures that provide immediate satisfaction,” he said.
Consumption, he explained, is shifting from household needs to personal indulgences.
