In the midst of a deteriorating climate of consumer confidence, especially due to high inflation, tomorrow the country will hold the first day without VAT of 2022.
(Day without VAT: abc to make purchases this Friday, March 11).
The Government and merchants point out that everything is ready for the special sales day to be fulfilled and they trust that Colombians will take advantage of the benefits that this date brings to their pockets.
Fenalco has indicated that it expects sales to reach $8 billionwhile the Colombian Chamber of Electronic Commerce estimates that they may be between $600,000 and $700,000 million.
(These are the products that will have discounts on the day without VAT).
For the Government, it is proven that these days they encourage consumption and contribute so that the economy gains momentum.
Juan Esteban Orrego, from Fenalco Bogotá, said that merchants in the capital and Cundinamarca expect to reach $3.5 billion, taking into account that this part of the country has concentrated nearly 40% of sales in recent days without VAT. .
“The merchants have told us that for this Friday they hope to compensate for the decrease in sales that could occur on Sunday of parliamentary elections, because historically on voting days people are focused on exercising the right to vote and waiting for the results at home.
Andrés Hernández, manager of the Santafé shopping center in Bogotá, considers that the previous days without VAT have shown that people take advantage of the opportunity to buy the latest and what is fashionable with the 19% discount.
“I think that people are increasingly smarter to buy. I think there must be a reactivation that exceeds, at least, 40% to 50% of a normal day”, he commented.
In addition, other warehouse complexes such as Arkadia in Medellin and Plaza Central in the capital have announced their special plans to encourage customers. Merchants have even scheduled extended hours to make shopping comfortable.
WHAT MOVES MOST
NielsenIQ conducted a study in which it identified the products and categories that Colombians consume the most on these dates.
Appliances, textiles, household items, and beverageswere some of the segments that showed the highest growth during the week of the last Day without VAT in 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.
Within the category of home appliances, products such as water heaters and air conditioners showed growth of more than 320% in the total value of purchases, while televisions, video games and washing machines reported an increase of more than 210%.
In the case of beverages, the brandy was the protagonist in sales, according to the report, with an increase of 147%, followed by other liquors 33% and energy drinks with 30%.
“The days without VAT in 2021 represented historical sales records for businesses in the country. These are days that allow consumers to have a significant savings in your purchases and access different products through various formats. In fact, e-commerce is one of the most benefited formats, with growth of over 150% in the value of purchases”, explained Ricardo Gutiérrez, NielsenIQ Retail Market Leader for Colombia and Central LatAm.
For the household items segment, outdoor furniture showed an increase of close to 750%, followed by kitchen accessories (225%) and indoor furniture (137%).
BRIEFCASE
