Turkish shoppers have renewed their traditional holiday shopping as they prepare for another type of New Year’s Eve this year.
They will spend the next New Year’s weekend under lockdown, as the government recently announced a four-day curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The curfew will run from the evening of December 31st and will last until the morning of January 4th.
Turkish citizens have been tasked with finishing New Year’s shopping, whether gifts or snacks, before closing, and this year the online retail sector has been very busy.
Retailers are expected to record record sales. The industry reports that it has tripled its sales of Christmas trees, as retailers have recorded significant digital sales.
Purchases of tableware and gifts are also expected to increase significantly.
“There is already a high demand for certain products and product groups due to New Year’s Eve,” said Deniz Alkaç, board member responsible for purchasing at Metro Wholesale Market Turkey.
“We expect year-on-year growth of 57% in products such as New Year’s Eve trees, ornaments and decorations,” Alkaç noted.
He added that they expect a 100% increase in crockery, decoration and souvenir sales.
“Especially in the kitchen products category, we note that there are 50% more sales than in the regular season,” Alkaç said.
Retailers also expect to see a marked increase in sales of products such as beverages, sweets, snacks, meat and women’s perfumes, Alkaç added.
“On New Year’s Eve we expect an average 50% year-over-year increase in chocolate, around 15% in nuts and fruits, snacks, cookies and cakes, around 30% in prepared popcorn, chips, a 10% in processed meat, 17% in specialty cheeses consumed outside of breakfast and about 35% in perfumes, ”he said.
“We anticipate that the volume of purchases will increase by 50% compared to normal.”
This month, Turkey imposed weekend closures and night curfews amid rising infections and deaths.
It has avoided a complete blockade since the beginning of the pandemic to keep the country’s economy running.
Feyza Dereli, marketing director of one of Turkey’s leading e-commerce sites, GittiGidiyor, also said they project at least a 50% year-on-year increase in overall holiday shopping a year.
“In the first ten days of December, sales in the decoration category increased by 150% compared to the same period last year. Sales of Christmas trees increased three times compared to last year “New Year ‘s decorations sales also rose 23%.” said Dereli.
“We expect at least 15% year-on-year growth in December,” said Murat Kolbaşı, president of home appliance maker Arzum.
Snacks are expected to be a popular category on New Year’s Eve.
According to Mondelez & International’s annual report, nearly nine out of 10 adults in the world said they consumed 64% more snacks during the outbreak.
The research found that 70% of Generation Y and 67% of those working from home were more likely to opt for snacks instead of traditional foods. Six out of ten adults said snacks will be part of their “new normal” once the pandemic is over.