With uncertainty persisting in the economy, domestic politics and geopolitics, a pronounced saving strategy dominates Latvian consumer behaviour, with 48% of respondents looking for sales and discounts more often, while 32% admitted that they had started buying cheaper goods. This emerged from a survey of the population carried out by the marketing agency “Frank”.
When Latvian residents were asked how their shopping habits had changed over the past year, it turned out that almost half, or 48%, look for discounts and sales more often. Meanwhile, 32% indicated that they choose cheaper products, and a further 28% said that they compare prices before making a purchase. Only 6% said that they still choose more expensive, higher-quality products. The results suggest that there is a marked sensitivity to prices.
The survey also asked how important price is when choosing goods and services. 65% of respondents indicated that it is very important or decisive, while 14% said that they most often choose the lowest price. Only 2% of residents said that price is not important to them at all.
A cross-sectional analysis of the data suggests that habits have changed most markedly in the 30 to 39 age group, where 48% said that they more often choose cheaper products and 56% said that they look for discounts and sales, while only 21% indicated that their habits had not changed significantly. “Looking at the survey results, we can conclude that the higher the income, the more stable the shopping habits,” says Ritvars Macieša, managing partner of the marketing agency “Frank”. “People are trying to save because it is hard to predict how domestic political and geopolitical events around the world will affect the economy in Latvia and each person individually.”
Residents were also asked to what extent advertising influences their purchasing choices. More than two thirds, or 66%, stated that advertising influences their choices little or not at all, while 10% indicated that advertising has a significant influence. One in five, or 20% of respondents, indicated that the influence of advertising depends on the category of goods or services, acknowledging that it is more of an “additional factor” than the main determinant of choice.
Interestingly, digital channels are still in the lead, as 37% of residents identified information about products and services on social networks as influential, followed by television with 19% and online video platforms with 18%. “Although it might seem that advertising does not affect our daily lives, or affects them only minimally, it is in fact a very significant instrument in our choices, which applies particularly to discounts and sales – because how else would people find out about them,” says R. Macieša, adding that companies should currently be thinking carefully about their marketing strategies, not by abandoning advertising, but by placing it wisely and purposefully.
The population survey was carried out by “DMS Analytics” on behalf of “Frank” in April 2026, with 500 respondents aged up to 74 taking part.