Russians grapple with inferior knockoffs as western brands exit

Western brands have withdrawn from Russia. The Kremlin claims that Russian knockoffs are just as good, but this is not the case. The decline in product quality in Russian stores is worsening.

Over the last three decades, citizens of the Russian Federation have become accustomed to having the most prestigious brands from around the world in their country. After decades of communist bleakness, they eagerly embraced the available products. Now, we read in the newspaper that they are returning to times when they did not have access to such goods.

They are forced to give up luxury cars like Audi or Mercedes in favour of domestic brands like Lada or Moskvich. Instead of a well-known brand refrigerator, they must settle for a product from an unknown Chinese manufacturer or even go back to Soviet times and choose the Belarusian "Minsk." This drastic change is not welcomed by many Russians, especially those from large cities - according to "Rz".

According to a study conducted by the company B1 (formerly the Russian branch of E&Y) and published by Kommersant, 60% of Russians noticed a decline in the quality of products that replaced Western brands. Consumer dissatisfaction is growing—in the autumn of last year, 44% of Russians were dissatisfied with the quality of substitutes.

The number of Russians who are ready to pay more for a product of a known brand is increasing. Six months ago, 45% of respondents made such a declaration, and now it is already more than half. Those who are ready to pay more do so primarily because of quality.

Kommersant notes that Russians have started to pay more attention to the quality of their purchases, considering rising prices. Quality was indicated as an important factor in decision-making by 82% of respondents, which is 9 percentage points more than in the autumn of 2023. The majority of respondents - 95% - still believe that the price of the product is the most important factor.