Half of retail sales in Portugal are discounts

Almost half of Portugal’s retail sales are discounted and promotional items according to a study by Nielsen “Winning into the Promo Jungle”.
The study found that Portugal is the fourth country in Europe registering the greatest number of sales of cut-price articles after the Czech Republic, Solvakia and Russia.
“Buy three, get one free,” “Up to 50% discount” and “two for one” are some of the phrases that attract Portuguese consumers on the look out for a bargain when it comes to shopping, particularly in supermarkets.
In 2018, almost a half of all sales were promotional articles according to the study which reveals that the Portuguese are “promo seekers”. Last year alone 46% of all sales of domestic retail goods from food to toiletries bought in Portugal had discounts.
The percentage largely exceeds the European average (29%) which puts it at the fourth country in Europe when it comes to consumers hunting out bargains.
All told, discount items sold on the national market reached €3.5Bn and “even if consumers do not switch shops in search of discounts, they actively seek discount deals when out shopping with one-third of shoppers choosing their brands according to the discounts they are currently offering,” says Nielsen.
The profile of the typical discount shopper in Portugal is families with four or more members in the middle and upper middle classes who on average do a supermarket shop four times a week and spend €24, opting mostly for well-known brands that are on promotion.
João Otávio, Nielsen client development officer confirms that: “without a doubt discounts play a decisive role in consumer spending in Portugal with over a half of promotional sales corresponding to non-incremental sales, meaning sales that would have been made anyway, with or without discounts.”