Cost-Cutting Priorities.

When consumers need to save money, they do not simply cut expenses—they reconsider their priorities.

Coffee and snacks are the first category to be reduced, selected by 20% of Ukrainians. Another 16% would initially cut back on eating out, while 11% would reduce transportation expenses.

Out-of-home entertainment is among the first expenses reduced by 9% of respondents, while only 2% would preserve it until the very end. This makes leisure one of the most vulnerable categories when budgets come under pressure.

The situation is entirely different for medicines and vitamins. Only 7% would cut these expenses first, while 19% would protect them until the end. Pet-related spending shows similar resilience: 4% versus 17%.

As purchasing power declines, competition takes place not only between brands within a category but also between categories themselves for the right to remain in consumers’ household budgets for as long as possible.

This is an important signal for brands. The more closely a category is associated with health, responsibility, or everyday necessity, the harder it is for consumers to abandon it. Small everyday pleasures, however, appear optional, even when they shape people’s usual routines.

Which expense would you cut first—and which would you protect until the very end?

Data processed by Media Systems