UrBC, Moscow, August 12, 2016. The average receipt amount at Ural Federal District-based shops declined by 6% in July 2016 and now comes to 410 RUR, Romir Holding reports.

In Russia on the whole, the average receipt amount actually rose by 1.2% in July against one month earlier and came to 510 RUR. This means that this amount has been very low for the last six months, at a level comparable with that of late 2013 and early 2014. Last month’s average receipt amount dropped by 8.8%, or 49 RUR against July 2015. Given the yearly inflation rate of 7.2%, the actual amount shrank by as much as 16%.

‘The modest AR amounts and even more modest daily spending patterns reflect the ongoing downward economic trends. In February through May, average receipt amounts were small but the overall spending kept increasing, which meant Russian customers went to a large number of different shops to get the best deals. In June, the average receipt amount remained the same as in the previous months, but the overall spending decreased by over 11%. In July, the overall spending was up by only 0.7%, while the AR amount remained the same,’ Romir says.

Romir analysts believe this means customers are now going shopping less frequently even though their receipt amount stays the same; this results in decreased overall spending figures.

According to Romir’s research, people living in large cities spent, on average, 2.9% more than one month earlier, while those living in smaller towns spent 1.2% less (in places with population under 500,000 people) and 1.7% less (in places with population under 100,000 people).