Greek alcoholic beverages became the biggest dark horse in the first quarter, with rum increasing by 67.7%

According to research firm Nielsen   Data released by IQ showed that in the first three months of this year, Greece's food retail turnover increased by 1.9% compared with the same period in 2020. Alcohol sales were booming , with rum even increasing by 67.7% .

In the first quarter of this year, due to the long-term closure of bars and restaurants, rum , wine , whiskey and beer saw the fastest sales growth in Greece , with rum sales increasing by 67.7%, wine sales increasing by 49.1%, whiskey sales increasing by 43.6 % and beer sales increasing by 27.3%.

Due to the closure of hair salons and beauty parlors , hair care categories such as hair loss products and hair dye became the second largest category with sales increasing by 25.1% and 22% respectively.

Additionally , restaurant closures led to a 47.5% increase in sales of oven cleaners and a 28.4% increase in baking paper sales.

Nielsen IQ reported that in the same period last year, due to the outbreak of the new crown, the turnover of food retail in Greece increased exponentially, and the cleaning categories such as disinfectants and cleaning products were the hot sales in the first quarter . In the first quarter of 2021 , personal care products led all categories with a turnover share of 8.9% , followed by household products at 7.4%, followed by food and beverages at 4.2%.

Greece is a southern European country with a population of 10.9 million. With the development of the Internet, Greeks' consumption habits have gradually changed, and online shopping has gradually increased. In 2020, the online shopping participation rate was as high as 60%, which was only 30% in 2019. However, according to surveys, due to product availability issues and delivery delays , the online shopping satisfaction rate is only 40% .

Therefore, during the product design stage, merchants can highlight the location of the "operation button" and improve the product instructions as much as possible to enhance the user experience so as not to affect the order conversion rate.

In addition, ready-to-eat foods rank highest among online shopping categories. Many Greeks have formed the habit of buying food online, and online sales of ready-to-eat foods are growing the fastest, followed by travel services, clothing, electronic products, etc.

At present, the e-commerce market in Greece is developing rapidly and has huge market potential. Last year, the total transaction volume of the Greek e-commerce market reached 15 billion euros, and the annual growth rate is expected to be 8.9% from 2020 to 2025. As the e-commerce market continues to expand, the number of users in the Greek e-commerce market is also surging. By 2025, the number of e-commerce users will reach 6 million.