One region, many shoppers: Why CEE Shoppers cannot be treated as one market
Central and Eastern Europe is home to a diverse mix of nations, each shaped by distinct cultures, shopping habits, economic realities, and political environments. Treating the region as a single, homogeneous market inevitably leads to oversimplification and, ultimately, ineffective business strategies.
While consumer demand continues to shape supply, the retail landscape itself also plays a powerful role in influencing purchasing behavior. The way FMCG products are distributed, promoted, and sold across different markets shapes shopping missions, spending priorities, and the final composition of consumers' baskets.
One of the most important drivers of purchasing decisions is disposable income. In the first half of 2026, 35% of consumers across the CEE region reported struggling to make ends meet or just managing to cover essential household expenses. Although this figure remains unchanged compared to the previous year, country-level trends reveal a much more nuanced picture. In most CEE markets, the proportion of financially constrained consumers has either declined or remained stable. In contrast, Bulgaria and Romania have experienced a notable increase in the share of households facing financial difficulties.
Financial pressure naturally influences consumer strategies. For many shoppers, securing the best possible value means actively seeking out promotions and discounted products. The Czech Republic remains the undisputed leader in promotional FMCG purchases, with promotional spending accounting for 57.8% of total FMCG value sales in H1 2026. To put this into perspective, Czech consumers spent 2.2 times more on promotional purchases than Serbian shoppers during the same period. Such figures clearly illustrate the significant differences in purchasing behavior across the region.
Private labels provide another effective way for consumers to stretch household budgets without compromising on quality. Yet their importance varies considerably from country to country. In Ukraine, private-label products accounted for 15.9% of total FMCG expenditure excluding fresh products during the first half of 2026. In Hungary, however, private labels captured more than twice that share, making it the most developed private-label market in the region. Year-on-year trends also differ. Spending on private-label products continues to grow in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania, while in other CEE markets private-label penetration has largely stabilized or even declined slightly.
Price remains a decisive purchasing factor across the region, and consumers in Central and Eastern Europe have placed greater emphasis on affordability than on premium quality. However, this broad observation should not overshadow important category-level differences, particularly in premiumization. Since H1 2025, the region has seen a modest increase in the number of consumers willing to spend beyond essential needs. Yet disparities remain substantial. In Ukraine, only 29% of shoppers belong to this more discretionary spending segment, compared with 55% in Croatia, highlighting the significant variation in consumers' willingness to indulge themselves.
Retail structure is another key factor shaping shopping behavior. Different retail formats serve different consumer needs, offering varying assortment breadth, promotional intensity, and private-label availability. As a result, consumers pursue distinct shopping missions depending on the channel they choose.
Hungary and Romania stand out as markets where discount stores dominate household FMCG spending. Hungarian discounters share (the highest in CEE) is roughly twice as large as in Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, or Ukraine. Hypermarkets continue to hold the leading position in the Czech Republic and Croatia, while supermarkets remain the preferred format in Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria.
The CEE consumer landscape is anything but uniform.
The diversity of shopper needs, purchasing power, retail preferences, and market structures creates a region rich in opportunity, but also one that demands a highly localized approach. When retail format dynamics are added to the equation, it becomes clear that no two countries are truly alike.
For brands and retailers looking to succeed in Central and Eastern Europe, the message is simple:
- avoid regional averages,
- understand each market on its own terms,
- build strategies grounded in robust local insights.
In a region defined by diversity, precision is far more valuable than generalization.
Source:
1) YouGov Shopper purchase data, CEE region, YTD June 2026, YTD June 2025
2) YouGov Behavior Change Study, Spring 2026