Russians have started ordering electronics from abroad more often, but are spending less. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of orders increased by 9% compared to the same period last year, while total spending decreased by 10%. The average check decreased by 18%, to 57.7 thousand rubles, Kommersant reports.
Smartphones are still at the top of popularity, but their share decreased by 3 percentage points, to 28.4%. Laptops accounted for 21.7% of orders compared to 23.5% a year earlier, game consoles – 12.9% compared to 15.1%. At the same time, interest in PC components and audio equipment significantly increased. The leader among individual items was the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, displacing last year's leader – the Sony PlayStation 5 console, which is now in second place. The iPhone 15 smartphone retained the third position.
Anton Fomin, head of retail projects at Marvel-Distribution, explained that the assortment of Russian distributors is shrinking, primarily due to financial difficulties, while foreign counterparts offer a wider product matrix. In addition, even taking into account customs duties, buying abroad can be 5–15% more profitable. The company expects a further shift in demand towards more budget-friendly devices, and only an improvement in the macroeconomic situation can reverse this trend.
According to Platforma OFD, in the incomplete four months of 2026 (from January 1 to April 20), the median price of checks for electronics and household appliances, including smartphones and accessories, decreased by 8–10% compared to last year, and the number of purchases – by 6–7%. The company's experts noted that the change in consumer behavior in favor of saving and reducing credit activity is especially noticeable in offline retail.
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