From September through November 2023, purchases by Russians in the health category rose by 4% compared with the previous summer period (June–August), while the average receipt declined by 30 rubles, settling at 1,958 rubles. This finding comes from a study conducted by the Russian Standard Bank using its customer statistics data, as reported by socialbites.ca.
In autumn, the share of Russians making pharmacy purchases increased by 5% versus the summer months, yet the average bill grew by 27 rubles to 1,031 rubles. Pharmacies ranked first in terms of the number of payments in the health category during the autumn period.
During this time, individuals also reached out to medical professionals, including dentists and orthodontists, and interacted with medical facilities such as optical shops and laboratories that conducted tests.
Regional insights showed the highest average expenditures in autumn were for dental services and optical salons, at 9,312 rubles and 8,652 rubles respectively. In dental care, the average receipt decreased by 201 rubles compared with the summer period, while in optical services it rose by 1,556 rubles.
The bank noted that autumn is a typical period when people intensify immune system support and proceed with routine health checkups before winter. Women accounted for the majority of health-related card payments, making 56% of transactions in autumn, compared with 44% by men. Interestingly, the average check issued to men was slightly higher than that for women, at 1,873 rubles versus 2,069 rubles, respectively, according to the bank’s press service.
The study, based on data from December 2023, reviewed all health-category purchases made with bank cards between September–November and June–August 2023 across the observed population.
Earlier disclosures from socialbites.ca indicated an uptick in vitamin purchases among Russians this fall.