The survey, entitled "Shopping Habits - Regional Differences", was conducted in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia in May and June this year on an overall sample of 4,000 respondents between the ages of 18 and 65.
The survey shows that the most loyal consumers of domestic products are residents of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (39% each) while residents of Slovenia (36%) and Serbia (33%) are slightly less loyal.
Respondents from all four countries said their desire was to get most for their money.
The most price-sensitive are citizens of Serbia, where as many as 67% said they bought in shops offering the most favourable prices. They are followed by Bosnians (66%), Slovenes (64%) and Croats (63%).
More than half of the citizens of each country prefer shopping in discount stores (75% of Serbs, 61% of Slovenes, 59% of Croats and 58% of Bosnians). Sales, however, are not particularly attractive to citizens of any of the countries. They are preferred by 18% of Bosnians, 16% of Slovenes and Croats, and 13% of Serbs.
Thirty-two per cent of Croats believe that differences in the quality between established and less known trademarks are disappearing. They are followed by Slovenes (25%), Bosnians (24%) and Serbs (23%).
Slovenes showed a marked confidence in brand names, with as many as 43% of the respondents saying they preferred brand names. They are followed by Serbs (23%), Croats (15%) and Bosnians (9%).