Thanks to Milei's government, mass consumption is recovering after the 'massazo'.

In an economic context that is gradually leaving behind the severe economic crisis inherited from Kirchnerism, mass consumption in Argentina is already showing significant signs of recovery during the first months of 2025, something that was made possible thanks to the recovery achieved by Javier Milei's government.

According to the Shopper Day 2025 report, developed by Kantar Argentina, a significant change was detected in household purchasing patterns after a 2024 characterized by a sharp contraction in consumption due to the so-called "massazo."

The study covered more than 85 mass consumption categories, including food, beverages, personal hygiene products, and cleaning items. The data revealed that 61% of the categories experienced a sales volume increase during the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. This recovery was supported by greater price stability and by the return of consumers to brands and products they had stopped buying.

A relevant finding of the report was that 3 out of 4 categories that increased their volume also increased their penetration, meaning they managed to attract new purchasing households. In addition, 40% of those categories expanded the average purchase size and 36% increased the purchase frequency, which indicates an improvement in consumption behavior.

Among the fastest-growing segments were hair care products, mouthwashes, low-fat yogurts, and margarines, which showed renewed consumer preference, especially in categories that had been severely affected.

In this scenario, households turned to different strategies to cope with the economic situation. According to Kantar, the most frequent actions were seeking deals and promotions (65%), giving up certain usual brands or products (45%), and more widespread saving (27%).

Optimism looking ahead

Another relevant element of the report was the level of expectations for the future. 42% of households expressed hopes of improvement in the next twelve months. This figure is key to understanding consumer attitudes, as they continue to plan for the medium term and maintain optimism looking ahead.

Esteban Cagnoli, General Director of Worldpanel in Argentina – a Kantar unit – indicated that leading brands have begun to show signs of recovery. Although they still have to compete with more affordable options, which remain a solid alternative for Argentine consumers, the return of leading brands to store shelves reflects a change in consumption habits after a long period marked by the Kirchnerist crisis.