Price comparison Bolzano - Innsbruck – Trento
The price level in the retail trade is again and again the focus of public interest. There is a common opinion that retail prices differ considerably between the three regions of South Tyrol, Tyrol and Trentino. An objective and transparent price comparison should help to objectify this discussion.
depending on whether you use only the actually comparable products or also the "similar" ones) and Trento is slightly cheaper (between 0.9% and 0.7%). The sometimes very different shopping structures (shopping centres, etc.) are therefore not necessarily reflected in lower prices.
The big challenge when comparing prices is to find the same products in the comparative areas which at the same time reflect typical consumer behavior. In some product groups, where it was difficult to find enough identical products, "similar" products (e.g. fresh meat) were also surveyed. All product areas of the retail trade with commodity character were examined: services and other household expenditure such as rents were not included. In order to achieve a sufficient product depth, the price comparison is limited to the main cities of Bolzano, Trento and Innsbruck. All different types of shops (small and large, connected (chains, shopping centers) as well as unconnected retail shops) were surveyed.
Larger price differences (upwards and downwards) in the individual product groups only with Innsbruck: While in Bolzano and Trento not only the range of goods but also the price level is surprisingly uniform in most product groups, there are sometimes larger differences between Bolzano and Innsbruck. In Innsbruck, for example, many products from the "spirits", "food" and "cars" categories are significantly more expensive than in Bolzano, while products from the "fuels", "electrical goods", "flowers" or "medicines" categories are on average much cheaper in Innsbruck. Nevertheless, even between Bolzano and Innsbruck the product areas with relatively small price differences predominate (i.e. less than 5%).
Comprehensive coverage of the shopping basket, i.e. sales habits: A total of 11,334 prices for 2,606 different products were recorded. The 39 product groups cover a large part (84.5%) of private household expenditure on retail goods.
Each product group contains so-called outliers or exceptions: For example, the medicines in Innsbruck are on average 8.6% cheaper than in Bolzano, but aspirin effervescent tablets cost 8% more in Innsbruck. A price comparison with individual products is therefore misleading; only a product selection that is as comprehensive as possible guarantees transparency and objectivity.
Altogether there are small price differences: There are only small price differences between Bolzano, Trento and Innsbruck on average for all product groups examined. Innsbruck is slightly more expensive than Bolzano (between 2.3% and 3.5%,
It can't be price alone: Although there may well be greater differences at the level of individual products, a shopping trip to Trento or Innsbruck is on average not worthwhile for price reasons, in addition to the environmental impact, the costs for fuel consumption and the wear and tear of the vehicle, the time invested, the risk of accidents, etc. Nevertheless, people are not only attracted by prices, but also by a wide and varied range of goods (e.g. in shopping centres), shopping experiences, bargains, etc. However, it is not clear how strong the phenomenon of "shopping tourism" really is. This means that − customers need to be better informed about effective price differences. Individual price comparisons are disadvantageous for the consumer because they give the wrong impression. − South Tyrol has to do more in the "shopping experience" section. − the extent and motives for shopping tourism must be determined even more precisely.