Slovakia - Selling Factors and Techniques Slovakia - Selling Factors&Techniques
Slovak law permits 24-hour and Sunday shopping, but requires stores to be closed on public holidays. Many smaller retail shops confine their hours to 9:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays, 9:00 am to noon on Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays. Stores located in shopping malls are open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Slovakia’s disposable income is lower than the EU average, making price a key competitive factor. Slovaks prefer to buy domestic products, especially groceries, if there is a price advantage. The importance of quality is gradually catching on with Slovak consumers as more foreign brand names begin to appear and more new products are launched.
Slovak retailers, especially those in cities, understand the benefits of promotion techniques used by U.S. and international retailers. Consumer campaigns with special offers and discounts are common in chain stores, and the use of some promotion techniques, such as coupons and small gifts, is not regulated by law.
The Ministry of Finance does, however, regulate consumer lotteries (sweepstakes) conducted by Slovak and foreign firms alike. The following requirements apply to lotteries held by companies:
• The company must be registered with the Slovak Commercial Register.
• Taxes cannot be charged to consumer participants.
Products made in Slovakia or imported into Slovakia must be labeled with the CE mark. All electrical equipment should have, in addition to the CE mark, an “Energy Efficiency” label. Under the 1995 State Language Law, companies are required to mark contents of domestically produced or imported goods, product manuals, product guarantees, and other consumer-related information in the Slovak language.