Amid the raging Israeli conflict on Gaza, which has brought about a dire humanitarian state of affairs within the besieged enclave, the surge in boycott calls towards companies perceived to be tied to Israel has elevated in lots of Muslim-majority international locations, together with Türkiye.
With shoppers taking a robust stance towards some worldwide companies, the shift in shopper buying preferences has been noticed in Türkiye as nicely.
Particularly, in keeping with trade representatives, the boycott campaigns have resulted in lowering demand for some merchandise within the meals and beverage sector.
Ramazan Bingöl, head of the All Restaurants, Diners and Suppliers Association (TÜRES), advised Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that carbonated beverage manufacturers dealing with protest and boycott campaigns have seen a major drop in gross sales.
Bingöl talked about that many restaurant house owners voluntarily determined to not promote these carbonated drinks following the extreme assaults within the Gaza Strip.
“My observation right now is that half of the restaurants and eateries do not sell fizzy drinks that are among the boycotted products,” he stated.
However, this example has not negatively impacted the companies’ income, as shoppers go for different merchandise reminiscent of sherbet and ayran.
He additionally expressed that almost all of shoppers respect the choice of the companies to not promote the carbonated drinks.
“Compared to before Oct. 7, monthly sales of carbonated beverages in the food and beverage sector have decreased by around 20%,” he additional stated.
“This includes supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. Sales of carbonated beverages in restaurants and eateries have decreased by more than 50%,” he added.
Furthermore, he opined that consciousness of boycotts “needs to be kept alive” whereas highlighting the significance of offering different merchandise on this regard.
“Especially concerning the boycott issue, we have traditional beverages that are excellent alternatives to carbonated drinks. We should promote our options such as sherbet, ayran and Turkish coffee more and make them more preferred,” Bingöl maintained.
Mehmet Bülent Deniz, head of the Consumer Union Federation (TBF), equally addressed the difficulty and stated they’ve known as on 34 shopper organizations from 18 international locations to not stay silent towards thousands and thousands of individuals being subjected to genocide.
Deniz emphasised that as in the remainder of the world, there was a robust response in Türkiye towards the humanitarian tragedy.
“Since Oct. 7, 2023, our people have wanted to develop a consumer boycott by not buying the brands and products of countries supporting this genocide, especially Israel. Through research and examination of many brands and products circulated on social media, mostly American and Israeli brands, it has been determined that they are national brands and products within our economy,” he defined.
“In the boycott to be conducted by activating the consumer’s power coming from consumption, it is necessary to correctly determine the nationality of the brand and product to be boycotted,” he stated.
He went on to emphasise the results of the boycott and the way it must be carried out successfully to keep away from harming the native economic system.
“Moreover, various conditions should be considered, such as the availability of another product option that can be substituted for that product, the suitability of the boycott to be effectively implemented and the consideration of various conditions such as employment and local capital to not being harmed within the scope of boycott,” he defined.
In addition, Deniz additionally acknowledged that they’re persevering with their “Not Our Ammunition” boycott marketing campaign launched by the Consumer Union Federation.
“We receive news of intense participation in the boycott not only in Türkiye, but also from Middle Eastern and African countries, and Turkic states,” Deniz stated.
“We understand the effectiveness of the boycott from the company’s balance sheets. The power of the boycott is understood from the change in the price tags of boycotted products on the shelves of markets,” he famous.
He additionally famous he didn’t agree with feedback relating to the boycott being “unsustainable,” whereas pointing to this notion pushed ahead by these manufacturers by means of content material circulating on social media.
Along with boycott campaigns, for the reason that starting of the battle in October, the quantity of commerce between Israel and Türkiye has been dropping, with vital decreases within the exports of Turkish firms to Israel when in comparison with September 2023, current information confirmed.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
