The very small number of products included in the e-kalathi platform significantly limits consumer choices, says the Cyprus Consumers Association, sounding the alarm about the effectiveness of the price comparison tool.
In an announcement, in the context of the Association's observatory for e-kalathi, it is pointed out that large supermarkets with pan-Cypriot coverage show an extremely low number of products registered on the platform, which does not meet the expectations of consumers.
«The very small number of products contained in e-kalathi significantly limits consumer choice," it is emphasized.
At the same time, the Association states that in December the price differentiation between stores of the same chain continued in some supermarkets. As noted, this phenomenon was not observed until August 2025 and may be associated with the intensified competition in specific areas.
At the same time, there is a continuous and noticeable decrease in the percentage of difference in the total cost of common products between the supermarket with the highest and the one with the lowest total cost.
According to the Association's data:
- July 2025: 13%
- August 2025: 11.7%
- September 2025: 9.3%
- October 2025: 6%
- November 2025: 5.8%
- December 2025: 4.6%
This trend, as the Cyprus Consumers Association concludes, shows price convergence between supermarkets, but e-kalathi is not yet being used to the extent that it would allow a complete and meaningful comparison for the consumer.
