The spending-per-bill component posted the steepest decline among the government’s Retail Sentiment Index’s main measures, according to The Nation Thailand. By comparison, shopping frequency declined only 0.4 points, showing that consumers continued visiting stores at nearly the same frequency.
The sharp decline in the spending-per-bill index reflects smaller basket sizes as households limit purchases to essential goods and remove less necessary items from their shopping lists.
Consumers are also switching to cheaper brands or retailers’ private-label products while avoiding discretionary and lifestyle purchases.
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A street butcher chops and sells meat at Khlong Toey wet market in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 3, 2025. Photo by NurPhoto via AFP |
The pattern points to financial strain rather than simply a change in shopping locations. Although households still need to purchase everyday goods, tighter budgets are reducing both the quantity and value of purchases during each visit.
Thailand’s Consumer Price Index for July 2026 was 102.10, up from 100.15 in the same month last year. This marks a 1.95% increase in headline inflation year-on-year, according to Kaohoon International.
The government continued its Thais Help Thais Plus 60/40 stimulus program in July, with total expenditure remaining close to June’s level at approximately 43 billion baht (US$1.29 billion).
About 25.78-26 million people had used the entitlement, with average spending of roughly 1,600-1,700 baht per person.
But the injection was not enough to fully offset the underlying weakness in household income.
In June, the program’s first month, consumers accelerated spending to avoid losing unused entitlements. By July, they had become more familiar with the scheme and began spreading their expenditure more evenly.
Once the support had been used for basic necessities, households had little personal spending power remaining for other product categories, limiting the program’s broader economic impact.
Heavy rainfall and flooding in several areas added to the pressure in July by reducing visitor numbers at medium-sized and large shopping centers.