The price differences between Greece and the rest of Europe will now be found in the government's microscope through the new PosoKanei platform, with its findings even supplying weekly reports to the Prime Minister. The revelation was made by her commander Independent Authority for Market Control and Consumer Protection, Despina Tsaggaris, at the formal presentation of the platform, giving a new dimension to the project, beyond the original objective of informing consumers.
In the presentation, the Minister for Development Takis Theodorikos It directly linked the new tool to the price differentials that have occasionally been observed in products from multinational companies, stressing that there will now be the possibility comparison of same codes products between Greece and other European countries. At the same time, the Authority's leadership revealed that where significant differences are identified the relevant reports will reach both the Ministry of Development and the Maximus Mansion.
The presentation of the platform, which gathers data on 7,973 products from the largest supermarket chainsof the country, it also highlighted a less known dimension of the project: the use of market data as a surveillance tool, beyond the original objective of informing consumers.
The Minister for Development incorporated the PosoKanei in a wider package of consumer protection interventions, recalling the creation of the Independent Consumer Market and Protection Authority, the application of the Code of Conduct on Discounts, the bill on consumer credit under consultation and the gross profit margin applied to supermarkets and food industries. According to him, the common denominator of all interventions is to strengthen transparency in the market and protect the disposable income of households.
Multinationals in focus
Mr. Theodorikos described the PosoKanei ‘a real weapon aimed at transparency in the market’, arguing that it strengthens healthy competition for the benefit of households and helps to protect the income of Greek families.
Special reference was made to the possibility of comparison Prices with other European markets, noting that for the first time the consumer will be able to see what is happening with the same products in different countries.
"It is important that there is also a picture of what is happening with products in the rest of Europe so that we can compare the same codes," he said, adding that significant differences in the prices of products of multinational companies have occasionally been observed.
Weekly references to Kyriakos Mitsotakis
The issue also came back during the questions, when the Authority's commander revealed that the platform's data would feed weekly reports to the Prime Minister"We will look at the prices of multinational and Greek companies with foreign sales. Wherever we find differences will refer to the minister and the Prime Minister," said Mrs. Tsangaris.
This revelation gives a new dimension to the platform, as its data will not only be used to inform consumers but also as surveillance tool The Commission's proposal is based on the principle of subsidiarity. The Minister himself noted that the existence of a system that makes prices visible in real time to both citizens and authorities and competition operates in itself as a factor of pressure for greater transparency.
Communications in the coming days
The issue of subsequent market interventions was at the heart of questions to the Minister for Development. Asked whether the government is gearing itself to extending the gross profit marginMr. Theodorikos avoided opening his papers.
"I wouldn't want to answer today. I want to focus on implementation," he said, adding, however, that there will be announcements over the next period about the initiatives and decisions the government is considering.
At the same time, the Minister confirmed that contacts with Food industry and supermarket chains with a view to establishing a wider agreement on price restraint.
"There is constant cooperation with entrepreneurship, particularly with the food industry and supermarkets to reach a national price reduction agreement," he said, adding that the initiatives concerned will be presented in the coming days.
History of prices and control of tenders
The Minister of Development has also been particularly involved in monitoring historical prices, pointing out that the consumer will be able to see the evolution of each product at a depth of about two months.
According to him, this function enables it to determine whether a tender is real or whether an increase in the price has been made to alter the discount image.
"Everyone can see the course of honor and understand whether an offer made is real or misleading," he said.
The platform currently includes 7,973 products, allowing for the creation of a personal shopping list, the classification of chains based on the total cost of the basket, the comparison of product availability, as well as comparison with corresponding European market products where data are available.
Not just from e-shops.
Particular emphasis was also placed on the quality of the data that feeds the platform. In response to journalists' questions, Mrs. Tsangaris clarified that prices do not come exclusively from electronic storesthe chain, but from records that send the supermarkets themselves daily based on the barcodes of the products.
As stated, the platform covers the entire network of chains, including the district and islands, while undertakings are required to update daily the information they send to the Authority.
An important clarification was also the fact that private labeling products of chains are included in the platform, but they are not automatically compared to each other, as assessment of characteristics such as composition and production patterns is required.
From Ptolemaida to Microsoft's cloud
For his part, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou revealed that PosoKanei is hosted in Microsoft Azure's cloud and is part of the CRM project of the State.
The project was implemented by OTE and Unisystems, while the development of the application was undertaken by Ptolemaida-based new business Keyvoto. In fact, the same company had first presented the idea of applying to an innovation competition a few years ago, with the project subsequently evolving into a nationwide digital service.
At the same time the ability to scan barcode via mobile phone was presented, so that the user could immediately identify the available prices of a product.
Next station the expansion
Mrs Tsangaris made it clear that the platform cannot in itself solve the problem of accuracy, but it can provide better information and more transparency in the market.
At the same time he revealed that the extension of PosoKanei to other categories of products and services is already planned, without giving more details of the timetable or new categories to join. "We want How Much Makes It a Daily habit," he said features, summarizing the philosophy of the project with the slogan: "Before I buy, I check. Before I decide, I compare. Before I pay, I know.“ It’s just that I’ve been thinking. ”
Here are 22 questions and answers for the new platform:
1. What is posokanei.gov.gr?
Answer: Posokanei.gov.gr is a platform for comparing consumer product prices, which allows citizens to see and compare prices from different retailers, monitor price history and organise their purchases through lists.
2. How do we get on the platform?
Answer: Through computer we visit posokanei.gov.gr. At the same time, Android and iOS applications are available so that users can access mobile devices.
3. How many products does the platform include today?
Answer: The first version of the platform includes approximately 10,000 product codes. The database is constantly updated and will be enriched with new codes and product categories.
4. How are the products organized?
Answer: The products have been classified into six main categories and individual subcategories. The categorisation is based on the information provided by Circana.
5. What supermarket do the prices come from?
Answer: The platform gathers prices from the chain of Galaxia, Sklavnitis, Chalkiadakis, COKA, Masoutis, My Market, AB Vasilopoulos, Cretan, Market in and Lidl.
6. How are prices collected?
Answer: Prices are collected in two ways:
• Direct data supply from the Galaxy, COKA, Masuti, AB Vasilopoulos, Market in and Lidl chains.
• Automated collection of data (crawling) from the electronic stores of Sklavnitis, Chalkiadakis, My Market and Cretan through SCU products.
Prices are updated daily.
7. When are prices updated?
Answer: Prices are updated on a daily basis either from the data provided by chains themselves or through automated data collection mechanisms.
8. Can we see how the price of a product evolved?
Answer: Yes. Through the historical price the user can track the product price progress over time.
9. How can a user find a product?
Answer: The search can be done either with the product title or with its barcode.
10. Is a cell phone barcode scan supported?
Answer: Yes. Through the application the user can scan the barcode of a product and transfer directly to the search results of the specific password.
11. What do we see when we choose a product?
Answer: Chains available to the product and their respective sales prices are displayed so that the user can compare available options.
12. Is there a possibility of comparison with external prices?
Answer: Yes. When the same product is identified in European retail chains, the corresponding external prices appear. The countries covered today are mainly Italy, France, Belgium, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain.
13. What if someone knows a foreign store that doesn't exist on the platform?
Answer: It can propose the associated link through the platform. The proposal shall be assessed and, if it meets the criteria, added to the data sources.
14. Can we organize our markets?
Answer: Yes. The user can create product lists and see the total cost of the products he has chosen in the stores that have them.
15. Is this an electronic shopping cart?
Answer: No. The lists have an informative and comparative nature and are not purchased through the platform.
16. How many lists can we create?
Answer: Each user can create up to five lists, with up to fifty products on each list.
17. Can we put in quantities?
Answer: Yes. The user may determine the quantities needed for each product to calculate the actual total cost of his purchases.
18. What is "Search Me Cheaper" function?
Answer: This function suggests cheaper product options within the same category, helping the user reduce the total cost of his list.
19. Is the comparison based on product characteristics?
Answer: No. The comparison is made mainly at product group level rather than on the basis of full matching of technical or quality characteristics.
20. How can a user contact the platform team?
Answer: There is a special form of communication through which users can ask questions, comments or suggestions.
21. Is there any help for new users?
Answer: Yes. The platform has a detailed help guide explaining all its basic functions.
22. How will the platform evolve in the future?
Answer: The project is dynamic and will continue to evolve. New product codes, new categories and additional data sources will be added so that the platform provides an increasingly full market image for citizens.