Major retailers will be required to publish digital price lists starting from 1 September, with Vesna Perinčić from the Republic Union of Consumers stating that the objective is to make prices more accessible to consumers and enable easier comparison.
“This applies solely to food products, baby products and baby food, and pet food,” Perinčić said.
Consumers will also be able to track changes in price lists, as well as verify how much a price promoted as a special offer has actually been reduced.
Perinčić told RTS that the new Consumer Protection Act, which entered into full application on 2 August, stipulates under Article 6 the manner in which traders must display and publish product prices.
“Traders must display unit and retail prices for each individual retail outlet in a clear, unmistakable, easily noticeable, legible, and non-misleading manner, publish them on their website – which is a novelty – update the data in real time, and publish them on the open data portal,” Perinčić explained.
Although it was expected that this obligation would be prescribed for all traders, the regulation specifies that it applies only to those whose revenue exceeded three billion dinars in the previous financial year.
She also noted that it was expected the obligation would cover a broader range of products, rather than being mostly confined to foodstuffs.
“It applies to food products, milk, oil, sugar – essentially what was already covered by the decree. It has been slightly expanded to include alcohol, baby products and food, and pet food, but it is largely limited to those products. It does not apply to other retailers, such as those selling consumer electronics, which is also important for consumers to compare, as that represents a larger expenditure,” Perinčić highlighted.
Price lists will need to be updated whenever prices change, and previously published prices will remain saved.
“The prices that have already been published remain stored, so they are not automatically deleted when a new price list is issued. This will enable consumers to compare prices,” Perinčić said.
One key issue for consumers is what happens if the price published online or displayed on the shelf does not match the price at the till.
In such a situation, Perinčić stresses, the consumer has every right to demand to pay the displayed price.
“The consumer is fully entitled to demand to purchase the product at the price displayed and publicly announced, including on the shelf. Therefore, if the price differs at the till, the consumer should not merely settle for returning the item because they do not want it at that till price; they have every right to demand to buy it at the published price,” Perinčić emphasised.
The availability of past and current prices is intended to allow consumers to track changes more easily and compare offers across different retailers.
Regarding discounts, Perinčić recalled that this issue is governed by the Trade Act.
“When announcing sales promotions, the trader is obliged to ensure the price is lower than the lowest price previously published within the last 30 days, thereby protecting consumers from fake promotions,” Perinčić stated.
She added that consumers will be able to use the portal to compare previous and new prices.
One of the objectives of the new system is for public price comparison to stimulate competition among retailers.
“The intention behind launching this open data portal and price comparison system was precisely to make prices publicly available on retailers’ websites so consumers can compare them – and for that comparison to encourage retailers to remain competitive and lower their prices,” Perinčić explained.
However, she does not expect the measure itself to lead to a major slump in prices.
“Above all, greater transparency is expected, enabling retailers to compare their prices with one another and boosting competitiveness between them. That is essentially what is anticipated. Concretely, I do not believe this will lead to any drastic price reductions,” Perinčić noted.
She concluded that the new system primarily provides consumers with better information, allowing them to choose the most affordable place to shop before making a purchase.
(Pressek.rs, 27.08.2026)
https://www.pressek.rs/srbija/od-1.-septembra-obavezni-digitalni-cenovnici-za-velike-trgovce/