not everywhere· Economy· Updated 15:19

Israeli Election Day Spending Surges 26.5% Over 2022

Israelis broke spending records on Tuesday during the election day for the 26th Knesset, flocking to shopping centers, restaurants, and cafes. Data from Shva, the company that manages the national payment system, showed that credit and debit card transactions reached 731 million shekels between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM. This represents a 37.5% increase compared to the same hours during the 2022 elections for the 25th Knesset, when spending totaled 531.81 million shekels.

3 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 11:35

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Israeli Election Day Spending Surges 26.5% Over 2022 — Illustration by baba

What happened

01Israelis spent 731 million shekels on credit and debit cards between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM on election day.
02The spending represents a 37.5% increase compared to the same hours during the 2022 Knesset elections.
03Between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, Israelis spent 250.78 million shekels, a 26.5% rise from 2022.
04A peak of 2.39 million shekels was transacted in a single minute at 10:57 AM.
05Transactions in the fashion and apparel sector surged by 198% on election day.
06Average spending at restaurants and cafes increased by 50% to 75 shekels.
07Food delivery services experienced a 78% decrease in transactions as people opted for in-person activities.

Earlier in the day, between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, expenditures reached 250.78 million shekels, which was 26.5% higher than the same period in the 2022 elections and 10.6% higher than the municipal elections in January 2024. The peak of this morning activity occurred at precisely 10:57 AM, with transactions totaling 2.39 million shekels in a single minute, averaging over 11,300 transactions.

Specific sectors saw dramatic shifts in consumer behavior. According to Ice, the fashion and apparel sector experienced a 198% surge in transactions, while average spending at restaurants and cafes rose by 50% to 75 shekels. Conversely, food delivery services saw a 78% drop in transactions as people preferred in-person dining and activities. Additionally, fintech company Hyp reported a 13% increase in overall transaction volume by 10:00 AM compared to the previous week.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 15:42

Latest report: i24NEWS French. Read i24NEWS French’s original