Regional personal services market: the context of digitalization

Purpose: is to develop and test the methodology for assessing the digital development of regional personal services markets based on the calculation of the "digital" index. Methods: the methodological basis of the work was the theory of regional markets and the theory of digitalization. The research is based on a systematic methodological approach and spatial analysis methods that identify regional digital personal services markets as components of the regional consumer market in general and the regional services market in particular. The work is based on the application of general scientific methods – analysis, synthesis, comparison, as well as methods of economic and statistical analysis of dynamics and groupings, analytical data processing, analogies, scientific generalizations, monographic analysis. Results: the methodology for assessing the digital development of regional personal services markets based on the calculation of the "digital" index based on government and departmental statistics is proposed and tested. The analysis of the indicators characterizing the supply and demand in the regional markets of personal services, reflecting the processes of digitalization, is presented. The assessment of the accessibility of the sphere of digital personal services to the public is carried out. The expediency of using the "digital" index of regional markets of personal services in the processes of strategic and program-oriented planning of the development of the subjects of the Russian Federation is substantiated. Conclusions and Relevance: digitalization has a significant impact on regional markets for personal services, leading to the emergence of new types of services. The methodology proposed in the article made it possible to calculate the "digital" index and identify trends in the digital development of regional personal services markets, which together made it possible to develop recommendations for regional governments in the field of regulating consumer markets. The results obtained can be used in the development of strategies and programs for the development of the service sector and consumer markets at the regional level.