The New Normal in Consumer Spending Trends

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The New Normal in Consumer Spending Trends


Nov 9, 2009 by Mark Maier

Spending/Savings Over Past Six Months - By Generation (Base: All adults; % of Respondents who"Have done or considered doing any of the following over the past six months in order to save money?")

 

Total

Generation

 

 

Echo Boomers (18-32)

Gen. X (33-44)

Baby Boomers (45-63)

Matures (64+)

 

%

%

%

%

%

Purchasing more generic brands

64

58

62

69

67

Brown bagging lunch instead of purchasing it

47

53

52

55

15

Going to the hairdresser/barber/stylist less often

43

40

42

47

41

Switched to refillable water bottle instead of purchasing bottle of water

36

38

32

38

34

Cancelled one or more magazine subscriptions

34

21

30

41

44

Cut down on dry cleaning

22

15

18

28

29

Stopped purchasing coffee in the morning

20

21

25

21

13

Cancelled or cut back cable television service

21

23

20

23

14

Cancelled a newspaper subscription

21

12

20

24

28

Begun carpooling or using mass transit

14

24

12

13

4

Changed or cancelled cell phone service

15

12

17

16

13

Cancelled landline phone service and only using cell phone

12

15

17

10

6

Source: Harris Interactive, October 2009


The Center For Media Research paper "Consumers Brown Bagging, Drinking Tap Water, Saving Money" reveals some interesting statistics about consumers as a whole as well....
"The largest proportions of all adults making these changes to save money are:
  • 64% who have been purchasing more generic brands
  • 47% who are brown bagging lunch instead of buying it
  • 43% who have been going to hairdressers or barbers less often
  • 36% who have switched to tap water and refillable bottles instead of bottled water
  • 34% who have cancelled one or more magazine subscriptions

Smaller numbers, but numbers that represent many millions of people, have also:

  • Cut back on dry cleaning (22%)
  • Cancelled or cut back their cable TV service (21%)
  • Stopped buying coffee in the morning (20%)
  • Changed or cancelled their cell phone service (15%)
  • Been carpooling or using mass transit (14%)
  • Cancelled their telephone landline service and are only using their cell phones (12%) "

Do you have clients that can benefit by these changes in consumer spending? Are they transitioning their marketing?  Now could be a great time to talk about marketing past the holidays and what they want to accomplish strategically.


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