Inflation and Trading Down Brands

Rising prices and a move to cheaper brands are a hallmark feature of the economy over the last 5 years. However, with the UK recently reaching the lowest inflation level for 2 years, could this be the start of the premium brand revival? 

Post-Recession Consumer Trends

Despite slipping back into recession, sooner or later the UK economy will start to grow again. Recently I read a great article ‘Understanding the Post-Recession Consumer’ from Paul Flatters and Michael Willmott, about future trends in consumption for the near post-recession and longer term trends. 

Flatters and Willmott identified 8 key trends as below. 

How Consumers Save Money

Since 2008, consumer spending has weakened and people started to focus on saving their money. Households are likely to remain under pressure for the near future and are looking for ways to get more for their pound. 

Here are 3 interesting ways in which consumers save and squeeze more value from their money:

Five Changes in Consumer Behaviour after the Recession

The recession has been a difficult time for millions of households which inevitably caused a profound shift in the behaviour of consumers. There has been a lot of commentary about the recession and associated problems, but very little on how things will change when it is all over.

In response to this we’ve highlighted five key ways in which consumer life has changed due to the economic collapse.

What Does 2012 Have in Store for Consumers?

With many question marks over the economy and consumer behaviour in 2011, this year is exceptionally important for commerce.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has recently downgraded its 2012 growth forecast to 0.7% (down from 2.5%), and so how and where people spend their money has never been so important.