Posts Tagged consumer behavior
Femivores
More lefty liberals writing about their friends from the New York Times.
Fascinating – read it here.
Femivorism is grounded in the very principles of self-sufficiency, autonomy and personal fulfillment that drove women into the work force in the first place. Given how conscious (not to say obsessive) everyone has become about the source of their food — who these days can’t wax poetic about compost? — it also confers instant legitimacy. Rather than embodying the limits of one movement, femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?
Add comment March 18, 2010
A Nation That Cooks With An Index Finger
A look at what was cooking at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago this past week.
In the 1980s, the popcorn button on the microwave seemed like the last word in convenience. Now, ovens ranging from countertop convection to wall models come equipped with a chicken-nugget button.
On display at the annual exhibition that ended on Tuesday was an appliance that, with a touch, perfectly browns toast and, at the same time, poaches an egg. The 60,000 people at the show could also consider the advantages of a bread maker that allows a not-so-ambitious baker to press a button and bake a cake.
Fancy toaster ovens with convection heat have a one-touch “smart cookie” option so that store-bought dough can go from refrigerator to plate without a thought. Microwaves have graduated to buttons for pizzas, breakfast sausage and omelets.That’s not to say that expensive knives, “Top Chef” cookbooks and home canning equipment aren’t popular in some circles. But the big money is made selling appliances designed on the assumption that cooking skill matters less than shopping skill.
Consider that in the $3.8 billion category called small kitchen electrics, sales were up almost 9 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to market research by the NPD Group. Meanwhile, sales of housewares — that includes knives, pots and pans — were down 11.5 percent.
As the economy drives more people home to eat, one-button cuisine offers ready answers for cooks with not much time to spend in the kitchen and not much of a clue about what to do once they get there.
Add comment March 17, 2010
Modern Marriage
Modern American marriage was the subject of this article in the Christian Science Monitor this week. Some interesting stats contained within:
Only 50 or 60 percent of Americans say that adultery would be an automatic deal breaker for their marriage, says Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington who has written many books on sex, love, and relationships; a decade ago that number was closer to 90 percent.
“Every study I know shows 85 percent of people or more saying that nonmonogamy is wrong in every instance,” Ms. Schwartz says. “But people also feel that you should eat three nutritious meals a day low in sugar and high in calcium.”
To this day, marriage is still intertwined with the country’s mores and laws. Everything from tax law to health insurance is affected by one’s marital status. Unlike in many European countries, where unmarried couples live and raise children together, marriage in the US is considered a more serious, valued, and adult relationship than other sorts of partnerships. Unlike in most developed countries, too, the US government has spent more than $100 million on promoting marriage.
Add comment March 14, 2010
Online Video Viewing
From the ever-useful Forrester Blog for Consumer Market Research Professionals. Good to know behaviorial findings.
Add comment February 15, 2010
Our New American Pastimes
Graphic from the Onion
Buying less stuff but doing more things together…
Quietly but noticeably over the past year, Americans have rejiggered their lives to elevate experiences over things. Because of the Great Recession, a recent New York Times/CBS News poll has found, nearly half of Americans said they were spending less time buying nonessentials, and more than half are spending less money in stores and online.
But Americans are not just getting by with less. They are also doing more.
Some are working longer hours, but a larger proportion, the poll shows, are spending additional time with family and friends, gardening, cooking, reading, watching television and engaging in other hobbies.
The Department of Labor’s time-use surveys show a similar trend: compared with 2005, Americans spent less time in 2008 buying goods and services and more time cooking or taking part in “organizational, civic and religious activities.”
Just as tellingly, evidence can also be found in culture. While one new study shows that attendance at museums and cultural events dropped from 2002 to 2008, it has climbed in 2009 at many major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. Movie attendance was also up 5 percent in 2009, and in the world of the Walt Disney Company, product sales have declined as the company’s theme parks enjoyed a 3 percent increase in visitors last quarter.
Add comment January 2, 2010
Hi Mom, I’m Home!
Ten percent of adults younger than 35 told the Pew Research Center that they had moved back in with their parents because of the recession.
Among 18-24 year olds, the activity is most acute. 56 percent of men and 48 percent of women in that cohort were either still under the same roof as their parents or had moved back home.
In the Pew study, 13 percent of parents with grown children said one of their adult sons or daughters had moved back home in the past year.
- 20% were full-time students
- 25% were unemployed
- 33% said they had lived on their own before returning home
Those back under their parents roofs blamed the economy for other lifestyle decisions
- 12% had gotten a roommate to share expenses
- 15% said they had postponed getting married
- 14% said they had delayed having a baby
Add comment December 15, 2009
The Cookie Monster Will Return
Anybody else out there not really buying all these “things are looking up!!! really!!!” pieces in the media? I just have to see how my own business has a much different flow than it’s had in years past to know that all is not entirely “normal.” Though I believe that “normal” will be purposefully redefined over the next few quarters.
People are still spooked, jobs are still being lost, and budgets are still incredibly slow to be approved.
A quick glance through Roper’s Mood of the World Report had these numbers jumping out at me:
69% of US consumers agree that “this is the worst economy I’ve ever experienced”
62% of global consumers experienced a negative event, while 23% experienced a positive one (such as job advancement, job distress, increasing value of savings & investments, declining value of savings & investments, financial windfall, difficulty paying monthly bills, housing distress)
86% of global consumers have used some kind of money-saving strategy this year
1970s Recession Conventional Wisdom Said Simple Life Was Here to Stay
59% of Americans in 1974 agreed that “doing without some things and living a more austere life would be a good thing”
Only 20% felt doing without was a bad thing
Which, as you recall, led straight into the Go-Go Eighties and “Greed is good” and that ridiculousness. We have short memories, huh?
I recently did some focus groups across the country and in EVERY market, even though we were in a couple that had been particularly hard hit by the housing bubble bursting, respondents told us over and over again that in 5 years they were going to be RICH. Not just better off than they were at the moment but wearing the best designer clothing and accessories, owning multiple vehicles and homes, boats, you name it. No one was calling their desire by its proper name – there was lots of talk of being comfortable and not having to worry about finances but every visual that was chosen was one of sumptuous, over the top luxury.
The “I must consume” Cookie Monster will be back, don’t you worry. We’ll all have too much work and the conferences will be in places we really want to go!
2 comments October 27, 2009
The Latest Generational Shopping Data
Excellent, data-packed article on current American shopping patterns. It parses out differences between different ages of shoppers, even in cases where the net results are similar.
While boomers and Gen Y-ers have become more value-driven, they demonstrate this new mindset in different ways. An August 2009 study by TNS Retail Forward, a Columbus, Ohio-based consulting firm, found that 46 percent of surveyed boomers bought only the things they needed this year, compared to 34 percent of Gen Y-ers.
In addition, 41 percent of boomers reported buying fewer things, compared to 28 percent of Gen Y-ers. Boomers are shopping less overall partly because they have accumulated plenty of clothes, books and electronic gadgets over the years, say researchers. Gen Y-ers, on the other hand, are still buying discretionary items, but looking for less expensive versions.
As a result of their necessity focused mindset, whatever shopping trips boomers do take are likely to involve visits to supermarkets and drug stores, mass merchants, office and pet supply stores and home improvement stores. Roughly 22 percent are shopping more at value and discount stores, compared to 14 percent of Gen Y-ers. Moreover, boomers say they are likely to hold on to their frugal ways even after the economy rebounds. According to the survey, boomers say the saving behaviors they will most likely retain include taking advantage of discount offers and doing more comparison shopping before making a purchase.
Members of Gen Y, on the other hand, continue to shop for what TNS calls “self-expression,” in addition to buying necessities and hunting for bargains on durable goods. Self-expression involves consumption of lifestyle goods like books, CDs and games, which bodes well for those retailers. Examples of retailers that offer self-expression include Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret and the Gap, according to TNS.
“If you look at past [economic] recoveries, particularly after September 11, most of the people that traded down very quickly bounced back and resumed their normal shopping habits,” says Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a New Canaan, Conn.-based consulting firm. “Here, we believe there will be much more of a permanent change in shopping behavior. Wal-Mart isn’t going to retain all its new customers, but we think it will retain at least 50 percent because people will say, ‘Hey, the merchandise here is pretty good, the pricing is pretty good and the service is much better than in the old days.’”
That doesn’t mean, however, that specialty retailers are doomed to flounder. Such chains will simply have to find new ways to offer customers value, experts say. Grocery chain Trader Joe’s has thrived under new market conditions in spite of its gourmet reputation by offering a wide variety of private label products, which are often more affordable than mass brands but equivalent in quality. The chain guarantees that all products sold under its private label are made using non-genetically modified ingredients so customers feel they are getting a great deal for less. Plus, they don’t have to spend as much time comparing products from different brands to figure out which one is better, notes Asturias.
Add comment October 7, 2009
How We Spend Now
Go take a gander at Shoppers’ Shifting Priorities, another fantastic graphic at the New York Times Online
Last year, consumers pulled back on spending and the retail sector suffered. But not all retailers are faring worse than they did a few years ago.
Against a baseline of spending levels in 2003, sales in computer stores have continued to rise. Restaurant and liquor-store sales are at much higher levels, and purchases at warehouse stores are up nearly 50 percent.
Still, in major retail divisions like home furnishings and clothing, sales faltered in 2007 and are now below their levels of 2003.
Add comment October 5, 2009
