Published: May 10, 2010

New Report Examines Post-Recession Consumer Behaviors

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MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of Packaged Facts' new report "The Post-Recession Consumer in the U.S.," to their collection of Trends market reports. For more information, visit http://www.marketresearch.com/redirect.asp?progid=67618&productid=2604926.

As consumer confidence and economic optimism slowly returned in the first half of 2010, marketers and market researchers differed sharply over whether the price-conscious consumer who dominated the marketplace during the Great Recession would prove to be a temporary aberration or a permanent fixture in the American economy. This Packaged Facts report sifts through five years of Experian Simmons National Consumer Study (NCS) data to follow the twists and turns in consumer confidence before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the most severe economic downturn in 70 years. The report contrasts the attitudes and behavior of consumers on the highest end of the Consumer Confidence Index of the Experian Simmons NCS ("Confident Consumers") with those on the lowest end ("Anxious Consumers"). By doing so, it sheds light on the conflicted mindset of consumers as the recession loses its grip and suggests how marketers might respond to their customers in an uncertain post-recession economic environment.

The first chapter of the report tracks changes in consumer confidence between 2005 and 2009, provides in-depth insights into trends affecting the post-recession environment in key areas such as price sensitivity and use of premium brands and highlights key opportunities in the post-recession consumer market. The next chapters contrast the demographics of Anxious and Confident Consumers today, analyze how Confident and Anxious Consumers handle their personal finances and provide an overview of their shopping and spending patterns. Subsequent chapters offer an in-depth view of how Confident and Anxious Consumers shop in supermarkets and drugstores and how they behave when shopping for the home. Another chapter offers an extensive analysis of how Confident and Anxious Consumers spend leisure time, including home entertainment, going out, and using the Internet and cell phones. The final chapter focuses on Confident and Anxious Consumers in the fashion and automotive sectors.

Topics covered in the report include...