Research and Markets: Global Consumer Trends: Income Complexity

DUBLIN--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a6e2fd/global_consumer_tr) has
announced the addition of the "Global Consumer Trends: Income Complexity" report
to their offering.

The Income Complexity Mega-Trend reflects the fact that consumers' financial
circumstances and attitudes towards wealth are become increasingly complex.
Consumers are becoming wealthier, but the global economic crisis has prompted
consumers to scrupulously re-evaluate their spending habits. While they have
significantly reined in spending in some categories, they are trading up in
others

Scope

* Detailed trend analysis outlining what constitutes 'value' for consumers
(trends are, after all, a reflection of what's important to consumers)
* Global in focus, but also offers country-by-country and sector insights
thereby catering to top-line or more specific information needs
* Covers all major FMCG sectors, but also with applicability to wider consumer
goods audiences
* One of 10 dedicated mega-trend reports outlining the most important issues
shaping global consumers' buying behavior both now and in the future

Highlights of this title

* There is a growing inclination for consumers to shop at both the premium and
value ends of the FMCG market. Rising incomes and quality expectations drive the
market for premium products that claim to offer everyday luxury. Conversely, a
proliferation of lower-cost products of similar quality to big brands is
strengthening value market appeal
* Distinctions between emerging and developed markets are important while the
pursuit for value is universal, the propensity to trade up is generally favored
by consumers in developing nations. Newly-acquired wealth has presented these
shoppers with an abundance of product and brand choices, and subsequently
cultivated an appetite for premium wares
* Consumers are attaching increasing importance to experiential consumption over
wealth accumulation. Thus brand name and designer labels alone will not suffice
to communicate luxury, especially now that even everyday categories have premium
iterations, diluting the notion of material luxury altogether

Key reasons to purchase this title

* Understand the significance of the different income-aligned trends across
territories and FMCG sectors to help support market diversification plans
* Save time and gain maximal insight by using this 'one-stop-shop' resource
which offers a clear and up-to-date framework for understanding consumers
* Access data from two waves of global primary research to increase the
likelihood of being 'on-trend' with NPD and marketing activities

Key Topics Covered:

INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF TREND-TRACKING

* Tracking consumer mega-trends is fundamental to long-term success
* Trend-tracking insight 1: mega-trends can be classified in two ways according
to desirable benefits and societal complexities
* Trend-tracking insight 2: trends are aligned with pre-existing, but evolving
human values, attitudes, needs and behaviors
* Trend-tracking insight 3: mega-trends can be broken down into trends and
sub-trends highlighting that trend frameworks provide structure and clarity at a
time of 'information overload'
* Trend-tracking insight 4: manufacturers, retailers and
researchers/futurologists perpetuate trends
* Trend-tracking insight 5: adopting a broader, global perspective to
trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category
myopia'
* Trend-tracking insight 6: trends have longer-term implications than fads and
can be categorized by evolvement
* Trend-tracking insight 7: for every trend there is a 'counter-trend' while
'trend-crossover' is also and important phenomena
* Takeouts and implications: a trend framework boosts the quality and frequency
of insight generation ensuring maximum return from the broader market research
processes in place

THE FUTURE DECODED: DECIPHERING THE INCOME COMPLEXITY MEGA-TREND

* MEGA-TREND SYNOPSIS: Consumers are increasingly seeking luxury and value
simultaneously
* TREND: Hi-lo consumerism: consumers are shopping at both premium and value
ends of the market
* SUB-TREND: 'Sacrificial consumption': trading down to trade up
* Consumers from Europe have modified their approach to grocery shopping to cope
with the downturn
* There were notable distinctions in the purchasing behavior of US and Brazilian
consumers in response to the downturn
* Consumers in the developing nations of Asia-Pacific demonstrate a strong and
growing interest in purchasing higher quality products
* Consumers from MENA are not as brand loyal as shoppers globally
* Key takeouts and implications: consumers are making considered sacrifices in
their spending behaviors as value takes precedence over quality
* SUB-TREND: The 'democratization of luxury': the mass marketing of upscale
products
* Key takeouts and implications: luxury now takes many forms, facilitating its
accessibility to the masses
* SUB-TREND: Bargain hunting: consumers seek and take pleasure from better value
for money
* Growing value consciousness in Europe has manifested in greater responsiveness
to promotions
* Consumers in the Americas utilize diverse tactics in order to save money on
groceries
* To many Asia-Pacific consumers, a focus on value is not synonymous with saving
money
* Middle Eastern consumers are using a variety of tactics to save money at the
supermarket
* Key takeouts and implications: consumers are willing to invest more time into
researching and shopping around in order to get the best deals
* SUB-TREND: Opting for private label: consumers embrace own brand alternatives
across the value spectrum
* Europeans' propensity to use private label ranges as a store choice
determinant reflects growing trust in such products
* Brazilian consumers are less influenced by private label products than their
US counterparts
* For consumers in emerging Asia-Pacific countries, stated influence of private
label products does not necessarily result in corresponding purchase behavior
* MENA consumers are less likely than shoppers globally to buy into the benefits
of private label
* Key takeouts and implications: private label is accumulating a dedicated
following around the world as consumer awareness and trust grows
* TREND: Complexing financial circumstances: the disparate income and wealth
situation worldwide
* SUB-TREND: Increased wealth: the rise of middle classes globally fuels
consumer market growth
* Key takeouts and implications: the global downturn stalled robust economic
growth, but wealth levels should return to pre-recessionary times once the
economy recovers
* SUB-TREND: Income polarization: the persistence of income inequality and high
rates of poverty
* Key takeouts and implications: living standards are improving but income
inequalities intensified following the global downturn
* SUB-TREND: Indebted consumers: high levels of debt influence and suppress
consumers' purchase behaviors
* Financial pressures are making European consumers more disciplined in regards
to managing their wealth
* There were important distinctions in how US and Brazilian consumers chose to
manage their debt
* Asia-Pacific consumers are saving more and making conscious efforts to reduce
their credit card debt
* Despite growing efforts to save, consumers from MENA are still dependent on
credit
* Key takeouts and implications: Consumers are becoming more prudent and
disciplined with their spending, an approach which will intensify as the
recession endures
* TREND: Inconspicuous consumption: the impact of shifting attitudes on luxury
purchases
* SUB-TREND: Experiential consumption: perceptions of luxury are shifting away
from the purely material
* The importance of experiential consumption is an intense and growing sentiment
shared by most Europeans
* Brazilian consumers in particular have attached greater importance to the
pursuit of new challenges in recent years
* Asia-Pacific consumers generally agree that seeking new challenges in life is
more important to them than accumulating material possessions
* The desire for new experiences has gained momentum for Middle Eastern
consumers in recent years
* Key takeouts and implications: News experiences are taking precedence over
wealth accumulation for consumers around the world
* SUB-TREND: Inverse snobbery: consumers view displays of wealth negatively
* Key takeouts and implications: the downturn has brought about a new wave of
inconspicuous consumption

Companies Mentioned:

* Capgemini SA
* Colgate-Palmolive Company
* Costco Wholesale Corporation
* Kimberly-Clark Corporation
* Lloyds Banking Group plc
* McKinsey & Company
* Reckitt Benckiser Group plc
* Sara Lee Corporation
* Unilever

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a6e2fd/global_consumer_tr

Source: Datamonitor

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Copyright Business Wire 2009