#consumer-behavior

#consumer-behavior

A couple weeks back, I wrote about tipping via screens: It's down across the board, percentage-wise, and I think the suckiness of the tipping prompts is at least partially to blame. One common strategy people employ to deal with the prompts is to ignore them, walking away from the counter when a screen asks whether they'd like to tip $1 or 25 percent or whatever, opting out of the transaction completely. You have likely walked up to a counter to buy a matcha latte only to see that the person on line ahead of you has abdicated this opportunity to tip. Maybe you even thought, I could leave a tip for them.

In the 70s and the 80s, you had this early explosion of behavioral economics led by people like Daniel Kahneman, Richard Thaler. And then 20 years ago was the Freakonomics phenomenon. So you had Steven Levitt, an economist, and Stephen Dubner, a journalist, who wrote a book that popularized all of this thinking that attempted to show the hidden side of everything, what truly motivates us as economic actors. And the field took off behind this basic tagline that conventional wisdom is wrong.

A sandwich's carbon score highlights how even small daily choices connect to our wider environmental footprint. It's not unusual for people to share photos of their lunch. Now, they're sharing ready-made sandwiches labelled with carbon scores. These metrics show consumers how much of their "daily dietary carbon allowance" a humble sandwich consumes. As you can imagine, across social media, people expressed surprise not only at the scoring system but particularly at the idea of a "carbon allowance." But what is it really all about - saving the planet or selling virtue as a commodity?

Users increasingly want to spend less time on generalized sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and instead join online communities tailored to their interests, she believes. Natalie Dillon, a consumer investor at venture firm Maveron, says she's starting to see an increasing number of founders build interest-first networks. "At its core, consumer behavior is pushing a shift from performance to participation," Dillon told TechCrunch. "For the next generation, community isn't a feature layered on top of a product. It is the product."

"What we're seeing with the Gen Alpha consumer is, yes, they'regetting their information online, but they really, really like that experience in store. They like trial. They like hands-on," Steelman said.

During these uncertain times-shaped by shifts in trade policy and geopolitics-keeping the consumer top of mind is vital. "Our focus is just maniacally on the customer," said Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy, during a fireside chat with Fortune 's Emma Hinchliffe on Tuesday. Barry noted that it has never been more important for her to understand and adapt to the distinct behaviors of different consumers.

Nostalgia, that longing for what was and the happy memories we associate with it, may seem particularly keen when our daily lives - both personally and in the wider world - are less than ideal. Indeed, according to a 2025 study by CivicScience, more than 60% of Americans feel nostalgic for the past. Furthermore, the same study also found that nearly half of adults in the U.S. would spend money on something that conjures up feelings of nostalgia.

While consulting for a national DIY automotive store chain, we discovered a common pattern. Auto enthusiasts (gearheads) who could evaluate spare part technologies and verify quality on their own did not care which store they patronized, as long as the products they needed were always available. On the other hand, relative amateurs and novices who lacked sufficient technical knowledge developed loyalty to retail stores where they felt they received trustworthy guidance to help select the right products for their needs.

Had I ditched the pint of Guinness and invested in Apple in the early 2000s, each pint worth of stock would now be valued at $3,500. Over those college years, I would have accumulated enough stock to buy a brownstone on New York's pricey Upper West Side. All cash. Looking back, I probably still would have enjoyed that cold brew with my friends. A pint of Guinness felt just right in the moment.

Controversy is baked in - which is why it should come as no surprise that Contrarian Thinking CEO Codie Sanchez made waves for a hot take she shared in a podcast interview. In a clip of the interview, posted by TikTok account @goated.quotes, Sanchez says that she can tell how successful someone is by how they order coffee. "Show me how long it takes you to order at a counter," says the CEO, "and I will show you your bank account."

Alan Greenspan knows a thing or two about underpants. American history's second-longest-tenured Fed chairman also knows a thing or many about recessions, obviously, and the two are related: Sales of men's underwear, Greenspan once reportedly suggested, are inversely proportional to economic anxiety. As the theory goes, men see underwear as a luxury, not a necessity. When money gets tight, boxers get holey.

About three-quarters of U.S. adults said they watched a new movie on streaming instead of in the theater at least once in the past year, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, including about 3 in 10 who watched new movies on streaming at least once a month.

For Walmart and its peers, referral clicks account for less than 5% of total site visits - outweighed by direct traffic, paid channels and search engines. But the speed at which ChatGPT has climbed into the top tier of referral sources shows howhow AI is starting to influence how consumers shop online. Shoppers are increasingly clicking through links inside AI chat responses, pushing major retailers into the shopping journey historically dominated by Google search.

Consumer interest confirmed, Ivester wanted not just a plastic replica of the glass bottle, but a much larger version. Over the years, Coke had steadily increased the sizes of its fountain drinks. A large soda now stood at 20 ounces, a full 4 ounces bigger than the previous iteration. "We were really training consumers at that time to drink more and more," says McWhorter.

In just under two decades, subscription services have changed the way people shop, play and work. Businesses are also taking advantage of subscription services. As we head for the middle of 2025, though, the subscription economy is showing signs of yet another shift as it expands beyond digital services. What may the future hold? Related: The Subscription Economy Is Growing Fast. Here's How Your Business Can Adapt and Thrive. The rise of the subscription economy

On the frugal side of TikTok, the "buy it nice or buy it twice" adage is making the rounds, with creators like @christina.mychas echoing the phrase, "I'm too broke to buy cheap sh*t." In her comments, one person said, "[You should] spend like a millionaire on the things you use all the time - bed, mattress, pillow, jeans, shoes, etc." Another wrote, "In Spanish there's a saying, 'Lo barato sale caro,' which is 'the cheap turns out to be expensive,'" and it's really resonating.

Consumer behavior has undoubtedly shifted. Research shows that 70% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for ethically sourced products, and 66% expect brands to understand their needs and preferences. Nearly half of all consumers now buy products after seeing them endorsed by people they trust. These statistics clearly show that people want businesses to do better. But here's what the data doesn't capture: consumer expectations alone cannot drive the fundamental changes our world needs.

The forecast, released today and based on data drawn from Salesforce platforms Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud and Agentforce, predicts that global ecommerce sales in November and December will reach a record $1.25 trillion, an increase worldwide of 4%. In the U.S., online sales are projected to increase 2.1%. "The way consumers are shopping is changing at a fundamental level," the report states, noting that AI and agents are projected to drive 21% of all holiday orders globally, resulting in $263 billion in sales.

Some might dismiss this as hype, but history shows us how quickly consumer behaviour can flip. I'm old enough to remember back to when we first relied on the Yellow Pages, then shifted almost overnight to Google. We're already starting to see a shift towards AI-driven search, where instead of scrolling through endless pages of results you're presented with just a handful of carefully curated answers, drawn from multiple sources.

Since the arrival of the internet and online marketing, measuring and analyzing certain metrics has been essential for those wanting to attract audiences and sell online. Figures like click-through rates, page impressions, and conversions have traditionally provided marketers with the insight needed to make decisions about how, when, and where to present their products and services to us. Those days, however, could be coming to an end.

They're exploding in popularity, but is the investment the right choice for the way you live your life? Net-Zero Dads. That's what The Economist dubbed the middle-aged men who obsess over how their heat pumps, electric cars and solar PV panels work. Indeed, sharing the jargon-filled specs of your favourite climate toy with your neighbours is the new 'keeping up with the Joneses'.

Case in point: A rotating selection of about 500 items that Dollar General sells in its stores for $1 - which the company calls "Value Valley" - sold at twice the rate of everything else that the retailersold during its second quarter, Vasos said on the company's most recent earnings call. That made the $1 section "one of our strongest performing areas in the quarter," he said.

New York's legal weed market in 2025 is no longer just about access-it's about choice, intention, and identity. What began as a slow rollout marred by regulatory confusion and legacy gray-market inertia is now a fully-fledged economic engine reshaping how consumers think about, purchase, and consume weed. With over 100 licensed dispensaries now open across the state, data shows a clear shift: buyers are no longer simply looking for high THC or the best price-

The emergence of AI has led to concerns about job losses across various sectors, including real estate, where professionals feel the impact indirectly.

A recent Gallup poll reveals a seismic shift in U.S. alcohol consumption, with only 54% of adults reporting they drink alcoholic beverages - the lowest level since the 1930s.

American Eagle's marketing campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney highlights challenges in effectively communicating with a diverse audience, as backlash arises over perceived racist and sexual undertones.

The buyer's guilt that I get nearly every time after I've spent is insane ... Sometimes I open things and I don't want them.

Home Depot is building a better future for the doers - homeowners, pros, renters - by making improvement more accessible and confidence easier to find. Not by marketing purpose, but by delivering it.

Behind every decision regarding how you allocate your precious time on earth - every meal, every subscription, and every purchase - you weigh whether something is 'worth it.' And underneath each decision lurks a tangled matrix of emotions, biases, social programming, narratives, justifications, and scheming about money and value.