An interesting array of tea leaves to read and report on this week. The first “leaf batch” comes from the folks at Nielsen. Yes, “Nielsen” of TV rating fame, but they report on all kinds of consumer trends and “ratings.” Recently they issued a report stating that consumer confidence ‘round the world had climbed to pre-recession levels in the year’s first quarter. That confidence had “ended on a flat note in 2013,” their article said, “but signs of a brighter sentiment were right around the corner. With an index score of 96 in the first quarter—the highest level since first-quarter 2007, that optimism was validated.
Tag: consumer trends
Holiday Spending Up, Card Use Being Encouraged
We realize we’re not even into the actual “Twelve Days of Christmas” yet, but already holiday spending trends are being compiled and assessed. A recent survey from Citi indicates that holiday spending may land on the “up” side this year, after all. According to the survey, “twenty-nine percent of Americans estimate they will be spending more than $1,000 this holiday season, up from 22 percent in 2011. Amongst those planning on shopping for the holidays, Americans will spend an average of $968, up $60 from 2011.”
Black Friday Down, Yet Cyber Monday Sets Record
There are a lot of interesting tea leaves — perhaps that’s peppermint tea, in the spirit of the season — to be read as the data comes in from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, that stretch of time formerly known as “Thanksgiving Weekend.
The 12 Ways of Christmas
It’s a short holiday week, and we wanted to get the blogging in before it was time to address the stuffing!
If you’re on the merchant side of the equation, it’s also a “short” holiday season, due to Thanksgiving coming later in November than usual. So there’s even more expectation — frenzy? — around the official “Black Friday kickoff” sales. Not only for customers, but for merchants as well.
First Data’s Data Points to Stronger Holiday Season
An analysis from the First Data Corporation shows a discernible uptick in consumer spending in the period heading right into the holiday season — namely, the month of October. For that four-week period, their “SpendTrend” analysis tracked “same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.”
Cards in Hand: What Your Customers Like Using Charge and Debit For
Georgia-based Total Systems Services Inc., or TSYS, is out with their 2013 Consumer Payment Choice Study. And while the main purpose of the study was to find out how anxious, or ready, customers were to turn their mobile devices into wallets, though the secondary information in the survey — what types of plastic consumers prefer for which kinds of transactions — was perhaps just as illuminating.
After the Shutdown: Holiday Budgets Trimmed, Consumers Still Willing to Shop
Like the Boy Scouts, we believe in being prepared. Especially now that the U.S. is once again funding its government and paying its debts, and people are free, relatively, to go about their business. Part of that preparation may include anticipating how much business you can now expect from customers this holiday season.
“The Other Big Trend I’d Really Highlight Is The Move From Cash to Debit”
That may be the most germane quote — the “takeaway” if you will — from an interview that Nitin Sumangali did regarding MasterCard Global Insights’ recent white paper on consumer spending habits and whether they’re still in a “recession mindset.”
Card Use Slows in Summer, Yet New Ways to Spend on Horizon
We always like when two seemingly unrelated bits of news emerge to make a pattern, or perhaps two points on a related map. On the one hand, we have another report from the Fed that, as Reuters puts it, “growth in U.S. consumer credit slowed for the second straight month in July, held back by a decline in a measure of credit card usage that hinted at a mood of caution among consumers.”
