#consumer-behavior

#consumer-behavior

The restaurant industry is grappling with big questions this year. Diners these days are more value-conscious, more selective, and more willing to stay home; and costs, along with competition, continue to rise for operators. As big chains and local independents try to protect sales or regain their footing, analysts who spoke to Business Insider said the year ahead will come down to whether restaurants can do more with less, without losing what made people want to dine out in the first place.

As prices climb, shoppers aren't just spending less-they're spending differently. Nearly half are buying smaller quantities or trading down to lower-cost options, such as canned fruit instead of fresh, according to Capgemini's report, "What matters to today's consumers 2026." It's not about cutting things out entirely-it's about making budgets stretch. Low- and middle-income households are especially deal-focused right now: more coupons, more frequent but smaller trips, and fewer meals out.

Earlier start times may encourage higher attendance since it does not require staying late for a work-related event.

In March 2025, 900 U.S. adults shared their browsing behavior with the Pew Research Center. Roughly 58% of those adults encountered an AI Overview when searching on Google. Only 8% then clicked a traditional listing. Conversely, 42% of Google searchers received no AI Overview; 15% then clicked on a listing. The immediate impact - 8% vs. 15% - is material and measurable. According to eMarketer, zero-click searches have reduced traffic to many websites by 25% or more.

As advertisers do the difficult work to reduce their own emissions, many are turning to another, and possibly even larger, opportunity to have a positive impact on the planet - the messages they choose for their ads. Advertising has the power to positively influence consumer behavior, and every brand can and should consider how their creative work can deliver on that promise.

Every year, open enrollment forces Americans to confront a familiar dilemma: Pay more for coverage that delivers less, or gamble on going without it. This year, that choice has become even starker. Employers are shifting more costs to workers, marketplace premiums are poised to rise, fewer prescription drugs are covered by insurance, and 3.8 million people could lose insurance annually if Affordable Care Act subsidies aren't extended.

I think the news certainly makes things more complicated. I think people are confused. We had a terrific second quarter. We talked about the back-to-school business being pretty healthy, and yet we all see potential storm clouds on the horizon. So we're trying to be cautiously optimistic... You could stay up all night worrying... But in reality, our job is to make sure we create a better shopping experience for the customer.

In late October, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser with ChatGPT at its core. In Agent Mode, it can perform actions on your behalf, such as pulling together an online order. Elyse Betters Picaro, Senior Contributing Editor at ZDNET, tried it that day, successfully using it to place a same-day delivery order from Walmart. The experience was so positive that she then used it to buy Disney on Ice Tickets, which she said saved her some money and hassle.

Grocers have rebranded and grown their portfolio of private label brands over the past several years to cater to consumers pressed by inflation, and it's paid off as the highest-earning shoppers make up an increasingly large share of the economy. Nowhere is this more true than Walmart, the leading grocer since 2019, which launched a new private label called Bettergoods in 2024 that includes products that are plant-based, organic, or gluten-free.

Forget influencers and glossy magazines-this holiday season, Americans are turning to each other for shopping advice. New data from Trustpilot's National Write a Review Week campaign shows a 76% YoY spike in consumer reviews. The initiative, which ran October 20-24, attracted ~4 million visitors nationwide-a 63% jump from the same period in 2024-signaling how heavily shoppers are relying on feedback from real buyers. Trustpilot's AI and Black Friday shopping analysis reinforced the trend as 86% of shoppers checked reviews before making a holiday purchase.

A.I. is helping holiday shoppers empty their wallets at an unprecedented pace. U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online this Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, and are expected to shell out another $14.2 billion on Cyber Monday. Driving this shopping frenzy is a growing reliance on A.I. systems to recommend gifts, track prices and place orders. Shoppers are especially turning to chatbots to research products and hunt for deals.

Their unique experiences and values have impacted several aspects of culture, from consumer behavior and communication styles to lifestyle choices and relationship trends. As a result, certain fads and practices that were once popular have fallen out of favor with this influential generation. While some may bash millennials for their perceived aversion to traditional norms, it's important to recognize that their choices often reflect an underlying longing for authenticity, sustainability, and social consciousness.

It's easy to understand the reluctance to upgrade. Phones can do loads more than they could a decade ago, and their price tag reflects that. Their cameras are absurdly good, their screens run at buttery smooth framerates, and their hardware is powerful enough to let you play games just as easily as they let you edit video, join conference calls - or, let's be real, doomscroll. How much more juice do they really need with each generation?

As I stood staring at the screen, the tip buttons-20%, 25%, even 50%-blinked back at me like a test I hadn't studied for. Not knowing the answer, I felt a jolt of panic. A line had formed behind me, and I could practically feel the eyes on my back. In my mind, they were all silently judging, waiting to see which button I'd hit. I quickly looked for the button for "no tip," but, under pressure, guilt made the decision for me. I tapped 20%.

Two Ways of Living Through Time Clock timers live by external time. They wake up to an alarm, eat breakfast at a designated hour, and arrive at work precisely when the clock dictates. Their day unfolds in neat, measurable units, each activity clearly marked by a start and an end. A clock timer's sense of order comes from synchronizing with the external rhythms of time.

Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT were the two fastest-growing brands this year among consumers earning more than $100,000 a year, according to Morning Consult. The report measured interest in these tools by purchasing intent, which jumped sharply from the first quarter to the third quarter. Don't Miss: Brand awareness among this income group also skyrocketed. Gemini, for example, rose from 62% awareness early in the year to 78% by the third quarter. ChatGPT remains the most well-known AI tool, with 89% familiarity among high-income consumers.

The impact of social-media-driven, algorithmic advertising really can't be overstated. In just the past five years alone, we've seen the advent of TikTok and the total takeover of Instagram: visual venues that have shortened the distance between "seeing" and "buying" to nearly zero. These days, shoppers hardly ever leave their chosen app. This has completely eroded the old rules of e-commerce. Black Friday is in August now and lasts for 100 days. Back to School is all four seasons.

Meadow Lane, a gourmet grocer in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood, opened Friday at 11 a.m., attracting quite the line of hopeful and hungry shoppers. The brainchild of former venture capitalist Sammy Nussdorf, the store had a cult following before it had a physical retail space. He's been posting about the storesince June 2024, and some of his taste-tasting videos of the menu have gone viral.

A couple of police officers leapt out and asked us to jump up and down. You what? They asked us again, but in a tone suggesting it was less of a question than a command. Up and down we jumped until told to stop doing so. The cops thanked us for our trouble and, jumping back into their vehicle, explained they were on the hunt for some lads who'd just robbed an amusement arcade.

But Lyst's Q3 2025 Index offers some perspective on the "hottest brands and products" over the last three months. The index, which analyzes shopper behavior from "more than 160 million annual users across thousands of brands and stores," featured French luxury retailer Yves Saint Laurent emerging at the top of the list for the first time. In second, third, and fourth place were Miu Miu, COS, and The Row, respectively.

If you want a sociological anecdote of how weird wins, look no further than online dating. Dating apps have shown us that people don't actually want the most "normal" partner. They want quirks that stand out. Hinge data shows that profiles mentioning a niche interest-like a specific video game or obscure hobby-are more likely to get matches than generic "I like to travel" statements.

When economist Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption" in 1899, he was describing a new kind of social display: one where people bought goods not out of need but as "trophies of success." To Veblen, the emerging "leisure class" proved its superiority not by labor or contribution but by its seeming exemption from work and its power to waste.

Seeing an attractive face activates the brain's reward and social circuits releasing the feelgood hormone dopamine, writes Laura Elin Pigott, a senior lecturer in neurosciences and neurorehabilitation at London South Bank University. This hormone is also released when we happen to live up to a specific beauty standard, making this feel biologically gratifying. All is not lost though our perceptions can be retrained, apparently. The science makes it clear: our brains respond to what they're fed.