Survey shows change in shopping habits

 

 

A national survey of 30,000 U.S. consumers conducted by Armonk-based IBM found consumers are changing their shopping habits to deal with shifting budgets and incomes.

 

The study, titled “Shopper Advocacy: Building Consumer Trust in the New Economic Environment,”™ shows that tighter budgets and lower confidence have fundamentally changed consumer behavior. Two-thirds of the people surveyed said they are postponing purchases or buying fewer items overall, while 60 percent indicated they are shopping for products on sale and using coupons more often. The report warns retailers against relying solely on past purchase patterns to forecast future consumer demand.