What matters to today’s consumer

In this Capgemini Research Institute report, What matters to today’s consumer: 2024 consumer behavior tracker for the consumer product and retail industries, we take a closer look at how consumer behavior is changing today and the factors that are shaping it.

We focused this third installment of our annual research series on five broad themes around consumer behavior. What we found is that many of the trends from our 2023 report have persisted, especially with consumers continuing to express concern about their personal financial situations amid rising inflation. However, on an optimistic note, this concern has dropped significantly in the past twelve months as the share of surveyed consumers who fear their personal finances will worsen in the next 6‒9 months has dropped from 80% to 43%.

Additionally, as generative AI makes headwinds across industries, its impact on consumers’ purchasing behaviors is being felt too. We look at the ways in which this technology is being used and adopted by consumers within different demographic cohorts.

We also explore the increase in social commerce, as well as greater consumer concern around issues like sustainability, product origin, business practices, and more. Finally, we examine what makes for a positive shopping experience in the post-digital age. We conclude this report with key actions for brands and retailers to take in order to manage and adapt to the ongoing shifts in consumer behavior.

Download the full report to find out more about how consumer behavior is evolving into the future.