Global Consumer Trends: Comfort

Introduction

The Comfort mega-trend is driven by demands for safety, escapism, simplicity and tradition. In many ways, the Sensory versus Comfort mega-trend trade-off represents the problems associated with balancing a desire for new experiences and change with desires for stability and familiarity

Scope

*Detailed trend analysis outlining what constitutes 'value' for consumers (trends are, after all, a reflection of what's important to consumers)

*Global in focus, but also offers country-by-country and sector-by-sector insights thereby catering to top-line or more specific information needs

*Covers all major FMCG sectors, but also with applicability to wider consumer goods audiences

*One of 10 dedicated mega-trend reports outlining the most important issues shaping global consumers' buying behavior both now and in the future

Highlights

Good trend-watching is about taking the bigger-picture approach. Adopting a broader global perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category myopia'. Monitoring the broader FMCG environment will enable bigger picture learning that can be applied more specifically

A considerable 'trust void' is apparent in Europe when it comes to commercial enterprises in general and the specifics of the product they produce and market. Datamonitor research has found that consumers across the continent do not automatically accept stated product claims

Only a minority of consumers in the Asia Pacific region stated that they found food products and ingredients imported from other countries to be either 'trustworthy' or 'very trustworthy'. Given that the majority of consumers are predisposed to distrust foreign ingredients, this is a significant proportion of the market to potentially lose out on

Reasons to Purchase

*Understand the significance of the different Comfort-aligned trends across territories and FMCG sectors to help support market diversification plans

*Save time and gain maximal insight by using this 'one-stop-shop' resource which offers a clear and up-to-date framework for understanding consumers

*Access data from two waves of global primary research to increase the likelihood of being 'on-trend' with NPD and marketing activities

Report Highlights

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Overview 1
Catalyst 1
Summary 1
Table of Contents 2
Table of figures 3
INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF TREND-TRACKING 4
Tracking consumer mega-trends is fundamental to long-term success 4
Trend-tracking insight 1: mega-trends can be classified in two ways according to desirable product/service benefits and societal complexities 5
Trend-tracking insight 2: trends are aligned with pre-existing, but evolving human values, attitudes, needs and behaviors 6
Trend-tracking insight 3: mega-trends can be broken down into trends and sub-trends to provide structure and clarity at a time of 'information overload' 7
Trend-tracking insight 4: manufacturers, retailers and researchers/futurologists perpetuate trends 10
Trend-tracking insight 5: adopting a broader, global perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category myopia' 13
Trend-tracking insight 6: trends have longer-term implications than fads and can be categorized by evolvement 14
Trend-tracking insight 7: for every trend there is a 'counter-trend' while 'trend-crossover' is also an important phenomena 16
Takeouts and implications: a trend framework boosts the quality and frequency of insight generation ensuring maximum return from the broader market research processes in place 16
THE FUTURE DECODED: DECIPHERING THE COMFORT MEGA-TREND 18
MEGA-TREND SYNOPSIS: Consumers want safety, simplicity, trust and indulgence in response to rising stress and uncertainty 18
TREND: Cautious Consumerism: many individuals are concerned about the direction of society, are distrustful and skeptical of progress and change 19
SUB-TREND: Societal Pessimism: many global citizens bemoan the direction of society on a global, regional and national level 19
Europeans have a negative opinion of the direction of national developments 21
Consumers in the Americas display varying degrees of satisfaction with their country's direction 25
Asia Pacific citizens, having mostly experienced rising economic prosperity in recent years, are generally more optimistic about the direction of society than the global average 28
Despite enormous social change, consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are largely content with the direction of society and are generally not skeptical of the benefits of economic development 31
Key takeouts and implications: consumers feel somewhat let down by institutions and as a result are less confident and trusting 33
SUB-TREND: Skeptical Consumerism: a ongoing 'trust void' exists between organizations and institutions and individuals who rely on them 33
Europeans are deeply skeptical about commercial enterprises and the specifics of product claims 34
Much cynicism exists among consumers in the Americas when evaluating product claims 38
Developing nations in the Asia Pacific region are more likely to express trust in manufacturer claims 42
UAE and Saudi consumers are relatively skeptical of corporate intent 45
Key takeouts and implications: consumers do not inherently believe that all product claims are truthful 46
SUB-TREND: Risk Aversion: fears exist over (new) processes and progression associated with consumer products 47
Europeans generally believe that functional food and beverages are better/safer than GM food but there is skepticism towards both 47
In North and South America consumers are wary of product formulations 49
Asia Pacific consumers are particularly concerned about the ingredients that go into products 51
MENA consumers are becoming more interested in food safety 53
Key takeouts and implications: consumer understanding of what goes into food, beverages, personal care and household care products has never been greater 54
SUB-TREND: Technophobia: as consumers embrace digital lifestyles concerns exist about an over-reliance on technology 54
The majority of Europeans cannot be described as technophobic or negative about progress associated with science and technology but they do hold reservations about the future 55
The majority of consumers in the Americas are comfortable with technology and the positive impact it is having on society although there is a perception of over-reliance 57
Consumers in the Asia Pacific region are some of the most connected globally 59
Gulf consumers are becoming more reliant on technology 60
Key takeouts and implications: technophobia is not particularly prevalent globally although there are certain contexts where individuals can adopt a more negative mentality 61
TREND: Cocooning: the global financial crisis and the ongoing desire to 'shut off' from the wider world continues to shape global consumer attitudes and behaviors 61
SUB-TREND: Blinkered Optimism: many consumers adopt an overly optimistic view of their health as they shut themselves off from reality and they also look to outsource blame elsewhere 62
Europeans believe their diets are healthier than they actually are 63
Satisfaction with personal health is fairly high among consumers in the Americas 64
Perceptions of health status vary considerably across the Asia Pacific region 65
UAE and Saudi consumers can be very blinkered when assessing personal health and apportion much of the blame for aspects of poor health on others 66
Key takeouts and implications: some consumers refuse to acknowledge and/or accept responsibility for lifestyle and personal problems such as poor health 68
SUB-TREND: Insperiences: bringing third places home and the resurgence of home-based consumption occasions 68
Europeans are creating more 'insperiences' by consuming more home prepared meals 69
Consumers in the Americas are spending more time entertaining at home 72
Consumers in Asia Pacific are eating, drinking and pampering more frequently at home 75
Consumer insperiences are increasingly common in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia 78
Key takeouts and implications: as consumers cocoon, they demand higher quality 'insperiences' that act as 'home comforts' 80
SUB-TREND: House-Proud Cocooning: as consumers seek sanctuary in the comfort of their homes, they become extra pre-occupied with upkeep 81
Europeans display a certain pride in improving their own homes 81
Brazilians particularly value the appearance of their homes while US attitudes are more in line with the global average 82
Traditional Asia Pacific attitudes still prevail when it comes to being houseproud 83
UAE and Saudi consumers are very proud of their homes and are increasingly looking to DIY solutions to keep up appearances 84
Key takeouts and implications: as consumers spend longer in their homes, they become increasingly disposed to being houseproud 85
SUB-TREND: Homeworking: people are taking advantage of structural changes in labor markets and connective technology to embrace more flexible, home-based work 85
Connective technology has made it possible for more Europeans to work from home 86
Working from home is on the increase, particularly in North America 86
Individuals in the Asia Pacific region are working more frequently from home, setting up small offices in which to perform their daily tasks 87
Home-working in the UAE and Saudi has been limited by labor laws 87
Key takeouts and implications: homeworking has been made considerably easier by improvements in the quality and reliability of connective technology 87
SUB-TREND: Home-grown: consumers are increasingly demonstrating a desire to become product cultivators 88
There has been an increase in the number of Europeans looking to grow their own produce 88
There is an emergent trend of home-growing produce in the Americas 88
Consumers are cutting back on eating out of the home and replacing this with more home-grown consumption options 89
Key takeouts and implications: consumers are looking to save money during the economic crisis by becoming less reliant on store-bought groceries 89
TREND: Ethnocentrism: ethnocentric preferences exacerbate favorability of national or local products and brands 89
SUB-TREND: Localism: consumers are embracing the 'locavore' movement 90
Europeans are demonstrating a strong interest in consuming local produce 90
Consumers in the Americas show considerable interest in products' origins 92
Locality is very important to consumers across Asia Pacific, but less influential in terms of routinely guiding actual choices 94
Localism is highly prevalent in the Middle East, though arguably more pronounced in Saudi Arabia than in the UAE 96
Key takeouts and implications: ethnocentric consumers prefer local products to ones from abroad 99
SUB-TREND: Ethnocentric tendencies can lead to the sporadic or longer-term boycotting or avoidance of 'foreign' products 100
Europeans distrust grocery products that come from overseas 100
Views on foreign products and ingredients are somewhat mixed in the Americas 101
Asia Pacific consumers display a large amount of mistrust in foreign ingredients 102
Middle Eastern consumers are now unlikely to avoid Western produce because of regionally unsympathetic tastes or flavors, but periodic political and cultural incidents ensure that boycotts of Western products remain relatively commonplace 103
Key takeouts and implications: consumers inherently distrust products and ingredients which come from foreign lands 105
SUB-TREND: Ethnic tensions and polarized attitudes towards immigration and 'outside influences' are prevalent across regions 106
European attitudes to immigration vary based on circumstantial issues, but it is seen as a problematic and contentious issue by majorities across the region 107
Americans are increasingly distrusted by consumers in Latin America 108
Chinese consumers in particular have misgivings about people from other faiths or nations 108
In both the UAE and Saudi Arabia immigration concerns are on the rise 109
Key takeouts and implications: despite efforts to encourage multiculturalism, tensions between consumers of differing ethnicities still exist across the globe 110
TREND: Simplifying and Downshifting: consumers often aspire to a simplified, less complicated lifestyle and shopping experience 110
SUB-TREND: Choice Paralysis and Habitual Consumption: consumer confusion and choosing familiar brands/products 111
Europeans say they are influenced by choice but seem to be affected by choice paralysis nevertheless 112
The key aspects of choice paralysis are evident among consumers in the Americas 116
Consumers in Asia Pacific experience choice paralysis just like other consumers globally 121
Choice paralysis is also evident in the Middle East 125
Key takeouts and implications: consumers often feel stifled by the amount of choice on offer 126
SUB-TREND: Selective attention: the 'attention economy' highlights the growing difficulty of engaging consumers 126
The vast majority of Europeans believe that there is too much advertising today 127
A strong feeling exists among consumers in the Americas that there is too much advertising 128
Consumers in Asia Pacific, like those from other regions, express negative sentiment towards the amount of advertising today 129
Regional consumers are unreceptive to large amounts of advertising 129
Key takeouts and implications: marketers are facing an increasingly challenging environment to get consumers' attention 130
SUB-TREND: The search for simplicity reflects the need to reduce physical and informational clutter and complexity in their life 131
Time poor Europeans want simple solutions to problems in order to create more time 131
Consumers in the Americas exhibit a strong desire to simplify their lifestyles 132
Asia Pacific consumers have prioritized simplicity at a stressful time 133
UAE and Saudi consumers want a de-cluttered life 134
Key takeouts and implications: many consumers are increasingly seeking to simplify life and will value products that align to this ideology 139
SUB-TREND: Austere Consumerism: consumers are buying in more tempered and considered manner, especially with the global financial crisis changing the outlook on consumption 140
Eastern and Western Europeans display contrasting attitudes towards materialism 140
Consumers in the Americas have become wary of materialism and credit facilities 141
Consumers in Asia Pacific are particularly materialistic 142
Falling consumer expenditure has not led to genuine 'austere consumerism' in the UAE or Saudi Arabia 144
Key takeouts and implications: consumers have contrasting views about austere consumerism depending on location 145
SUB-TREND: Family First: improving work/life balance and slowing down to facilitate more and better quality family time continue to be important priorities 145
Some Europeans are happy with the amount of time they spend with their families but others are not 145
Consumers in the Americas are increasingly prioritizing time spent with family and friends 148
Consumers in Asia Pacific believe there is plenty of scope to improve the quality of their work/life balance 151
Increased leisure time, including family life, have become dramatically more important to UAE and Saudi consumers over the past two years or so 154
Key takeouts and implications: consumers are making greater efforts to ensure that they spend as much time with their families as possible 156
TREND: Nostalgic Consumerism and the 'Return to Real' 156
SUB-TREND: Buying nostalgic brands/embracing retro design 159
Cravings for nostalgia have built around Europe in the past few years 159
The appeal of nostalgia was not particularly evident in the US just a few years ago 160
Nostalgic products are becoming increasing popular in Asia Pacific, especially in Japan 161
While most consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are too young to be emotionally influenced by 'retro' products an adulterated form of nostalgic consumerism is still evident 162
Key takeouts and implications: nostalgia is a relevant trend for consumers due to the comfort that it provides but its popularity is at the mercy of wider social situations 163
SUB-TREND: Traditional Consumption: consumers continue to embrace traditional favorites 164
Some Europeans are seeking out more exciting flavors while others are returning to traditional ones 164
Many consumers in the Americas display a desire for traditional and 'safe' flavors in food and beverages 165
Rather than look for traditional flavors, consumers in Asia Pacific are favoring more exotic options 166
Traditional, regional, tastes are still popular in the Middle East 167
Key takeouts and implications: consumers are torn between returning to the traditional or seeking out new experiences 167
SUB-TREND: The re-emergence of scratch cooking and 'home-made' products 168
Europeans are embracing the scratch cooking movement 168
Cooking behaviors are changing in the Americas as more consumers return to scratch-cooking 170
Consumers in Korea in particular are looking to cook more from scratch 172
UAE and Saudi consumers are cooking at home 174
Key takeouts and implications: consumers are rediscovering scratch cooking for a number of reasons 175
APPENDIX 177
Definitions 177
Methodology 177
Further reading and references 178
Ask the analyst 180
Datamonitor consulting 180
Disclaimer 181
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List of Tables
List of Figures
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