Overall, consumers are financially better off in 2024 compared to last year. This is due to a combination of a resilient labour market, solid wage growth, and cooling inflationary pressures, all of which have provided relief to households’ budgets. However, despite a more positive future economic outlook, consumers across different regions remain sceptical and continue to adhere to cautious spending behaviours. In this two-part series, we will dive into how consumers’ spending behaviours have changed since COVID-19 and how they continue to be influenced by economic anxiety. Part one will focus ..read more

How can you turbo-boost the knowledge of American college students studying tea consumption among Gen Z and Millennial consumers in the UK, as part of their research project? A group of advertising and marketing students from the University of Colorado had the incredible opportunity to get a thorough briefing from Mintel’s Category Director for UK Food and Drink Research, Kiti Soininen, at our London office as part of their recent study tour.   To help the students with their research into how advertisers might be able to turn around the decline in tea consumption among these yo ..read more

The 2024 General Election: change in Westminster provides a chance for a reset Labour’s crushing General Election victory is a historic moment in British politics. After 14 years of Conservative-led rule, this is many adults’ first experience of a change of government. However, even the mammoth scale of Labour’s victory was widely expected before the polls even opened on 4 July. Data from Mintel’s British Lifestyles 2024 report suggests that half of Brits expected a change in government this year, and that feeling likely grew in the months to polling day based on media coverage of the opinion ..read more

It’s official: the world has gone to the dogs (and cats, and hamsters, and mice, and axolotls). Across the globe, pet ownership rates are higher than ever. Mintel’s consumer research found that levels of pet ownership are highest in the US and Brazil, with a pet ownership rate of 73% and 71% respectively. It’s not just consumers in the Americas who have a fondness for a fuzzy friend, over half of consumers in the UK and Germany own a pet. What’s driving the increase in pet ownership? These levels of pet ownership aren’t surprising, as pets have always been popular, however the reasons give ..read more

The UK retail industry has navigated multiple periods of consumer uncertainty, including the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Over the next couple of years, the retail industry will undergo significant transformation, shaped by evolving consumer behaviours, technological advancements and potential political and economic changes. Join Mintel as we provide a snapshot of the UK retail market landscape – including insight into other global regions – highlighting opportunities, challenges and emerging trends that will define the industry’s trajectory in the near future. For a comprehensiv ..read more

In the exciting world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), prompts are instructions or queries you enter into the AI interface to get responses. If you want helpful responses, you need to know how to input useful information and instructions. Known as AI prompt engineering, it’s a strategy that focuses on designing strategic prompts to guide machine learning models (MLMs) and large language models (LLMs) toward the desired output. Instead of just a question, well-thought-out prompts act like soft programming, resulting in specific responses with enhanced accuracy and value. This is a good time t ..read more

Overall, consumers are financially better off in 2024 compared to last year. This is due to a combination of a resilient labour market, solid wage growth, and cooling inflationary pressures, all of which have provided relief to households’ budgets. However, despite a more positive future economic outlook, consumers across different regions remain sceptical and continue to adhere to cautious spending behaviours. In this two-part series, we will dive into how consumers’ spending behaviours have changed since COVID-19 and how they continue to be influenced by economic anxiety. Part one will fo ..read more

On a balmy, late August afternoon in 2023, the Women’s Southern Brave cricket team secured a victory in the Hundred Women’s Competition Final at Lord’s, London. This win marked the culmination of a successful month-long tournament, featuring 32 matches. But the most significant victory isn’t on the scoreboard. Overall attendance reached a record-breaking 300,000 spectators, with eight Hundred matches making it into Sky Sports’ top 10 most-watched women’s events of the year. These figures signal change and the reimagining of spectator sports. So what’s driving the reimagining of spectator ..read more

Recent years have seen clothing purchases grow and grow, as more consumers have participated in ever-changing fashion trends and trend cycles. With a new popular item always on the horizon, let’s dive into the emerging trends in men’s retail in EMEA and APAC regions. How Budget Impacts on Menswear Spending The challenging economic landscape influences consumer behaviour, with a rising number of shoppers seeking less expensive retailers. Consumers have been particularly favouring cheaper online retailers like Amazon and ASOS for purchasing their clothing, with more than half of British consumer ..read more

Innovations in texture were a break-out trend from the Sweets & Snacks Expo 2024 hosted May 14-16 in Indianapolis, Indiana. From freeze-dried candy to melty baked goods, texture was a key factor that companies used to create new, but familiar departures from the status quo – or, shall we say the “snackus” quo.  According to Mintel GNPD (client link only), crunchy, smooth and chewy were the leading texture claims used from May 2019 to April 2024 by global launches of confectionery and snacks (excluding hors d’oeuvres/ canapes).  This year, companies diversified from crunchy ..read more