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The Consumer Does Not Need To Be Part Of Every Business Decision

Audrey Chee-Read September 19, 2023
As Forrester’s consumer behavior analyst, I’m going to say something controversial: The consumer does not need to be a part of every business decision. There’s no shortage of supply or demand for consumer insights. In fact, the pandemic supercharged market research capabilities to create more efficient and cost-effective platforms and tools to gather those insights. […]
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Consumer Spending Trends — 2023 Edition

Dipanjan Chatterjee September 8, 2023
Has The Economy Got You Down? It’s 1840. Inflation is rampant, and beleaguered consumers are reeling from high prices. It’s also presidential election season, and economic woes are weighing down the campaign of incumbent President Martin Van Buren, who eventually loses to William Henry Harrison (who, for all you trivia fans, had the shortest presidential […]
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Improve Your Loyalty Results With A Loyalty Services Provider

Mary Pilecki August 16, 2023
Does your brand employ a loyalty services provider in addition to a loyalty technology provider? If not, you should consider it. Brands continue to increase spend on loyalty technology and programs, but they often don’t tie their loyalty initiatives to broader corporate goals, negatively impacting their success. Services providers help here. This blog answers key […]
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Growth Strategy In Action: Apple Plants New Seeds

Dipanjan Chatterjee August 7, 2023
Two months ago, I announced Forrester’s revenue growth framework. We reviewed academic research, evaluated practitioner models, spoke with CMOs, and studied best practices among companies to distill a framework to help our clients develop a structured approach to growing revenue. I’ve applied this lens to Apple’s latest earnings release to analyze the company’s growth strategy. […]
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US Offline Retail Sales Will Reach $4.2 Trillion By 2028

Jitender Miglani August 1, 2023
Our newly published research, US Online Retail Forecast, 2023 To 2028, shows that both offline and online US sales will reach record levels this year. As we’ve said many times, the store is flourishing and far from “dead!”
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Are You Prepared to Include CX Metrics In Earnings Calls?

Pete Jacques July 25, 2023
If you're considering sharing your CX performance during an earnings calls, here's how to do it right.
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Prime Day 2023: How Retailers And Brands Stacked Up Against Amazon

Nicole Murgia July 18, 2023
Retailers and brands were looking to compete with Amazon’s two-day sale this year. Tune in to our key takeaways and analysis for Prime Day.
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Half Of Generative AI Users Are Indiscriminate About Data Use

Mike Proulx July 12, 2023
Despite the risks, over half of US online adults who have used generative AI said they are “fine” with using ChatGPT to analyze data from their company, while 45% have no issues with prompting ChatGPT using their personal information.
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Inclusive Advertising Requires A Process, Not Just People

Audrey Chee-Read July 11, 2023
While the conversation and action around diversity, inclusivity, and belonging spiked in 2020, CMOs still struggle with inclusive advertising practices. Three core challenges are involved: 1) receiving backlash if the advertising “gets it wrong”; 2) seeing inclusivity in advertising as a “check the box” task; and 3) using inclusivity for PR instead of authentic representation. […]
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Lessons Learned From Bud Light’s Marketing Blunder

Audrey Chee-Read May 17, 2023
In early April, Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand saw itself caught in a culture war fiasco. For its NCAA March Madness activation, the beer brand partnered with popular TikTok trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a one-time giveaway. This led to an uproar on social media — initially from conservative voices including musicians Kid Rock and Travis […]
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The COVID-19 Global Health Emergency Has Ended, But These Three Consumer Behaviors Aren’t Changing

Audrey Chee-Read May 5, 2023
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency. While it will keep its status as a pandemic, this new declaration is a long-awaited milestone. The COVID-19 pandemic is the first of its scale to have affected and influenced consumer behavior across the globe at a time when […]
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Revenge Spending Meets Increased Credit Card Debt For Younger Consumers

Audrey Chee-Read April 25, 2023
Revenge spending, financial avoidance, and impulse buying are just a few financial behaviors of Gen Z consumers that may seem beneficial to companies in the short term but have disadvantageous consequences in the long run. In Q4 of 2022, credit card balances reached $986 billion, surpassing the pre-pandemic record of $927 billion. When digging into […]
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US Consumer Spending In 2022: 10 Insights From US BEA PCE Data Analysis

Jitender Miglani April 20, 2023
We analyzed US consumer spending using the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) data provided by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Check out these 10 insights pulled from our look at PCE data from 2022 regarding US consumer spending on a number of categories.
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For US Consumers, The Pandemic Is Going, But Not Gone

Audrey Chee-Read March 22, 2023
All signs point to the COVID-19 pandemic being fully behind us: The Biden administration’s COVID-19 national public health emergency protocols are set to end on May 11; consumers’ comfort in pre-pandemic activities, such as going to a concert or a museum, is increasing over time; and while travel is starting to recover, the lack of […]
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Explore The End Of The Customer Lifecycle At CX APAC 2023

Rick Parrish March 13, 2023
Death. Taxes. The customer lifecycle. Until now, business leaders could count on the inevitability of all three. But no longer. Today’s consumers thrive on novelty, embrace emerging technologies, and expect more from brands. And during the pandemic, businesses proved that they can innovate fast enough to keep up. As both consumers and businesses race forward, […]
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Efficiency Or Cheating? ChatGPT Users Seek The Upper Hand

Mike Proulx March 3, 2023
One in five US CMOs has already used ChatGPT in their marketing efforts and 40% more are exploring use cases. Get the latest Forrester data on plans for this emerging tech.
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Welcome Audrey Chee-Read, Forrester’s Principal Analyst Covering Consumer Behavior

Mike Proulx February 23, 2023

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A New Year Demands A New Digital Measurement Framework

Zhi Ying Barry February 1, 2023
There’s something about entering a new year. Unbridled optimism, renewed hopes, and general positivity about having a fresh start are typical emotions. But 2023 is not like any other year. The pandemic-fueled growth that many firms experienced in 2022 appears to have come to a halt as organizations enter 2023 facing the prospect of an […]
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Order Up: Starbucks Rewards Changes Signal A Renewed Focus On Profitable Loyalty

Mary Pilecki January 31, 2023
As one of the most popular loyalty programs in the world, the stakes for the Starbucks Rewards program are high. Today, the program boasts nearly 29 million active members, and over half of Starbucks sales are driven through the program. Starbucks Rewards members collect “stars” for every purchase they make, redeemable for free drinks, food, […]