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Global Consumer Trends: Individualism

Datamonitor
June 30, 2009
114 Pages - SKU: DFMN2303349

Abstract Table of Contents Search inside this report Related Reports

Countries covered: Global

Introduction

When surveyed by Datamonitor in August 2008, more than two thirds of respondents across the Asia Pacific region expressed the view that using specifically-designed products is 'important' or 'very important' to them. This is indicative of consumers' growing desire (across geographic territories) to be recognized as having 'personal needs' rather than being part of the 'mass market'

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 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.

Nearly three-quarters of global consumers attach importance to individuality and being able to express themselves. This is symptomatic of changing value sets whereby cultures once regarded as being collectivist are increasingly shaped by values that emphasize self expression and self-assertiveness.

Self-congruent consumerism is a trend whereby the image that a person has of her/himself often influences the brand/product choice. By choosing brands with particular image associations, individuals can communicate to others the type of person they are or want to be seen as.

Reasons to Purchase

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

Overview
Catalyst: Summary; Table of Contents; Table of figures; Table of tables
INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF TREND-TRACKING: Tracking consumer mega-trends is fundamental to long-term success; Trend-tracking insight 1: mega-trends can be classified in two ways according to desirable benefits and societal complexities; Trend-tracking insight 2: trends are aligned with pre-existing, but evolving human values, attitudes, needs and behaviors; Trend-tracking insight 3: mega-trends can be broken down into trends and sub-trends highlighting that trend frameworks provide structure and clarity at a time of 'information overload'; Trend-tracking insight 4: manufacturers, retailers and researchers/futurologists perpetuate trends; Trend-tracking insight 5: adopting a broader, global perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category myopia'; Trend-tracking insight 6: trends have longer-term implications than fads and can be categorized by evolvement; Trend-tracking insight 7: for every trend there is a 'counter-trend' while 'trend-crossover' is also and important phenomena; 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
THE FUTURE DECODED: DECIPHERING THE INDIVIDUALISM MEGA-TREND: MEGA-TREND SYNOPSIS: Self reliant and self expressive consumers want more personal and customized brand experiences; TREND: Growing self reliance and respect for individual freedoms and rights characterizes global consumer societies; SUB-TREND: Respect for individuality, democracy and individual freedoms is growing globally, but not without exceptions; Individuality and freedom of speech is considered very important to Europeans, but many in the east feel their freedom is more stifled; Consumers in Latin America are torn between retaining their own national identity or succumbing to Western influences; Asia Pacific consumers, though still existing in comparatively more collectivist consumer cultures, are ever keener to display their individuality; Individuality is also an increasingly prominent and important value in the Middle East; Key take-outs and implications: the growth of individuality creates a more engaged, confident and vocal consumer; SUB-TREND: Taking responsibility and 'taking care of me' are key features of individualistic orientations; Europeans particularly value their own health and remaining financially solvent; Consumers in the Americas are taking more responsibility for their own actions in day-to-day life; Consumers in Asia Pacific are paying more attention to their own health and financial wellbeing; Consumers in MENA have become more health-focused than environment-focused in recent years; Key take-outs and implications: marketers must capitalize on the proactive, assertive nature of today's individualistic consumers by tapping into what is important to them; SUB-TREND: Living alone: the growth of single person households and 'compact living' is a particularly important trend as urban living becomes more common; Rising house prices may put the breaks on the growth of single person households in Europe; The percentage of single person households is increasing in both North and South America; Consumers in Asia Pacific are increasingly disposed to living alone; Living alone is not a trend with significant relevance in the MENA region; Key take-outs and implications: living alone is an extension of societal individualism and leads to distinct consumer needs that can be targeted with specific product features and benefits; TREND: Personal branding: the 'branded self' has become a feature of more individualistic, self-orientated values and lifestyles; SUB-TREND: 'Brand me': purposeful grooming and image management is important in today's visual culture; Upholding appearances helps many Europeans feel good about themselves; Levels of conspicuous consumption in the Americas varies depending on how developed a country is; Attitudes towards self-branding (and brands more generally) differ vastly across the Asia Pacific region; Consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia believe it is important to look good and this is also associated with opportunities in life in a similar manner to Western consumer societies; Key take-outs and implications: appearance consciousness and beauty products are heavily aligned with consumers' attempts to self-brand; SUB-TREND: Self-improvement: the continual pursuit of success and acquiring new skills is something that shapes consumer lifestyles; Rewarding work and recreational activities are high priorities for many Europeans; Consumers in the Americas could be happier about how well their careers are going; Consumers in the Asia Pacific region are striving to climb the social ladder and gain new experiences; Survey data suggest that consumers in MENA are satisfied with their occupational statuses; Key take-outs and implications: industry players must help people be 'better consumers'; TREND: Self-expressive and personalized consumerism continues to gain prominence; SUB-TREND: Self-congruent consumerism: choosing self congruent brands is an important trait of individualistic, self-orientated consumer behavior; Matching brands to their outlook is of relevance to some Europeans; Consumers in the Americas believe it is important that brands say something about themselves; There is a high demand for self congruent brands in Asia Pacific; Middle Eastern consumers are brand-conscious and like to express themselves through consumption; Key takeouts and implications: people today increasingly purchase on the basis of whether a product conforms to their self-image; SUB-TREND: 'Make-it-for-me' consumerism: more demanding and sophisticated consumers, combined with the desire to be treated as individuals, increasingly welcome personalized products and services; Europeans like the concept of customized products, but value other product attributes above this; Customization is important to consumers across the whole of the Americas; Consumers in Asia Pacific want products which solve problems that they personally experience; Customized products are highly desirable in the Middle East; Key takeouts: personalization/customization benefits fulfil important needs, both for consumer and for producers looking to differentiate their offerings in saturated consumer markets; SUB-TREND: Customer made: adaptive and participative consumerism; UK food and drinks makers have turned to the public to help develop new flavor and label designs, capitalizing on consumer enthusiasm for such activities; 'Crowdsourced' products are growing in popularity in Asia Pacific; Key take-outs and implications: losing control of brand development does heighten risk, but consumers increasingly want to interact with brands on their own terms
APPENDIX: Definitions; Methodology; Further reading and references; Ask the analyst; Datamonitor consulting; Disclaimer
List of Tables: Table 1: Consumer survey: support and satisfaction with democracy, in Latin America, by country 2007-08
List of Figures: Figure 1: Datamonitor's mega-trends are having a long-term and substantive impact on the marketing landscape and can be grouped into two categories; Figure 2: Consumer behavior and the innovations targeting it inevitably fit into a 'trend hierarchy'; Figure 3: Trend tracking can be a source of (comparative) competitive analysis; Figure 4: Datamonitor's mega-trend framework helps set the agenda for the specific topics covered in the New Consumer Insight (NCI) research stream; Figure 5: Trend development is dictated by both 'consumer pull' and 'manufacturer push' and Datamonitor offers the intelligence tools to capitalize on this reaity; Figure 6: In a consumerist global culture, the broad consumption spheres/segments transcend borders; Figure 7: Several factors distinguish a trend from a fad; Figure 8: There are numerous compelling drivers driving individualism; Figure 9: Post-materialist values emphasizing self expression and individuality are driving influences in the trend towards growing self reliance and respect for individual freedoms and rights; Figure 10: Self expression is an important issue to European consumers; Figure 11: Asserting one's individuality is highly important to consumers in the Americas; Figure 12: Democracy is second to economic progress for a large segment of Latin Americans although there are notable variances across the region; Figure 13: Though the overwhelming majority of Brazilians consider individuality and self expression to be important, other research suggests that the feeling that freedom of expression is restricted is highly prevalent; Figure 14: Expressing individuality is a core need for consumers across the Asia Pacific region; Figure 15: On a personal basis, environmental issues have not increased in importance to Russians and the Dutch as much as in than other European nations; Figure 16: Reflecting the 'taking-care-of-me mentality', feeling good about themselves is rated by Europeans as being more important than other non-personal reasons in motivating them to clean their homes; Figure 17: Self reliant Europeans, who are managing their finances more closely, increasingly view credit as an unattractive means of maintaining their prerecession lifestyles; Figure 18: Protecting the environment has increased in importance to most consumers in the Americas; Figure 19: One's personal impact on the environment has also increased in importance in the Americas; Figure 20: Health continues to grow in importance to consumers in the Americas; Figure 21: Finance is seen as a personal responsibility by the majority of consumers in the Americas; Figure 22: Many consumers in North and South America have become more meticulous with their own finances as a consequence of the credit crunch; Figure 23: Only a minority of consumers are using credit to maintain their lifestyle in the Americas; Figure 24: Motivations for cleaning the home are more strongly related to personal, self-fulfilling factors for consumers in both the US and Brazil; Figure 25: Asia Pacific consumers have become more concerned about their own health than the wellbeing of the environment around them; Figure 26: In Asia Pacific, achieving a personal feeling of satisfaction plays a large part in consumers' motivation to clean their homes; Figure 27: Following the financial crisis, majorities across Asia are paying closer attention to their finances; Figure 28: Asia Pacific consumers strongly feel that financial management is an individual responsibility; Figure 29: The impact of the credit crunch has made Asia Pacific consumers more reluctant to rely on credit in order to fund their lifestyles; Figure 30: UAE consumers have become more environmentally and health focused than Saudi consumers in the past two years; Figure 31: Gulf consumers are managing their finances more closely in the wake of the economic downturn; Figure 32: MENA consumers are more likely than other regions to rely on credit to maintain their lifestyle; Figure 33: The growth of single person households is expected to decrease slightly in Europe in the lead up to 2014 as people look for the most cost-effective forms of dwelling; Figure 34: A variety of foods have been launched that target the single person household; Figure 35: Growth in the proportion of single person households in the US and Brazil has occurred in the last five years, but will slow going forwards; Figure 36: Growth in the percentage of single person households is most apparent in China and Korea; Figure 37: Only a small percentage of households in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are single person households; Figure 38: Personal branding is a concept that has gathered momentum in the last 10 years; Figure 39: Personal branding guides reflect an ongoing cultural shift towards maximizing individual capabilities, particularly for achieving occupational success; Figure 40: Being seen with the right brand is less important to European consumers than the belief that beauty products can aid self confidence or look professional at work; Figure 41: For many Europeans, looking one's best is an important aspect of everyday life; Figure 42: French consumers regard how other people perceive their home to be a more significant motivator for cleaning their homes than elsewhere in Europe; Figure 43: Mixed attitudes to conspicuous consumption-as reflected by the importance attached to brand image-exist among consumers in the Americas; Figure 44: Personal care products have a significant positive impact on consumers in the Americas in a way that suggests that consumers use them to define their 'personal brand'; Figure 45: Brazilians are particularly conscious that physically attractive people have more opportunities in life, which perhaps explains the broader value that individuals attach to upholding appearances; Figure 46: More than a third of consumers in the Americas are highly influenced by what others think in driving their home cleaning habits; Figure 47: Koreans and Indians are extremely brand conscious, whereas Australians are less so; Figure 48: Asia Pacific consumers are more likely to engage in beauty routines in order to boost their own self-esteem than to look professional at work; Figure 49: In a mentality that conforms to the ideology of 'self branding', Asia Pacific consumers believe that physical attractiveness will ultimately be advantageous to in making progress in life; Figure 50: When it comes to cleaning the home, consumers in Asia Pacific are generally equally motivated by self-interest and the interests of others; Figure 51: Gulf consumers are more concerned about looking their best than the average consumer globally and also associated appearances with opportunities in life; Figure 52: From building confidence to the art of 'picking up', there are a growing array of self-help books tapping into the mentality to self-improve; Figure 53: There are around 19 million people in tertiary education in the EU; Figure 54: Many Europeans are not satisfied with their professional success, but place high value on this aspect of life in creating a feeling of wellbeing/wellness; Figure 55: Seeking new experiences and challenges in life has become more important to Europeans and is indicative of 'pushing the boundaries' and not getting stuck in the comfort zone; Figure 56: Consumers in the Americas value occupational success in their lives, but are seeking to improve their satisfaction with this aspect of their lives; Figure 57: New challenges and experiences are important to many consumers in the Americas; Figure 58: Enrolment into tertiary education is comparably high in Korea and Australia; Figure 59: Asia Pacific consumers strive for occupational success but believe that they are underachieving or undervalued in the workplace; Figure 60: Consumers in Asia Pacific, especially in India, China and South Korea, are more concerned about seeking new challenges now than they were two years ago; Figure 61: Enrolment rates in UAE and Saudi Arabia are around a quarter; Figure 62: Gulf consumers are generally satisfied with their careers at the present moment in time; Figure 63: Seeking new challenges and experiences in life has become significantly more important to consumers in UAE and Saudi Arabia; Figure 64: A consumers' self concept is multidimensional and is heavily influenced by cultural differences; Figure 65: Russian consumers are particularly taken to brands which match their outlook on life; Figure 66: Self-congruent brands interest some consumers in the Americas; Figure 67: Asia Pacific consumers firmly believe that brands reflect personal attitudes, and strive to define themselves through consumption; Figure 68: Chinese and Indian consumers are becoming increasingly accustomed to purchasing brands as a means of self-expression; Figure 69: Four key personal benefits as well as the additional ease of customizing have driven the trend toward more personalized consumer packaged goods; Figure 70: Many Europeans place high importance on products that suit their specific needs; Figure 71: Specific nutrition formulations are seen as appealing by many Europeans and many are opting for more personalized benefits with greater regularity; Figure 72: Customization is of less important to Europeans than other attributes/features when it comes to making day-to-day food choices; Figure 73: Customized beauty products are more appealing to Europeans than food and drink products; Figure 74: Europeans value customizable skincare products more than any other personal care product type; Figure 75: Personalization is important to the vast majority of US and Brazilian consumers; Figure 76: Personalization in food and beverages is of some interest to consumers in both North and South America; Figure 77: Customization benefits influence consumption of personal care products for some consumers in the Americas; Figure 78: Customization benefits are often a mid-ranging factor in consumers' personal care choices in the Americas; Figure 79: Asia Pacific consumers believe it is important that products are suitable for their individual requirements; Figure 80: In Asia Pacific, customization is not as important a factor to consumers in food and beverage choice as others; Figure 81: Customization is more important to Asians in personal care products than foods and beverages; Figure 82: Customization is deemed most important in cosmetics but least important in fragrances; Figure 83: Customization is important to MENA consumers for all types of personal care/beauty products; Figure 84: Consumers' media orientations are changing, with participative and engaging social media becoming more important; Figure 85: Manufacturers are giving consumers the ability to customize and express themselves through branded products via packaging and basic aesthetic modifications; Figure 86: Competitions both global and locally based have been launched in the UK to capitalize on consumer enthusiasm for customer made creations; Figure 87: Companies in the Americas have successfully integrated elements of individualism into their product offerings; Figure 88: Asia Pacific: consumers can now become more involved in the creative side of businesses; Figure 89: There are differences between consumer values and attitudes

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