Top consumer trends of 2023

How can you prepare your brand for the rocky year ahead? Using Attest data from 1,000 UK consumers, we’ve identified 10 key trends to know. Want even more insight?

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Trend 1: Brits want to be reassured

Brits want to be told everything’s going to be alright; we see an 11.4 point uplift in the number of consumers who want to hear reassuring messaging from brands compared with 2021.

Top tip: Reassuring messaging is popular across demographics – aim to make your brand feel like a safe and caring place.

45.0% of consumers want reassuring messaging from brands

Trend 2: Brands must “be political”

There’s a growing desire for brands to take a stand on political and social issues, especially poverty and inequality. Just over 45% of consumers want brands to act on this topic (up 11.4 points on last year).

Top tip: Playing it safe may no longer be an option for brands who really want to represent their consumers.

83.2% of consumers want brands to represent a cause

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Trend 3: VR marketing is an opportunity

Ownership of virtual reality headsets is growing; more than a quarter of UK households have one. Consumers aged 40 and under are the biggest adopters of VR: 32.2% have a headset and 79.4% have awareness of the metaverse.

Top tip: Advertising opportunities in virtual worlds include billboards that brands can use without knowledge of the metaverse.

Trend 4: Shopping frequency is up

Despite having less money to spend, consumers aren’t going to the shops any less frequently; we see a 6.2 point increase in people shopping “daily” and “weekly”, to 65.5% (a trend largely driven by shoppers over 40).

Top tip: Refresh retail offers and POS displays regularly to keep high frequency shoppers engaged.

Attest gives us the confidence to run market research that we know will reveal or compound actionable knowledge about our market.
Siamac Rezaiezadeh, Director of Product Marketing, GoCardless

Trend 5: Amazon loses market share

We can’t say if it’s as a result of campaigns to boycott Amazon or simply down to reduced consumer spending, but our data shows a net -5.9% of Brits plan to shop less on the marketplace in 2023 and the biggest cutbacks will be made by Gen X.

Top tip: Promote the benefits of shopping directly with your brand for shoppers who want a more ethical alternative to Amazon.

Trend 6: Fast fashion faces a reckoning

The environmental impact of fast fashion has been in the spotlight lately and it seems to have had an impact. A net -23.5% of consumers say they will buy fewer fast fashion items in 2023, with Gen X especially likely to make this commitment.

Top tip: Join clothing brands like PrettyLittleThing, Zara and Shein by introducing a resale platform to help reduce waste.

29.3% of Gen X will buy less fast fashion

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Trend 7: Streaming services chopped

Subscriptions are a casualty of the rising cost of living, with 62.3% of consumers cancelling one. Streaming services are especially vulnerable: 22.7% have axed a TV streaming service and 14.8% have cancelled a music streaming service.

Top tip: Introduce the ability to pause subscriptions rather than lose customers altogether.

62.3% of consumers have cancelled a subscription

Trend 8: Diets changing (for the worse)

More than 20% of consumers say the rising cost of food is having a “big” impact on their diets, while a further 39.8% say it’s having a “medium” impact. Nearly 36% are experiencing difficulty affording fresh quality foods.

Top tip: Reduce pack sizes to bring down the retail price and keep your customers.

35.3% of consumers can’t afford preferred F&B brands

Attest is a nimble and robust enough platform to gather insights for our domestic and international business, allowing us to measure, grow, and innovate.
Monica Aguilo, Senior Director – Consumer Insights, Strategy, & Social Impact

Trend 9: Second hand losing its stigma

Second hand shopping will be a big pastime in 2023, with 34.8% of consumers saying they’ll be hunting for charity shop bargains to combat the rising costs of inflation, and 43.9% selling their unwanted goods.

Top tip: Tap into the thrifty mindset with ideas to help consumers reuse and recycle goods.

43.9% of consumers are selling unwanted items

Trend 10: Rampant consumerism is out

Frugality is cool; 40.7% of consumers say they are buying fewer things and consuming less – that’s an 8.5 point increase on last year.

Top tip: While price is the primary motivator for 2023, quality should not be overlooked as consumers look to buy fewer things and keep them for longer.