Madeline Miller
A lot has changed this year in regard to consumer behavior on the internet. With the anticipated arrival of artificial intelligence that we now can’t seem to escape, the way we shop has been impacted along with almost every other aspect of our lives. Let’s take a look back on 2024 as it comes to an end, how has consumer behavior evolved since the start of this year?
Consumer Behavior Trends in 2024
Needless to say, when we look back on previous years of consumer behavior, we notice a lot of differences in just the past year. Many consumers are growing more concerned about data privacy, while also expecting a more personalized shopping experience.
AI has become a bigger part of our shopping experiences as it can help to personalize product recommendations, optimize pricing, communicate with customers and help with demand forecasting. The main shift in consumer behavior seems to involve consumers being more intentional with when, how, and where they spend their money.
Economic concerns have created an atmosphere with which consumers have to choose products that fit in their budget. One noteworthy change in consumer behavior that we’ll focus on today is ethical brand support.
Ethical Brand Support
Consumers have come to expect a personalized shopping experience, with that they have also come to expect the liberty of choice. We want to have control over every aspect of our experience, even the values of the retailers we shop with. I’ve mainly noticed this with concerns for the environment, but political and social concerns also inform consumer behavior.
If a brand endorses a certain candidate running for president of the United States, that will undoubtedly have an impact on their demographic. Many consumers research brands before shopping with them to make an informed choice that reflects well on their individual values. Environmentally conscious shoppers assume responsibility for their individual impact on the environment and believe they have control over their impact based on where they spend their money.
Many consumers have a preference for sustainable brands that advertise the use of recycled or responsibly sourced materials or simply brands that appear to align with their values. These conscious consumers are usually willing to pay a lot more for those products as well.
Do We Really Have a Choice?
How can consumers tell the difference between truly ethical choices and marketing? Many brands have been accused of “greenwashing” which is when brands capitalize on consumer preferences and employ deceptive marketing tactics to lure consumers into believing their brand is environmentally conscious when it really isn’t.
It can be as simple as using a green font color in a logo or even as far as making outright false claims about the environmental benefits of a product. In 1986, environmentalist Jay Westerveld visited a hotel in Fiji that was promoting an environmentally conscious towel recycling program while the facility underwent an expansion that would be extremely disruptive to the environment.
He coined the term “greenwashing” as a response to the hotel’s efforts to distract their guests from the ecological damage they planned to do. Ever since the term was recognized, lots of well-known brands have been sued –or at least criticized- for similar issues. Though many brands are aware of the legal consequences of misleading claims about their products, many large brands are still receiving criticism for conveniently highlighting environmental achievements while neglecting to acknowledge areas where they certainly have room to improve.
This is just one example of how brands will market to conscious consumers without holding up their end of the bargain, so it’s imperative to be thorough if you want to choose where you shop wisely.
Conclusions Made
This post focused a lot on the element of consumer choice because there really is a lot to talk about. The takeaway I see is that in response to consumer demands changing, brands seek to capitalize off of what their shoppers want. If consumers want more control over their shopping experience, brands will have to start to evolve whether they want to or not.
I see this with cosmetic brands all of the time, customers will complain on social media about a product’s formula and the brand will actually listen and reformulate the products. Many brands are starting to advertise climate friendly programs including reselling options.
It’s a very different environment than it was just 10 years ago, now that consumers have so much access to the brands they shop with, the eCommerce space is destined to keep changing. It’s an exciting time for consumers and retailers alike as we both learn to navigate the search for the perfect shopping experience. What’s your ideal shopping experience?
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