Consumer Spending news and trends

Primark Owner Forecasts Uptick in Lower-Income Consumer Confidence

November 05, 2024
Target Plans Holiday-Themed Upgrades In Store and Online
Retail // November 05, 2024

Target is getting a holiday makeover as retailers prepare for a potentially tepid shopping season. The retailer announced recently that it would be turning its physical and digital retail presence into a “fantastical destination” for the holidays, outfitting stores with things like peppermint swirl decor — in Target’s...

Retailers Cut Christmas-Themed Item Orders Ahead of Lukewarm Holiday
Retail // November 05, 2024

As the holiday shopping season begins, expect to see fewer Christmas-themed items in stores. Retailers such as Walmart are ordering fewer Christmas trees, toys and decorations this year, in anticipation of a lukewarm shopping season, Reuters reported Tuesday (Nov. 5). According to the report, Walmart — the largest retailer...

Will Slight Improvement in Overall Jobs Outlook Boost Confidence to Keep Spending?
Economy // November 04, 2024

On its surface, last week’s job report was anemic at best and confounding at worst. And where there’s a cloudy picture on job prospects, the outlook for spending — and by extension, spending — remains muddied a bit, too. But, connect the dots a bit, and...

NY Times Sees Digital Subscriptions Slow as Consumers Cut Spending
Subscriptions // November 04, 2024

The New York Times has reportedly seen digital subscriptions slow amid weakened consumer spending. The media company added 260,000 digital-only subscribers during its third quarter, down from 300,000 in the prior quarter, Reuters reported Monday (Nov. 4). Analysts expected the publication to add 280,200 subscribers....

Interviews & Exclusives
Trending: Consumer Spending Drives Q3 GDP Despite Disposable Income Pressure

October 30, 2024
It’s a truism that as the U.S. consumer goes, so goes the economy. And consumers are still opening their wallets and purses, tapping to pay, clicking to pay, swiping their cards; by extension, gross domestic product continues its upward trajectory, though at a pace slowing from previous readings. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis […]

Data: 88% of Consumers Still Prefer In-Person Grocery Shopping

October 25, 2024
As consumer habits change, payment preferences are becoming segmented based on shopping channels. A PYMNTS Intelligence Report, How People Pay: Debit Leads in Stores, Credit Leads Online, reveals a distinct...

Fed’s Beige Book Finds Mixed Consumer Spending Amid ‘Elevated Uncertainty’

October 24, 2024
The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book — released eight times a year, with the latest report debuting Wednesday (Oct. 23) afternoon — offers up a qualitative take on the state of...

PYMNTS’ Data-Driven Journey Through Payments Innovation

October 19, 2024
Oct. 20, 2009. The United States was starting to see daylight out of the darkness of the worst financial crisis since the great depression. The Wall Street Journal reported that...

Quick Reads
Primark Owner Forecasts Uptick in Lower-Income Consumer Confidence

November 05, 2024
The head of Associated British Foods has predicted rising confidence among lower-income consumers. As the Financial Times (FT) reported Tuesday (Nov. 5), George Weston made this forecast in light of the Labour government’s budget, while also predicting that his company would be set back by “several tens of millions” due to some of the changes. […]

Target Plans Holiday-Themed Upgrades In Store and Online

November 05, 2024
Target is getting a holiday makeover as retailers prepare for a potentially tepid shopping season. The retailer announced recently that it would be turning its physical and digital retail presence into a “fantastical...

Retailers Cut Christmas-Themed Item Orders Ahead of Lukewarm Holiday

November 05, 2024
As the holiday shopping season begins, expect to see fewer Christmas-themed items in stores. Retailers such as Walmart are ordering fewer Christmas trees, toys and decorations this year, in anticipation of a...

NY Times Sees Digital Subscriptions Slow as Consumers Cut Spending

November 04, 2024
The New York Times has reportedly seen digital subscriptions slow amid weakened consumer spending. The media company added 260,000 digital-only subscribers during its third quarter, down from 300,000 in the...