New York, NY, Feb. 21, 2019 — Around the world, consumers are displaying a strengthening sense of optimism about their financial wellbeing, particularly in developing markets throughout Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America, according to a new study by global measurement company, Nielsen.
Nielsen’s Changing Consumer Prosperity study, which tracks consumers’ sentiment toward their financial position and willingness to spend, found that 58% of consumers globally believe they are financially better off than they were five years ago. Asia Pacific consumers are the most positive about their financial situation, with 70% feeling more optimistic than five years ago, followed by Africa and the Middle East (52%) and Latin America (49%). Consumers in developed markets are less optimistic. Fewer than half of consumers in North America (46%) believe their financial standing has improved over the past five years, and just over one third of consumers in Europe (37%) feel financially better off than they did five years ago.
Asia Pacific constitutes seven of the top 10 markets with the most positive financial sentiment, with Colombia, Romania and Pakistan rounding out the top 10. Markets in Central and Eastern European such as Hungary (up +21% vs 2016) recorded the biggest improvement in positive consumer sentiment followed by Poland, Bulgaria and Slovenia (up +14% vs 2016).
This Nielsen report reveals that globally 44% of consumers are spending more on groceries over the last five years. Africa and Middle East is leading with half (50%) of consumers spending more on groceries, followed by Latin America (47%), Asia Pacific (46%), Europe (39%,) and North America (33%). Other categories that are attracting increased consumer spending globally are tech communication, education, travel, and health care.
Despite the strengthening in consumers’ sentiment around their finances, many are feeling the pressure of rising living costs. Globally, only 15% of consumers feel they are able to spend freely, while around one third (31%) say they are only able to cover their basic living costs.
‘It’s interesting to note that while many consumers are feeling more financially stable than they did in the past, this isn’t necessarily translating to willingness or confidence to spend freely,’ observes Pedro Manosalva, Retailer Services, Nielsen. ‘Global market volatility and consumers’ perceived circumstances could be playing a role in their cautious approach to managing their finances and spending across categories. The retail landscape is undergoing a shift in many markets as consumers are adapting their spends on the basis of personal priorities and price points.’
For additional insights, download the Changing Consumer Prosperity report.
About the Nielsen Changing Consumer Prosperity
The Nielsen Changing Consumer Prosperity report presents consumers’ sentiment towards their financial situations, their purchasing behaviour, and impact on spending over time. It reveals consumer spending dynamics by regions covering 64 markets, including the top categories consumers are spending more on, along with top categories where consumers are willing to pay a premium. The insights will assist retailers and manufacturers in understanding consumer attitude in future spending and positioning products based on the opportunities that lie in premium and value segments in FMCG.
About Nielsen survey
The Global Survey is an Internet survey that takes about 30 minutes to complete. The sample is sourced from external sample providers. The sample includes Internet users who agreed to participate in this survey and has quotas based on age and sex for each country. It is weighted to be representative of Internet consumers by country. These quotas are reviewed at a country level by Data Science. This Nielsen survey is based on the behavior of respondents with online access only. Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum reporting standard of 60% Internet penetration or 10 million online population for survey inclusion.
About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Nielsen is divided into two business units. Nielsen Global Media, the arbiter of truth for media markets, provides media and advertising industries with unbiased and reliable metrics that create a shared understanding of the industry required for markets to function. Nielsen Global Connect provides consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers with accurate, actionable information and insights and a complete picture of the complex and changing marketplace that companies need to innovate and grow.
Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data sources to help clients around the world understand what’s happening now, what’s happening next, and how to best act on this knowledge.
An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
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