Consumers call for vouchers not ads
British consumers want value for money and are turned off by flashy displays of wealth, according to new research.
Three quarters (75%) of British consumers think big, expensive TV ads are wasteful in the current climate, the survey carried out by media agency the7stars found.
Meanwhile, eight out of ten say (81%) say they are also more aware of sales promotions as a result of the recession.
Six out of ten say they are delaying spending until they can access vouchers and other promotions, and a sizeable chunk, 40%, say they have switched to doing more shopping online to take advantage of cheaper prices.
Meanwhile over a quarter of Brits (27%) say they are making an effort to avoid bad news to protect themselves from unnecessary doom and gloom during the downturn, the research carried out by Dipsticks International found.
The number of people concerned about future unemployment has risen from 38 to 45% in the last six months when a similar study was carried out.
Only 30% of consumers are optimistic that the downturn will end sooner rather than later. This rises to 42% among 16-24 year-olds, but only 20% of those in the 45-54 age bracket, who have actually lived through previous recessions, share the enthusiasm of their younger compatriots.
“A near-constant barrage of troubling news about the global and UK economy has led many people to simply switch off,” says Jenny Biggam, founding partner at the7stars. “There is clearly a growing inclination among consumers to stick their heads in the sand until things improve.”
