U.S. consumers plan to spend more on everyday essentials over the next four weeks

A report from US research firm Deloitte shows that consumer anxiety is declining and discretionary spending is increasing.

Globally, consumers in China and India intend to spend 31% and 25% more on clothes and shoes, respectively , in the next four weeks, while U.S. consumers are expected to spend the same amount on clothing and footwear in the next month as they did in the previous four weeks , according to a recent Deloitte survey of at least 1,000 respondents in 18 countries .

Deloitte also found that U.S. consumers not only have no plans to buy clothing and footwear , but also electronics, home decor and travel items .

The survey results show that American consumers plan to spend more money on daily necessities , such as groceries (an increase of 25%) and utilities (an increase of 19%), as well as household goods , medicines and healthcare (all increased by 17%), and finally housing ( an increase of 15%) . Deloitte analysis shows that this may be due to consumers ' concerns about their personal finances.

As Anthony Waelter, vice chairman and U.S. consumer industry leader at Deloitte , said in a statement: " As vaccination becomes easier, the pressure of the pandemic is shifting from personal safety to financial security . "

A COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed people's lives. Even now that vaccines are gradually being rolled out and consumers are less anxious, Deloitte still believes that some shopping behaviors are unlikely to return to their pre-pandemic state soon . For example, many Americans still avoid gathering with strangers and prefer family-centered activities.

In the study, about half of respondents said they would complete more shopping online now compared to 2019. In April last year , American consumers listed " security " as the most important reason for using online ordering and offline pickup . In the latest survey, the company found that security dropped to fourth place, replaced by "cheaper and more convenient than delivery . "

Stephen Rogers, executive director of Deloitte's Consumer Industry Center for Insights , noted: "Consumers will not necessarily return to their previous habits. As consumers learn more and experience more, they will start traveling again and join large groups, but probably not to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, there are some more systematic shifts that will remain , such as working from home , cooking and live streaming , and shopping through online channels . "

American Consumers

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