Recession, Europe and T-Shirt Shoppers

Wednesday 26th of August 2009 01:10:52 AM

Recession, Europe and T-Shirt Shoppers

Ever wonder how different cultures handle shopping and especially during times of economic stress? Comparing different approaches to shopping gives clues into how people think and respond to marketing ideas and various shopping venues.

The company Ciao is a comparison shopping business that recently studied how European shoppers have responded to the recession. In other words, how has the recession impacted European shopping habits? Ciao recently published a new study that studied shopping differences among various country consumers that have developed as a result of the recession.

It is interesting to look at how people respond to different circumstances. Do they buy those polo shirts or not? Do they reduce their clothes budget and what do people buy when money is limited? How do they approach shopping differently during the recession? Ciao decided to find out some answers and this is what was discovered. People are spending more time doing online research and comparison shopping. This only makes sense when you consider tight budgets must be stretched further.

The Ciao General Manager is Stephan Musikant. He was quoted as telling FashionUnited.com, “We conducted our research across Europe to drill down on the different impact the credit crunch is having on different markets. The results highlighted some surprising differences in local responses. One point, however, is consistent: people still love to shop but they're working harder to get the best from their money”

As far as different responses by country, the United Kingdom buyers surveyed revealed one in five insist on doing extensive online research before buying. The number of Germans doing the same kind of research is 27 percent. French, Spanish and Italian shoppers also indicated time spent doing online research had risen.

The UK and Italian consumers expressed the strongest views concerning the impact of the economy on their personal lives.