Consumer Behavior Trends in 2025
Consumer behavior has changed dramatically in the last five years—particularly due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 and because of economic uncertainty. Understanding these shifts in consumer behavior is paramount to engaging with your customers and meeting their needs.
Seemingly overnight, as the nationwide lockdowns went into effect, consumers’ lives dramatically changed, and businesses rose to the challenge to ensure their needs were met. During this time, we saw in uptick in grocery delivery, curbside pickups, and widespread use of other delivery services such as Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Instacart. Work life, for millions of Americans, also changed. Not only were people avoiding restaurants and brick-and-mortar stores, they were also working from home. All of these rapid changes have contributed to long-term effects on consumer behavior.
Following are three ways consumer behavior has changed since 2020 along with tips for how to engage with your customer base in a post-pandemic world.
Top Changes in Consumer Behavior
#1 People Are Spending More Time Solo
Lockdowns and COVID infection surges created an environment where people adapted to being alone most of the time—even during leisurely activities. As people became accustomed to a more solitary lifestyle, they developed a reliance on digital interaction for a sense of connectedness and adopted hobbies and fitness routines that worked well in solo situations.
While those who still work remotely have an extra three hours of leisure time per week on average, people are spending about 90% of their non-work time alone. Interestingly, food sales are not down in cafes but the volume of those who dine-in has still not rebounded from pre-pandemic levels.
#2 Trust in Social Media Hasn’t Increased
Although people rely on social media for interaction with people, news, weather reports, and for exploring new brands and products, consumer trust in social media is still low. This presents a paradox as most people trust brand and product recommendations from family and close friends but most of their interaction with trusted allies occurs online. While consumers look to social media with a distrusting eye, they still rely on digital messaging to research products and brands. This creates a window for brands to work on developing authentic and trustworthy messaging to increase consumer trust.
#3 Consumers Prefer Local Spending
Consumers across various demographics have been rejected big multinational brands for smaller, regional providers of goods and services. Choosing local over global has been especially popular among consumers in the United States and Canada. This prioritization of local over multinational creates great opportunity from smaller and emerging brands. It also means that large, well-known outfits will need regionalize their products to win back appeal.
Tips for Reaching Consumers in a Post-Pandemic Climate
When consumer behavior changes, it’s imperative that brands and businesses respond in ways that increases engagement and builds trust. Following are helpful tips for navigating this new consumer landscape.
#1 Build Trust with Thoughtful Engagement
Building trust with consumers is more important now than ever before. While social media outreach is helpful, brands should approach messaging with a hybrid model that utilizes both digital and print. Sending direct mail to longtime customers is a great way to reach out. Direct mail is great for announcing new products, presenting testimonials, and offering incentives to purchase with coupon codes and BOGO deals.
# 2 Leverage Data & AI to Your Advantage
AI and data technology can make it easier to reach your ideal customer and predict their behavior. For example, predictive AI tools can help your business offer the right product at the right time to the right customer. Predictive capabilities with AI have boundless possibilities for increasing sales and boosting consumer engagement.
#3 Personalize Your Messaging
As more people spend time alone and receive most of their social interaction online, personalized messaging can make a bigger impact than before. Personalization increases engagement and establishes long lasting connections with customers. A great example of personalization is sending direct mail to a customer on their birthday with a small gift or discount.
Pel Hughes is a full-service printing company that serves businesses and organizations throughout the United States. We offer direct mail, campaign automation, database services, cross media marketing, and promotional apparel. Give our team a call at (504) 486-8646 to build your next campaign.
