Matt O’Grady, President, Nielsen Claritas
In a down economy, price sensitivity can trump loyalty as customers are forced to reduce their spending. Nationwide surveys have reported a decline in corporate allegiance as consumers shift their concerns from patronage to price. When the Nielsen Convergence Audit surveyed 38,000 Americans about their technology purchases, 24 percent said they had switched their cell phone, cable TV and Internet service providers in the last six months of 2008. To strengthen the bonds with their best customers and retain wallet share, a number of innovative companies …

Consumers around the world are changing the way they spend their money given the difficult and uncertain economic conditions.  In Singapore, one way people are adjusting is by eating at home more frequently, according to new research from Nielsen.  The result: the average Singapore home is spending more on fresh food, groceries and household items than in recent years, creating opportunities for retailers and manufacturers who know how to effectively leverage this new behavior.
The average household has increased overall spending in these categories by 14 percent, with fresh food spend …

The Nielsen Company reported today that U.S. advertising for the first quarter 2009 was down 12% compared to the first quarter 2008. Preliminary figures show that U.S. ad expenditures declined $3.8 billion to a total spend of $27.9 billion in the first quarter.
All measured media showed negative growth in this difficult economy, ranging from Spanish-Language Cable TV (-1.1%) to Local Sunday Supplements (-37.7%).

“These first quarter results will hardly come as a surprise to an advertising industry that’s struggling just like many other areas of the American economy,” said Annie Touliatos, …

The shopping mall has been a destination for American teens for decades.  It has become “Main Street” in many communities, and is a convenient place for teens to meet friends and hang out.  According to a new report from Scarborough Research, teen mall shoppers are still spending significant time and money at the mall: 68 percent spend two or more hours at the mall ont heir typical visit, and more than a quarter spend upwards of three hours.  More than half of teens (56%) spent $50 or more on their …

First signs of how consumers will behave post recession.
Restraint will be the new mantra among consumers, according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t start spending again in the near future.
Respondents to the poll conducted in April, across 50 countries making up 86 percent of the GDP, said they would continue to focus on fiscal responsibility. Yet, “they will allow themselves some of those little indulgences,” said James Russo, vice president, Global Consumer Insights. “Perhaps pent up demand will play itself out and they’ll …

Nearly half of consumers around the world will change their usage of non-prescription medicines because of the recession. Consumers are making less frequent purchases, using more natural and traditional remedies and buying cheaper products.

Between proliferating media options and shrinking marketing budgets, it’s mission-critical to pinpoint high-potential customer segments. Predictive analytics hold the key to identifying and unlocking consumer value.

Tom Pirovano, Director, Industry Insights
There’s been some buzz in the news recently about Toys “R” Us acquiring FAO Schwartz. I’m confused by some of the perceived pessimism regarding toy retailers struggling to keep pace with mass merchandisers. From my “food guy” perspective, Toys “R” Us and FAO Schwartz have some very strong brand equity that has the potential to be leveraged in several creative ways. Here are a few opportunities I’d love to see Toys “R” Us pursue if they haven’t already been tested or discussed.

First, change the focus from …

Canadians love to dine outside of the home, and when they do, their favorite cuisine is “Canadian.”  Whether that means going to Tim Horton’s or enjoying a plate of poutine is unknown, but according to a recent Nielsen survey, 26 percent say that they favor their own national cuisine.  The second favorite cuisine was Italian followed by Chinese.
Just over one-third of Canadians eat out at least once a week, and 2 percent say they eat out every day.  While 57 percent of Canadians say dinner is the most popular out-of-home …

In the first report of its kind, Nielsen Online has released findings on mobile Internet adoption in Canada, showing that 21 percent of Canadian mobile subscribers use their cell phones to browse the Internet. This is up from Q4 2008 with the top sites including portals, e-mail, weather, news & current events and search. Overall, Mobile internet penetration increased from 16 percent in Q4 2008 to 21.3 percent in Q1 2009.

More highlights from Nielsen Online’s Q1 2009 Canadian Mobile Internet Report can be found in the complete media release.