Canada continues to show a steady increase in consumer confidence, with its index rising to 94, up four points since July and 10 points since April.

Consumers around the world have cut back on a range of discretionary purchases to conserve cash.  One area where some Canadians have reduced spending is non-prescription medications, with a quarter of those surveyed changing their buying habits in this category, according to a recent report from The Nielsen Company.  Steps Canadians are taking include using over-the-counter (OTC) meds less frequently (26%), using less than the recommended dosage (13%), buying smaller quantities (10%) or cutting them out altogether (4%). 
As a whole, Canadians are more likely to wait out minor illnesses and …

The notion that the global economy may be on the verge of recovery has not yet translated into improved consumer spending or confidence, although consumers in the emerging countries – Brazil, India and China – seem to be more optimistic than others and are loosening their purse strings ever so slightly, according to the new edition of the Nielsen Economic Current.  Of the 12 countries Nielsen now tracks, all but Taiwan (which declined) showed no significant change in measures of spending.  Canadian, Western European and American spending was, at best, …

Canadians are feeling better about the state of the economy, and are some of the most optimistic globally, according to Nielsen’s Global Consumer Confidence Survey.  Confidence in Canada rose 6 points – above the global average and well above confidence levels in the U.S. (where confidence continues to be flat).  This renewed feeling of confidence seems well placed in light of a recent report from the Bank of Canada, released after Nielsen’s survey, which declared that the recession has ended in the country. 
“After nearly two years of downward trending, we …

Consumers in 10 of the world’s top economies continued to be wary of spending their money in May, according to the latest edition of the Nielsen Economic Current, which provides a snapshot of global consumer and retail trends across 10 countries which represent nearly 65 percent of global GDP.  Tracking key performance indicators, Brazil and the U.K. led the pack with solid improvements in their scores, while the U.S. and Canada showed declines.  The rest of the countries tracked (China, France, Germany, India, Italy and Spain) showed no movement 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.

Global declines in consumer activity appear to be moderating or hitting bottom, according to the new edition of the Nielsen Economic Current, which is based on the company’s key consumer trend data as well economic data to create a concise indicator of consumer behavior.  Out of the 11 major GDP countries, only Germany showed an increase in consumer behavior in February.
“Consumers worldwide appear to be in a holding pattern and we see evidence that consumer spending might be positioned to turn around,” said James Russo, Vice President Global Consumer Insights …

The Canadian economy showed signs of improvement in January, while the economies of Germany, Italy and Spain showed signs of weakening economies, according to the latest edition of Nielsen’s Economic Current, which consolidates key consumer data from the company’s global research resources.  The U.S. economy continued to be weak, but showed no signs of worsening.
Other key findings from the survey include:

U.S. consumers reversed a six month trend of declining number of shopping trips and spending per trip.
Consumers in the U.S. and Canada spent more per trip across fast moving consumer …

Advertising in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America grew by 1.5%, year-over-year, in the second quarter of 2008, Nielsen reported Wednesday.
Strong advertising growth in the Asia-Pacific region (+7.6% over Q2 2007) drove the increase, according to data released in Nielsen’s latest Global AdView Pulse report.
Ad spending trends worldwide showed significant variations — with overall advertising declines recorded in North America (-1%) and Europe (-3%).