As the full force of the economic downturn has hit countries around the world, consumer confidence has taken a dive as people worry job stability and paying their bills.  And while China has not been immune from the recession, Chinese consumers seem to be enduring the challenges better than most, according to new research from Nielsen.
To be fair, consumer confidence dropped 7 points in the March 2009 Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index from September 2008.  But that drop is relatively small compared to most other countries, and China ranks tenth overall.  …

he financial crisis around the world has led to a sharp drop in consumer confidence and dramatic changes in consumer attitudes and behavior. But the Chinese are holding up remarkably well. How is their reaction to world events impacting confidence in their economy?

Despite recent optimism about a turnaround in the global economy, consumer activity in the United States and China showed significant declines during the month of March. The change was led by a continued decrease in shopping trips and consumer transactions, according to the Nielsen Economic Current scorecard. The U.S. decline may be partially attributed to the Easter holiday occurring in March last year, while it took place in April this year. Similarly, the drop in China may have been affected by the Chinese New Year (a high sales peak), which …

2008 was a year of highs and lows for China – the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing were a monumental achievement while the Sichuan earthquake in May was tragedy.   The economy recorded 9 percent growth – the first year of single-digit growth since 2003 and below the average rate of 9.8 percent in the past 30 years.  Contrary to experiences in other countries, metrics actually rose in the last quarter of 2008: industrial output, private consumption, retail sales and bank lending all increased.  For the whole year, ad spending posted …

The economic decline has affected most parts of the world, but some have been hit harder than others.  One region that seems to be holding its own is Asia Pacific (APAC).  Although consumer confidence in APAC has declined in recent months, those declines have generally not been as steep as in Europe or North America.  Eight of the twelve markets for which Nielsen tracks ad spending posted growth in 2008 over 2007.  That said, most of the markets were registering declines by the fourth quarter.
Main media, defined by Nielsen as …

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 …

Global consumer confidence has reached an all-time low, according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index [download]. Thrifty habits being formed during the downturn will carry over into the recovery.
In the past six months, the index has plummeted to a record low 77 points from 84 points. The catalyst: Latin America, Russia and other emerging nations are now feeling the full effects of a recession that began in the United States, officially, in December.
Though consumer anxieties about the economy take many forms, the most widespread fear centers on job loss. …

Nearly 60 percent of Chinese high income consumers are frustrated with the lengthy queues they face when they visit their local bank, according to the latest Nielsen China Personal Finance Monitor.  When deciding which bank to use, Chinese want “easy-to-access banking services,” while strong customer service ranked second.
“Banks appear to be neglecting the most important fundamental – that of customer experience,” said Alvin Huen, Director, Client Solutions at The Nielsen Company China.  “Despite many organizations trying to manage the problem of long queues, it’s still the number one problem affecting …

Despite hosting the Beijing Olympics, ad spending in China grew 17 percent in 2008, up from the 15 percent growth in 2007, but below the 23 percent growth posted in 2006, according to Nielsen. The total ad spend was 520.3 billion Yuan, or US$74.3 billion.
“The Olympics didn’t deliver the advertising boon everyone expected, as the bulk of China’s advertisers took an ad break during August, resulting in a monthly ad spend figure close to 2007 levels, and not much higher than in May, when the Sichuan earthquake hit and advertising …

Two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time, according to a new Nielsen report “Global Faces and Networked Places.” If data captured from December 2007 through December 2008 is any indication, that percentage is likely to grow as time spent on social network and blogging sites is growing more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth.
“Social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience,” commented John Burbank, CEO of Nielsen Online. “While two-thirds …