In these tumultuous economic times, curtailed consumer spending and shrinking retail growth has become the new norm. 
Writing in the November issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter, Todd Hale, Senior Vice President, Consumer & Shopper Insights, Nielsen, highlights one notable exception to this trend: at-home gourmands, who not only shop more frequently than the average household, but also spend more at club, grocery, drug, and dollar stores.

According to Nielsen, trips to U.S. retail outlets decreased by 1.4% in the third quarter of 2008, compared with Q3 2007. 
Declines were especially steep during the last four weeks of the quarter, which saw the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the near-collapse of Merrill Lynch, and the government bailout of AIG.
Traditional mass retailers (excluding supercenters), department stores, and office supply stores saw the most dramatic declines in the number of shopping trips last quarter vs. a year ago.  Trips to mass retailers dropped by 9.1%, trips to department stores were down …

The global economic crisis reached a boiling point in October, but Americans are staying calm and cool, according to the results of a consumer sentiment study by Nielsen Claritas.
Of 3,000 people surveyed by Nielsen in early October, 84% reported being just as confident — or more so — in their primary financial institution as they were six months ago.  Ninety-five percent of those surveyed said they consider their financial assets at their primary bank to be relatively safe.
Although they remain confident in their personal banks, a significant percentage of the respondents said they had already …

Why do consumers buy the same baby diapers again and again, but switch between different brands of shampoo and toothpaste?
Such buying decisions can be influenced by a consumer’s mindset — or “shopping mode,” a new study released Thursday by Nielsen reports.
The study examined consumer shopping behavior across 22 home and personal care categories and found that shoppers’ mindsets vary according to the kinds of products they seek to purchase. 

Growth (by value) of food sales at British supermarkets slowed to 5.4% during the 12 weeks ending October 4, compared with the same period in 2007, Nielsen reported Tuesday.
Flagging sales in September, when growth dipped to 4.5% — a full percentage point below August growth levels, drove the declines.
“Shoppers are still trading down,” Mike Watkins, senior manager, retailer services, Nielsen noted.  “Family shoppers in particular, are trying to save money, with 70% saying on they are looking to economize on grocery shopping — up from 63% in June.” 

Tightened belts and shrinking household budgets are the new norm, and American consumers have adjusted their shopping strategies accordingly.
With the holiday shopping season about to begin, Nielsen offers U.S. retailers and marketers five key insights to aid in attracting and retaining the loyalty of increasingly value-conscious American consumers.

Good news for retailers with companion websites: multichannel consumers — those who shop both on- and offline – typically spend significantly more than those who shop only online or only offline, Nielsen PreView reported Monday. 
Shoppers who browsed for products both on- and offline at Wal-Mart, for example, spent 38% more than the store’s average customers.
The online/offline consumer connection goes even further, according to Nielsen. 

Nielsen is forecasting sales of more than $98 billion for the November-December 2008 holiday retail season.  But amid worsening economic conditions, U.S. consumers are likely to be more cautious than ever with their spending. 
A recent Nielsen survey of 21,000 U.S. households found that 35% plan to spend less this year than they did in 2007.  Just 6% will spend more this year, while 50% say they’ll maintain the same level of spending from 2007.
Lower-income households reported large reductions in their holiday spending — but so did high income households.  In all, 37% …

This year, U.S. consumers are expected to spend more than $98 billion during the November-December holiday retail season, Nielsen reported Thursday.
Nielsen’s holiday retail forecast predicts a 4.7% gain in dollar sales over 2007.  Unit sales, however, are expected to be virtually flat (-0.8%) versus a year ago.
The forecast includes projected sales at food stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers, and convenience stores, across 125 product categories tracked by Nielsen.
With the economy in turmoil, the 2008 holiday season will be closely watched for indications of declining consumer spending.  Declines in consumer spending were …

Although this year’s holiday season comes on the heels of exceptional economic turmoil, U.S. consumers are expected to spend $98 billion during November and December — a 4.7% gain in dollar sales over the 2007 holiday retail season, according to Nielsen.
NielsenWire recently spoke with the co-author of Nielsen’s holiday retail forecast, James Russo, Vice President of Food Sector Marketing, Nielsen.
NielsenWire: What is the forecast for 2008 holiday shopping season*?
James Russo:
All consumer, economic, and trade indications point to a flat-to-declining holiday selling season across the core consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories …