• by Ray Schultz , February 10, 2022

Only 16.2% of consumers think life has returned to normal. But 21% feel it will never get there, and 38.7% say it will take more than a year, according to State of the Consumer 2022, a study by Resonate.  

The study, released Thursday, places shoppers into one of three buckets: 

The Overwhelmed Consumer  — These folks are managing both careers and children and are overwhelmed by the daily grind. They tend to be in the 35-44 age category (39% and the 25-34 cohort (30%). Another 22% are ages 45-54. 

They are eager to renovate their homes, but they demand convenience. 

Perhaps because of the pressures they are facing, they also like to drink — they’re 158% more likely than average to be planning to buy a bar cabinet, 45% more inclined to buy alcohol online and 57% more prone to drinking more during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In addition, 44% are more certain to buy online but return in-store. And, 22% will download a retail app and 14% will follow a brand on social media.  

The Influenced Consumer — Influenced consumers are 59% more likely to consider social media influencers. But 34% have discretionary income under $20,000 and are highly price-conscious. 

These consumers skew both younger and older — 14% are ages 18-24, 20% 25-34, 20% 35-44, 19% 45-54, 15% 55-64 and 12% age 65+.

Here are two other tidbits: Their interest in travel increased during the pandemic, and they are 13% more likely to shop at Sephora.  

The Activist Consumer — As might be expected, these shoppers are 151% more likely to patronize retailers that are woman- or minority-owned. 

In general, these consumers are care less about whether purchases are cost-effective or easy to use, and more interested in energy efficiency and sustainability. 

They are 105% more likely to purchase from brands that support Black Lives Matter and 164% more likely to stand with companies that reduce energy use.

Their demographics? The study reports that 18% are age 18-24, 22% 25-34, 21% 35-44, 22% 45-54, 10% 55-64 and 8% 65+. 

The study concludes that Overwhelmed and Activist consumers are less likely to be brand-curious in 2022, and Influenced consumers are more so. 

The findings are mined from Resonate’s Ignite platform, scaling 230 million+ profiles across almost 1 billion devices.