According to the third quarter Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index consumers find a full economic recovery in 2010 to be highly unlikely. After an upbeat start to the year with two consecutive quarters of increased optimism, global consumer confidence fell three points in September to an Index of 90.

According to the results of the first quantitative mobile consumer study by Adobe Systems, when it comes to the mobile user experience, respondents generally favor mobile browser experiences over downloadable mobile app experiences across all four key consumer categories: consumer products & shopping, financial services, media & entertainment, and travel. Within the consumer products & shopping as well as the media & entertainment categories, 66% of respondents cited that they prefer the mobile Web for accessing content compared to 34% who cited a preference for downloadable apps. 38% of respondents said they had not purchased anything in the consumer …

According to a compilation and analysis of current studies, Mintel predicts nine key consumer trends for the year ahead, examining how long term behavior has been impacted and created a new way of life. In 2011, consumers are living for the long term with attitudes inspired by a changed value set, says the report, written by Alexandra Smith and Richard Cope. Alexandra Smith, global trends analyst at Mintel, said "...consumer trends for 2011 are a legacy created by economics... and are set to influence the global consumer mindset for a long time to come."

According to results of Shop.org's eHoliday Study conducted by BIGresearch, 84.8% of online retailers will offer free shipping at some point during the holiday season, and 31.4% said these offers will begin earlier this year than a year ago. Shoppers may even see more free shipping deals this year, as 36.7% of retailers said their budget for free shipping is higher than last holiday season.

According to a new study of 2,000 women, Harbinger, with Ipsos, found that traditional web sites (70%) have now surpassed traditional forms of word-of-mouth (58%) as their preferred method for getting the word about products and services. When it comes to sharing information or opinions, women are still nearly three times more likely to do so with family and friends than to go online.

In a sequel to Edison Research's survey from 2000, "Radio's Future: Today's 12 to 24 year-olds," the company conducted 1533 interviews nationwide with 875 interviews age 12-24 and 888 interviews age 22-34. In addition, an online survey is included of respondents ages 12 to 34 using the "KnowledgePanel" from Knowledge Networks. The interviews were conducted in September, 2010, matched to national age and sex demographics

Social couponing, in which online coupon offers go active once a minimum number of registered users sign on to them, has become a hot new promotional platform, at least for Groupon and Living Social. But new research finds that about a third of the merchants extending those discounts may find them a very mixed blessing. According to study of 150 businesses by Rice University's Jones School of Business, of a coupon promotion by Groupon, those coupon campaigns were unprofitable for 32% of the businesses that ran them. And more than 40% of the response group said they would not …

According to a new survey by Citrix Online, conducted by Forrester Consulting, Gen X workers, not those in the younger Gen Y generation, make up the majority of those who use social networking for business, followed closely by Boomers aged 55 and older. It also shows a highly-dispersed workforce still favoring meetings, but increasingly using tools such as social networking and video chat to communicate and collaborate.

A new study by Clear Channel Outdoor with MarketShare Partners explores the use and effectiveness of OOH advertising, evaluates the financial contribution of OOH as part of a balanced marketing mix, and discuss how marketers can make more informed decisions regarding their marketing budget allocation. Though this Research Brief cannot capture the extensive analysis devoted to the incremental benefits depicted of combined OOH with other traditional advertising categories, it can at leas alert our readers to the availability of a comprehensive whitepaper exploring the opportunities.

According to SAY Media, with comScore and TRU, consumers who've shifted the majority of their video viewing to non-live video content make up a significant portion of the adult, online population in the United States. This Off-the-Grid group represents nearly one third of the adult, online population in the United States -nearly 56 million people and growing, says the report.