Consumer Trends Report | Q3 2022

Quarterly Changes in Consumer Behavior

This quarterly study of 1,000 U.S. consumers explores spending and ecommerce trends, with key insight into the ways social media is influencing shopping habits and how rising inflation and recession talks are expected to impact the 2022 holiday shopping season.

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Key Insights

Three out of four U.S. consumers believe the country is in a recession or headed there, and a similar number have cut or steadied overall spending.

Nearly 30% of consumers have already started their holiday shopping, though 55% say rising inflation has altered their gifting and spending plans for 2022.

Consumers are increasingly comfortable buying products from social media. Among top platforms, TikTok has seen the most growth in potential shoppers.



Consumers Tighten Spending as Recession Signals Loom

Concerns about inflation and the corresponding impact on overall spending are at the highest levels seen this year, and an overwhelming majority of consumers (76%) believe the U.S. is either in a recession or headed for one. As experts quabble over the official call, most consumers are already experiencing economic uncertainty: 52% say their household income is unstable — up 36% from three months ago — and 73% have either reduced or maintained their overall spending levels.

Quarterly changes in overall spending

In Q3, consumers are buying less:

Cleaning Supplies 58%

OTC Medicine 57%

Beauty & Personal Care 52%

Vitamins & Dietary Supplements 51%

Home & Kitchen 47%

Top retailers where consumers are shopping in
Q3:

1. Amazon.com

2. Walmart (in store)

3. Walmart.com

4. Target.com

5. eBay.com

Consumers increasingly impacted by economic trends:

Download the full report for a complete view of what consumers are buying and where they’re shopping in Q3.

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Holiday Shopping Season Preview

More than half of consumers plan to change their holiday shopping plans this year in response to rising inflation – 90% have noticed higher product prices in their day-to-day spending – and an early pulse check suggests starting early may be a popular strategy. Just 5% of consumers expect to wait until December to begin their shopping while more than 70% said they’ll start before Thanksgiving.

Ways consumers plan to reduce holiday spending

54%

Spend less per person on gifts

47%

Buy discounted products

38%

Reduce the number of people they’re gifting to

Holiday shopping timelines


TikTok Made Me Buy It: Ecommerce and Social Media

Consumers are more comfortable than ever making purchases from social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The percentage of shoppers who are likely or somewhat likely to make a purchase from top social platforms increased across the board in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the second, with TikTok seeing the largest jump. In general, however, consumers are still more likely to search Amazon for a product after seeing it advertised on social media than to buy it directly from the platform.

Consumer willingness to buy from social media platforms

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In this report, you’ll find:

  • A pulse check on consumer spending: Where people are shopping and what they’re buying as uncertainty around the broader U.S. economy continues
  • Insights into how social media is changing consumer opinion and behavior, and how engagement shifts between generations of ecommerce shoppers
  • A look ahead to the holiday shopping season and consumer plans for gift-giving as rising inflation continues and a potential recession looms
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About the report

Methodology

Jungle Scout conducted an anonymous survey between August 5 and August 8, 2022, among 1,000 U.S. consumers about their buying preferences and behaviors. Respondents represented 48 U.S. states, all genders and ages 18 to 75+, as well as varying employment types and income levels.

Respondents were asked questions about their behaviors and spending for the second quarter (April, May and June) of 2022. Some of the analysis in the report compares responses from this survey to previous consumer trends surveys conducted by Jungle Scout, where data has been collected on a quarterly basis since June 2020.

Using the data

We invite you to explore Jungle Scout’s Q3 2022 Consumer Trends Report, and to share, reference, and publish the findings with attribution to “Jungle Scout” and a link to this page.

For more information, specific data requests or media assets, or to reach the report’s authors, please contact us at [email protected].

About Jungle Scout

Jungle Scout is the leading all-in-one platform for ecommerce sellers, supporting more than $40 billion in annual Amazon revenue. Founded in 2015 as the first Amazon product research tool, Jungle Scout today features a full suite of best-in-class business management solutions and powerful market intelligence resources to help entrepreneurs and brands manage their ecommerce businesses. Jungle Scout is headquartered in Austin and supports 10 global Amazon marketplaces.


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