The consumer has already changed. Companies are still chasing yesterday’s consumer.

Article by: Lucrezia Scopelliti, COO of Eccellenze d'Impresa.

Price, health, new family models, trust and Artificial Intelligence are changing not only what we buy, but the very way we choose.

Companies have never known so much about their consumers: they know what they buy, what they search for, how much they spend and which products they compare. Yet they risk becoming increasingly knowledgeable about what consumers did yesterday and increasingly less able to understand what they will do tomorrow. A recent study conducted on more than 13,000 consumers across 12 markets and complemented by an analysis of more than 1,000 brands identifies five transformations that are redefining behaviours, priorities and consumption choices: the shift from price to perceived value, the growing focus on longevity and wellbeing, the increase in people living alone, the evolution of trust mechanisms and the increasingly central role of Artificial Intelligence in decision-making processes. Taken together, these phenomena reveal something even more important: the architecture of choice is changing.

Price matters. But value decides

67% of consumers say they would not buy a product, even if they could afford it, if they did not perceive sufficient value in it. Consumers have therefore not become less price-sensitive; rather, they have become more demanding about what they receive in return. Quality, functionality, convenience, trust and service increasingly contribute to the perception of value. For companies, the question changes: not only “how much can we charge for this product?”, but “why is this product worth its price?”

Health and wellbeing become new consumption criteria

Almost three out of four consumers identify health and wellbeing as the main indicator of a prosperous life, ahead of career and financial wealth. Proteins, fibre, healthy ageing, functional foods and the spread of GLP-1 should therefore not be viewed only as independent trends, but as signs of a deeper change: consumers are assigning new value to what they eat and drink. For decades, consumption has told the story of who we wanted to be; from now on, increasingly, it will also tell the story of how we want to live.

Families are changing. Products need to change too

In mature markets, around one household in three consists of a single person and, in some European countries including Italy, the share approaches 40%. This has a direct impact on demand. Packaging, portions, promotions, convenience and consumption occasions are still often designed around the traditional family. A buy two, get one free offer may represent value for a family and waste for someone living alone. When the family unit changes, the unit of consumption must change as well.

In the information age, the scarce resource is trust

43% of consumers say they feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available. The problem is no longer finding information, but understanding which information to trust. And just as this complexity is increasing, a new player is entering the decision-making process: Artificial Intelligence. 31% of consumers already use AI at least occasionally during the purchasing journey; 19% rely on it regularly and, among them, 70% purchase products recommended by AI. This is probably the most interesting change for companies. AI is not necessarily replacing consumer decision-making, but it is beginning to influence which alternatives appear in front of consumers before the choice itself even takes place. For years, companies have asked themselves one question: “How do we win the consumer’s choice?” Today another question is being added, one that is set to become just as important: “How do we become one of the options that Artificial Intelligence suggests when it helps consumers choose?”

The real challenge for companies

Consumers have not simply become more digital, more health-conscious or more value-sensitive; the system through which they decide what deserves their time, trust and money is changing. The real challenge for companies, therefore, is not to predict the next trend, but to understand whether their products, positioning and growth models are still built around yesterday’s consumer. Because the next competitive battle could begin long before the purchase: at the moment when a person, or an Artificial Intelligence assisting them, decides which products are even worth considering.

SOURCE:

Aparna Bharadwaj, Lauren Taylor, Gaby Barrios, Kanika Sanghi, Andreas Malby, Christine Barton, Yotam Ariav, Jeff Gell and Tony Portera, Global Consumers Have Moved On. Has Your Growth Strategy Caught Up?, 2026