September 2025: Consumer Horizon

What will you discover?

You’ll uncover the latest real-time insights shaping consumer decisions across food, retail, beauty, technology, and home.

Key insights you’ll find inside: 

📦 Sustainability awareness is high — but action lags behind.
Nine in ten UK shoppers think about packaging’s environmental impact, but only 14% let it influence their purchase decisions. Clear claims like “100% recyclable” matter more than technical ones.

🛒 Own-label goes premium.
One in three shoppers has grown more positive about supermarket own-label ranges in the past three years, with nearly half of women aged 18–24 saying they rate them as highly as branded goods.

🥤 Generational divides in soft drinks.
Older consumers still lean on tea and coffee, while those under 44 are driving the demand for bottled water, zero-sugar sodas and functional drinks. Trust issues with water companies are pushing younger people towards bottled water over tap.

🍸 Moderation shapes alcohol choices.
Beer and wine hold strong, but men aged 35–44 are now the biggest buyers of ready-made cocktails, spending 1.6x more than average. Lighter and low-alcohol options continue to grow.

💄 Sustainable beauty is mainstream — but trust is shaky.
More than four in five people recycle beauty packaging, but half admit they sometimes just guess how. “Natural” and “100% recyclable” claims resonate most, yet scepticism about greenwashing is on the rise.

📱 Electronics buyers want durability and repairability.
Almost four in five people would be more likely to buy from a brand offering repair options. Price and brand still lead decisions, but younger consumers are pushing for trade-in discounts and sustainable sourcing.