Content about Consumer behaviour

There is an old curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Unfortunately for the economy, the last several years have been “interesting times.” Home improvement has weathered this storm better than some areas (notably new-home construction), but the industry has clearly been impacted. Twice a year the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) publishes a detailed size-of-market forecast for home improvement product sales.

All three of the Consumer Watch metrics are heading in the right direction -- unemployment, consumer confidence and gas prices. Elsewhere, stocks are all over the board again.

Despite concerns about the economy and rising household expenses, nearly three out of five (59%) consumers will put aside economic worries and spend the same or more this holiday season, according to Deloitte’s 26th annual survey of holiday spending intentions and trends. While this is a slight decline from 2010, it represents an eight-percentage point increase from 2009.

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group shows a sharp rise in concern over the economy in August.

The August 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, is down slightly to an index reading of 35.1 on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The August reading is down from 39.6 in July. A year ago, the perception indicator index was at 40.3.  

A customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Powers and Associates found that sales, delivery and installation service are slightly more important than facilities, product assortment and price when it comes to buying major appliances. 

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in June, improved slightly in July.

Released Tuesday morning, the index now stands at 59.5 (1985=100), up from a downwardly revised 57.6 in June. 

Last year, July's index stood at 51.0. The Present Situation Index decreased to 35.7 from 36.6. The Expectations Index rose to 75.4 from 71.6 last month.

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group shows more concern than confidence in the economy.

The June 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, is down slightly to an index reading of 39.5. The figure indicates consumers are slightly more concerned about the economy than they were last month, when the index stood at 40.0, or in the same month last year, when the index was also at 40.0.

The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Store Satisfaction Study ranked Ace Hardware highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores. It's the fifth straight year for the recognition. 

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased slightly to 65.4 in April, up from 63.8 in March, and up from 57.7 in April 2010.

The February 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, is up slightly. The reading from January 2011 shows consumers are slightly less concerned than they were last month.

The NPD Group's U.S. Economic Perception Indicator measures consumer beliefs about the current and near-term state of the U.S. economy, on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, is up slightly over December. The reading from January 2011 shows consumers are slightly less concerned than they were last month.

The NPD Group's U.S. Economic Perception Indicator measures consumer beliefs about the current and near-term state of the U.S. economy, on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index slipped to a reading of 52.5 in December, down from November's figure of 54.3.

The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are "bad" decreased to 41.2% from 42.9%, however, those claiming business conditions are "good" declined to 7.5% from 8.5%.