We wanted to know what impact the recession has had on shopping habits so we created a survey to find out.
The results show that in the 5 Ciao countries across Europe, there are major differences in the way people have reacted.
Across the board people are spending more time researching before making a purchase. In the UK, one in five will no longer make a purchase without extensive online research. In Germany, this figure rises to 27%. In France it is 13%, while in Spain and Italy one in ten people said that their research had increased.
Most affected overall by the credit crunch are Brits and the Italians. 82% and 86% respectively said that they felt the economy had affected them personally. The most resilient nation is France, where an impressive 63% said that they had yet to really feel the downturn. This is very much the exception: for most people, the priority is in saving money and using the internet to do so.
The good news for Brits is that we’re getting a better long-term view: 54% of people are making a conscious effort to save more money. In Germany, only 29% are focusing on savings, a figure that rises to 57% in Spain and 41% in France and 65% in Italy.
Here are some more facts we found interesting:
- The credit crunch is actually improving the nation’s health: one in three Brits is saving money by cutting back on their smoking habits.
- The Germans are cocooning themselves away from the economic impact: one in ten Germans has prioritised home decoration as their top money spending activity (more than twice the number of any other European country).
- One in four Italians are spending their time volunteering instead of shopping.
- 36% in France said they are responding to the credit crunch by spending more time partying with their friends!
How do these facts measure up against your reaction to the financial situation in 2009?
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