The Deloitte Consumer Review aims to provide an insightful and impartial view of selected consumer trends that we believe will have a significant impact on consumer businesses.

The Internet has become a pervasive and inevitable part of daily life, giving rise to a more resourceful, confident and connected consumer. Drawing on the results of our latest research into multichannel behaviours, this first issue discusses the structural impact this increasingly sophisticated and empowered connected consumer is having on a company's business model.

This report also sees the launch of the Deloitte Consumer Tracker based on new proprietary research, it gives clients detailed insight into the patterns of consumer spending on a category-by-category basis and looks into the underlying drivers of spending behaviour.

Key findings

The Deloitte Multichannel Consumer Survey

• Digitally influenced shoppers spend more per transaction than ‘store only' shoppers, with digitally influenced shoppers accounting for about 40 per cent of the total value on non-food transactions
• Consumer shopping habits vary considerably across sectors. Travel is dominated by ‘direct only' transactions with 80 per cent completed online, while half of electrical goods transactions are influenced by some form of digital interaction, compared with only 1 in 5 in clothing and 1 in 4 with homeware
• 'Store only' remains the biggest single channel for non-food transactions (excluding travel) with 72 per cent of total volume, while online represents 16 per cent and multichannel 12 per cent
• Consumers are engaging across an increasing number of touch points as 44 per cent of the UK consumer have used price comparison websites, 23 per cent accessed consumer-led online reviews accessed consumer-led reviews and 19 per cent have taken advantage of voucher code sites.

The Deloitte Consumer Tracker

• Declining disposable income and the uncertain economic outlook are combining to undermine consumer confidence
• Consumers are reducing discretionary expenditure and increasing savings
• Consumers are adjusting their patterns of expenditure to make the most of reduced budgets.

Full story:

www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedKingdom/Local%20Assets/Documents/Industries/Consumer%20Business/uk-cb-the-deloitte-consumer-review.pdf