US Tariffs 2025: Shopping trends
In times of uncertainty, it is crucial for brands to understand how consumer shopping habits and expectations will shift. We identify two emerging customer priorities that will significantly impact all industries in 2025 and beyond.
Shifting priorities
Even amid economic volatility, people won’t stop buying; they would prioritise instead. This presents an opportunity to win a disproportionate share of the market. Segments can grow and contract unexpectedly and at short notice, so being prepared for these shifts is critical.
There are considerable opportunities to increase share and create brand loyalty during market disruption. Those who invest during times of crisis are consistently shown to be better prepared and more profitable when growth returns.
Spending to save
For shoppers in a post-inflation era, making do with less isn’t just a tactic – it’s a flex.
Expect spaving (spending money to save money) to emerge as more shoppers optimise their purchases, spending money in ways they believe yield the greatest value and ascribing value to purchases in new and innovative ways.
Businesses should curate products and services for cost savings, building trust with consumers by allowing them to flex their spending.
As shoppers feel the financial impact of new taxes and tariffs imposed in 2025, they will take active steps to extract value from an economic system that they feel has worsened wealth inequality and made accumulating wealth feel increasingly out of reach. In the US, credit card debt reached a record high with Americans collectively owing more than $1.14tn on their credit cards and rising by $27bn in Q2 of 2024 alone (New York Fed).
Vibecession spending
Amid the Great Exhaustion, consumers are seeking experiences, services and products that feed their need for deeper emotional connections – whether through a vibe, the rise of the aura economy, spiritual wellness or demand for multisensory spaces that evoke awe.
Mood and mindset will play an important role in shaping the shopper journey over the coming years, as more people seek to manifest a better reality than the one in which they find themselves. This will make it crucial for brands to focus holistically on physical, mental and spiritual health.
A global report by Ipsos and AXA revealed an escalating mood of anxiety: 90% of people believe there has been an increasing number of crises in recent years and 91% believe these crises are having an increasingly significant impact on people’s lives. As the world seeks antidotes to vulnerability and crises, it will become more important for shoppers to feel that retailers see, know and understand them.
WGSN subscribers can read our new Business Strategy: Navigating Tariffs report, outlining eight short- and medium-term strategies to future-proof your business and combat adversity with adaptability.