For years, the question consumers asked themselves when faced with a product on the shelf was simple: how much does it cost? In 2027, that question has gained layers. Will this product still be here next month? Will it taste the same? Will it cost the same, or will it appear in a smaller package for the same price? And that artificial intelligence assistant that suggested the purchase, does it really know what it's talking about, or is it just pushing me towards what suits it?
This distrustful, cautious consumer, more oriented towards belonging and communities, and increasingly unwilling to sacrifice the present for promises of the future, emerges from the report “ Top Global Consumer Trends 2027 ”, recently published by Euromonitor International. The study, built from surveys of over 40 consumers in 40 markets, databases at the level of each online reference, and surveys of industry professionals, identifies five behavioral changes that are expected to have the greatest impact on businesses in the coming year.
The five trends have English names that function almost like slogans, and are presented here in a free translation: Shelf Assured , Reluctant Reliance (the reluctant reliance on artificial intelligence), Peer Powered (the power of peers and communities), Mode-Switching (the alternation between lifestyles), and Future Tense (the future in tension, or the future called into question). Taken together, they draw a clear common thread: in a world where instability has ceased to be the exception and has become routine, trust becomes a brand's most valuable asset. And also the easiest to lose.
For the food retail and consumer goods industries, the message is clear. Availability, consistency, transparency, and immediate proof of what is promised are no longer supporting attributes. They have become the value proposition itself.
1 – Shelf Assured: From the best deal to a safe bet
The first trend stems from an observation that any purchasing manager knows well: cost pressures, supply chain shocks, and service disruptions no longer seem temporary. Instability is now part of everyday life.
The report's figures illustrate the mood. 72% of consumers globally are concerned about rising prices for everyday products, a concern that intensifies with age. And 54% say they only buy from companies and brands they fully trust. The problem is that this trust is being tested like few times before, by stock shortages, unannounced reformulations, shrinking packaging, and technological failures. Euromonitor calls it availability anxiety.
“Value is evolving towards the confidence that the products and services people depend on today won’t let them down tomorrow in terms of quality, cost, or availability” – Ali Angus, Head of Innovation at Euromonitor International
The consequence is a redefinition of the very concept of value. In 2027, the question will no longer be simply whether a product is cheap, but whether the consumer can rely on it, whether it will remain available, whether it will function in the same way, and whether it will cost what they expect, next month or in a few years. Ali Angus, head of innovation at Euromonitor International, who authored the analysis of this trend, summarizes the idea: brands must make reliability a central piece of their value propositions.
Consumers as risk managers
The report describes a consumer who behaves like a domestic risk manager. They evaluate products based on consistency, price accessibility, and the confidence that they will not be disappointed. Most are unwilling to sacrifice durability, even in exchange for a lower price. And this demand extends to software, services, and after-sales support: equipment that stops receiving updates, or whose interface is redesigned against the user's wishes, ceases to be reliable.
The responses to this uncertainty are varied. Consumers build up reserves, repair instead of replacing, and " close " their choices through repeat or automated purchases. Eight out of ten consumers already use at least one subscription service, with streaming leading the way, followed by subscriptions to hygiene and home care products, meal kits, and themed brand boxes. This loyalty logic, however, can be seen, the report emphasizes, as "a double-edged sword." It guarantees supply, but leaves the buyer more exposed if the product changes.
There is also a mental effort factor that plays in favor of established brands. 56% of consumers exhaustively research products and services before buying, and few want to repeat that process. Once trust is gained, switching brands becomes costly. At the same time, one in three consumers prefers to buy fewer products, but of superior quality. They buy less, but better, betting on products that last and remain available.
The trend is strongest in categories where spending is non-negotiable, such as those related to health, dependents, and identity. But it also applies to small routines that people want to protect, such as breakfast, skincare, or trusted supplements. Almost three-quarters of consumers say that a consistent beauty routine contributes to their well-being and self-confidence.
| Shelf Assured in numbers | |
| 72 % | Consumers are concerned about the rising prices of everyday products. |
| 54 % | They only buy from companies and brands they fully trust. |
| 80 % | use at least one subscription service |
| 56 % | They research exhaustively before buying. |
| 1 on 3 | prefers to buy fewer products, but of higher quality. |
| 16 % | Many of the new mass-market brands launched online became inactive in their first year. |
Source: Euromonitor International, Passport, Lifestyles Consumer Survey (January-February 2026, n=40.225), Beauty Consumer Survey (May 2026, n=20.086) and Passport Innovation. In the new brands indicator, “inactive” means not detected for at least three months on the online retailers where it had been found.
Reliability as a new differentiating factor
On the supply side, the scenario is also one of pressure. 78% of professionals surveyed by Euromonitor say that the rise in the cost of raw materials has affected their company in the last year, and 81% say the same about wars and geopolitical conflicts. The price index of raw materials such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans and wheat illustrates this volatility.
Given this, 58% of professionals say their company has reduced costs through operational efficiency programs, 36% have diversified suppliers, and 26% have strengthened risk monitoring in supply chains. The report points to possible solutions: nearshoring , regional sourcing, diversification of sources, and regenerative agriculture initiatives, which help keep trusted products available, consistent, and accessible.
The examples cited by Euromonitor are illustrative. PepsiCo inaugurated a Sabritas factory in Celaya, Mexico, in March 2026, its second-largest market after the United States, in an investment of $467 million. The unit obtains 90% of its inputs from the domestic market, reducing dependence on imports and exposure to trade policies. General Mills, in turn, announced in 2026 a partnership with Walmart and ADM to accelerate regenerative agriculture on 40 acres of wheat in the United States, a bet that serves sustainability but also the resilience of supply.
The report notes a lower incidence of online inactivity among new brands: in the analysis covering June 2025 to June 2026, only 16% of new consumer goods brands launched online became inactive in their first year. This classification means they were no longer detectable for at least three months across all online retailers where they had been found, not necessarily proving a definitive discontinuation. However, some categories continue to show high inactivity rates, from chocolate confectionery to biscuits, savory snacks, energy and sports drinks, supplements, and personal care products for babies and children. The recommendation is to innovate with longevity in mind and protect what the product enables: the routine and tranquility that people depend on.
When the brand fails, the private label brand takes advantage.
Perhaps the most relevant warning for the Portuguese market, where private label brands have a significant weight in mass consumer purchases, lies in how retailers are capitalizing on the shortcomings of manufacturer brands. The report is explicit: retailers are quick to denounce shrinkflation and steer disillusioned customers towards private label brands.
The example chosen is that of the British company M&S. In 2025, when some brands reduced the size of their festive tins, the brand promoted a larger private label version, subtly positioning itself as the better value alternative. In the words of Euromonitor, this is the “ risk of exclusion ” at the heart of this trend.
Crisis management also plays a role. Faced with the threat to the availability of printing inks caused by tensions in the Middle East, the Japanese company Calbee preemptively changed some packaging to black and white in May 2026, while keeping the recipes unchanged. Sales initially soared, but later fell because the unfamiliar packaging created confusion in a category built on consistency.
And reliability isn't limited to the physical product. In July 2026, a major glitch in the Starbucks app led many loyal customers in the United States to forgo their usual purchases, opting instead to queue or order in-store. That same month, a global PlayStation Network outage left gamers without access for about eight hours, at a time when Sony is accelerating its shift to digital distribution and plans to end disc production in 2028.
"The more consumers depend on a product, the more damaging any disruption becomes."
The proposed tactics for 2027 are threefold: auditing portfolio fragility by cross-referencing consumer dependence with supply risk; building supply chain flexibility by avoiding single suppliers; and protecting consistency alongside availability, because simply being on the shelf isn't enough if the product is no longer the same.
2 – Reluctant Reliance: it helps, yes; autopilot, no.
If the first trend speaks of trust in products, the second speaks of trust in technology, which increasingly comes between the consumer and the purchase. Generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) is everywhere: 81% of consumers use it to help them with everyday activities, compared to 71% in 2025.
But adoption is not synonymous with comfort. Only 19% of consumers consider generative AI an extremely reliable source of information when shopping, and that figure drops to 12% when the topic is health. Concerns about privacy, misinformation, the speed of development, and the loss of human oversight are generating increasing scrutiny of the technology's influence.
The report adds a dimension that is of particular interest to those who follow the sustainability agenda: the physical footprint of AI. As its use scales, consumers and regulators are paying more attention to energy consumption, water use, and carbon emissions from the rapidly expanding data centers that underpin this technology.
Citing data from the Pew Research Center, Euromonitor notes that 34% of adults say they are more concerned than enthusiastic about the growing use of AI, and 42% feel both equally. This unease is especially visible in developed countries such as the United States, Italy, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
"Consumers want AI to make decisions easier, not to make decisions for them."
Useful for research, suspect in decision-making.
Interestingly, this distrust coexists with its intensive use in retail. People may be wary of the social impact of AI, but they embrace it to solve practical problems, especially in the most laborious parts of shopping, such as comparing products or summarizing reviews. Almost nine out of ten consumers see at least one benefit in generative AI applied to shopping. Among consumers who identify at least one benefit, the most cited are clearer explanations and answers (34%), more relevant product recommendations (30%), quick assessment of a brand's reliability (28%), identification of more economical options (27%), and summarizing reviews from other consumers (27%).
Traffic reaching retailers' pages through tools like ChatGPT or Gemini grew by 376% between January 2025 and July 2026. In the fast-moving consumer goods sector, beauty and personal care accounted for 45% of this AI-generated traffic in July 2026, ahead of consumer health, food, beverages, pet products, home cleaning, and hygiene. The explanation lies in the nature of the category: it's the one where consumers most need help sorting options, evaluating claims, and narrowing down choices.
Hesitation begins when these tools stop aiding in discovery and approach the final decision. This is the core of the trend: consumers rely on AI because it is useful, but they want clearer boundaries. They are willing to delegate information gathering, recommendations, and simplification, but are more cautious about handing over the purchase decision. Michelle Evans, global retail and digital shopper lead at Euromonitor, summarizes in the report that adoption depends less on what the technology can do and more on consumers feeling confident and comfortable using it.
| AI in the shopping cart | |
| 81 % | of consumers use generative AI in their daily lives (71% in 2025) |
| 19 % | They consider it an extremely reliable source when making purchases. |
| 12 % | They consider it an extremely reliable source for health information and advice. |
| + 376 % | Growth in AI-generated traffic to retail websites (January 2025 to July 2026) |
| 45 % | AI traffic in fast-moving consumer goods is shifting towards beauty and personal care (July 2026) |
| 16 % | Europeans use generative AI as a source of information when shopping (+6 pp in a year) |
Source: Euromonitor International, Passport, Lifestyles, Digital Shopper and Health and Nutrition Consumer Surveys (2026) and Passport Digital Shopper (updated September 2026). The 19% refers to respondents who rated the reliability of the source; the 12% rate AI as extremely reliable for health information and advice.
Europe: between experimentation and regulation
For businesses, generative AI is already at the top of the agenda. More than half of professionals (53%) expect it to impact their business within the next five years, and 34% say their company plans to invest in this technology within that timeframe. The next phase, however, approaches the execution of the purchase, and that's where the stakes in terms of trust are higher. Intelligent recommendations reduce effort, but opaque recommendations are quickly perceived as intrusive or manipulative.
The geography of this trend is revealing. North America is where it is most commercially visible: the United States accounted for 21% of global AI-generated traffic in the first half of 2026, with retailers like Walmart and Amazon betting on shopping assistants. Walmart launched Sparky in 2025, an assistant that helps compare products, synthesize reviews, and plan shopping occasions, presented as part of a shift towards so-called agentic commerce, with future features such as automatic restocking and service booking. Amazon has converged Alexa+ and the Rufus assistant into Alexa for Shopping.
In Western Europe, the picture is different. Trust, regulation, and control shape the trend. Consumers are experimenting with generative AI, but stronger expectations regarding transparency mean that adoption is moving more towards guided assistance than full autonomy. In Europe, 16% of consumers already use generative AI as a source of information when shopping, an increase of six percentage points in just one year. AI is replacing traditional research in the shopping journey, but GDPR, the European AI Act, market fragmentation, and consumer caution are slowing the transition from recommendation to transaction. Therefore, the report notes, brands like Tesco and Carrefour are testing models that allow them to maintain control over data, checkout, and trust.
Containment as a value proposition
One of the most interesting aspects of this trend is that some brands are making restraint a strategy. Dove committed in 2024 to not using AI-generated women in its advertising and reaffirmed that commitment in 2026 in its updated Real Beauty Pledge . The clothing brand Aerie extended its #AerieREAL platform in 2025 with a promise not to use AI-generated bodies or people in its campaigns. Polaroid launched an outdoor advertising campaign with slogans like " AI can't generate sand between your toes ." And LinkedIn introduced a button in 2026 for users to flag low-quality or excessively AI-generated content.
In customer service, data shows a gradual evolution: 47% of consumers prefer to speak with a person to resolve customer support issues, compared to 56% in 2023. Acceptance of bots for simple issues is growing, but the recommendation is clear: use AI to resolve routine needs more quickly, always preserving the possibility of escalating to a human when the customer feels blocked.
The suggested tactics involve establishing visible boundaries, clearly defining where AI is or is not used and where human oversight is maintained; offering choice and control, with options to accept, edit, and cancel purchases, payments, or reservations; and showing the logic behind each recommendation, avoiding the " black boxes " that leave the consumer confused about why a particular option was prioritized. The central challenge, the report summarizes, is keeping the consumer in control. Those who invest too little risk losing visibility as AI becomes a gateway to discovery. Those who automate excessively risk undermining trust.
3 – Peer Powered: Identity becomes collective.
The third trend shifts the focus from product and technology to people. According to Euromonitor, identity is ceasing to be an individual project and becoming a shared one. Consumers continue to assert their individuality, but they want to do so alongside those who share their values, passions, and experiences. Almost half (49%) say that being active in a community is important to them.
Context helps explain the trend. Loneliness, social fragmentation, and digital overload have weakened personal connections over the years, and new pressures are exacerbating the problem. Geopolitical conflicts, political instability, and the high cost of living continue to erode trust in institutions. Traditional relationships are also changing. Euromonitor projects that there will be 592,1 million single-person households in the world by 2027. As traditional support networks lose strength, communities emerge as an alternative: a chosen space that offers the validation and acceptance that people have difficulty finding elsewhere.
"The strongest brands will function as facilitators of belonging and not just as providers of goods and services."
From the screen to the face-to-face meeting.
Digital platforms have made connection more accessible, but often less personal. The signals that build trust and emotional bonds are harder to read through a screen, and AI-generated content makes authenticity more difficult to discern. Therefore, consumers are seeking familiar, reassuring, and predictable in-person environments, transforming online affinities into offline activity. 34% expect more of their daily activities to return to in-person format, and 40% say they will become more involved in their community over the next five years.
The report gives examples of a very contemporary mosaic: running clubs, groups of parents with babies, miniature painting nights, repair cafes, pilgrimage walks, fantasy novel reading clubs, and a growing interest in spirituality and religion. And identity is not one-dimensional. The same person might play padel on Monday, attend a knitting circle on Wednesday, and play dice in the same board game group on Thursday. Even in the digital realm, the search for belonging is present: one in four consumers who use livestreaming do so for a sense of community.
The dividend of ownership
For brands, the essential point is that communities are shopping networks as much as they are social networks. A running club shapes what its members buy, from shoes to sports nutrition. Within a circle of trust, peer recommendations weigh more than advertising: 72% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family when making purchasing decisions, the highest-rated source of information, compared to 46% who trust advertising. And about 36% say that face-to-face conversations with friends influence where they shop.
Euromonitor identifies four strategies, each with a commercial advantage: owning the space to gain visibility; creating a product that allows for participation; shaping the ritual to generate repeat purchases; or giving consumers real participation, transforming members into ambassadors. Few manage to accumulate several of these levers at the same time. The most sensible approach, the report advises, is to find a community that genuinely fits the brand's proposition.
Co-creation is one of the most promising avenues. 43% of consumers want to interact with brands to influence product innovation, a figure that rises to 45% in the Asia-Pacific region. The case of Sam's Club in the United States is particularly relevant to food retail: its Member's Mark Community, with over 150 members, tests and helps shape the brand's private label products, giving customers a stake in what they buy and a reason to recommend the brand. On the business side, 29% of professionals point to the deepening of loyalty programs as the most important development in the retail sector for the coming months.
| Peer Powered by Numbers | |
| 49 % | They consider it important to be active in a community. |
| 72 % | trust recommendations from friends and family (46% in advertising) |
| 40 % | They will become more involved in their community over the next five years. |
| 34 % | They expect more daily activities to return to in-person settings. |
| 43 % | They want to interact with brands to influence innovation. |
| 592,1 million | Number of single-person households in the world in 2027 (projection) |
Source: Euromonitor International, Passport, Lifestyles Consumer Survey (2026), Digital Shopper Consumer Survey (2026), Households and Voice of the Industry Survey (May 2026).
Brands as hosts
The cited cases show brands taking on the role of hosts instead of protagonists. During Ramadan 2026, IKEA opened " Iftar At Ours " in the UK, a temporary house where Muslims on the move could break their fast and pray together at a time when sunset coincided with rush hour. The initiative was developed with Muslim community organizations and supported an existing ritual without making the occasion a brand moment. Nike continues to expand the After Dark Tour , exclusive night runs for women that combine training, community, and product storytelling . Heineken launched " The Clinker " at the 2026 Coachella festival, a smart bracelet attached to cans that, synchronized with music streaming accounts , lit up when two people with similar tastes toasted, encouraging them to exchange contact information.
The report also issues a warning. The most costly mistake is confusing attention with engagement and forcing entry into the wrong community. Trying to claim space without a credible reason to be there can backfire; ignoring a space where the brand has a natural role leaves the field open to the competition.
Regional analyses add useful nuances. In Eastern Europe, community is primarily practical, a means of obtaining support or resources, in a context where 73% of consumers are concerned about rising daily costs. In Latin America, given low trust in institutions, personal networks gain added importance: 46% consider recommendations from friends and family extremely reliable, well above the average of around 30% seen in other regions. In Asia-Pacific, where several generations share the same home, family is the foundation of community, and group purchasing features, such as volume discounts or shared shipping, fit into existing habits.
4 - Mode-Switching: Maximize, Rest, Reward
The fourth trend delves into one of the major cultural narratives of the moment: the constant optimization of oneself. Around two in five consumers (42%) are concerned about the image of success they project to others. What began as a health-related mindset has transformed into a culture of " maxing " that has coined its own terms, from proteinmaxing to looksmaxing and moneymaxing.
Technology has made continuous self-assessment easier. 72% of consumers monitor at least one health indicator through an app or device, and the figure rises to 82% among young people aged 15 to 29, a group in which the use of generative AI in daily life reaches 91%. Social networks amplify narratives of continuous progress that intensify the pressure to keep up.
But relentless optimization has hidden costs in time, money, and energy. 58% of consumers experience moderate to extreme stress levels every day, and 69% actively seek ways to simplify their lives, compared to two-thirds in 2025. This is where the concept that gives the trend its name comes in: consumers alternate between periods of intense optimization, deliberate recovery, and strategic indulgence, depending on their goals and circumstances. The behavior is contextual, not identity-based. Flexibility trumps continuous effort.
“Success depends on helping consumers navigate between these states, combining functional performance with emotional fulfillment” – Irina Barbalova, Global Lead for Beauty and Wellness at Euromonitor International
Protein as a symptom
In linear terms, the most visible expression of "maxing" is protein. Protein maxing has transformed a gym staple into a performance tool for the general public and is driving innovation in nutrition. The number of food and beverage references with high-protein claims sold online worldwide exceeded 220 in 2025, and by the third quarter of 2026 it had already reached nearly 200.
Looksmaxxing and wellnessmaxxing are equally prominent, with the widespread adoption of aesthetic procedures, skin diagnostics , and longevity supplements. More than a quarter of consumers are willing to pay at least 20% more for personalized skincare based on DNA analysis, and global sales of dietary supplements are expected to reach $103,8 billion by 2027. Financially, moneymaxxing translates to exhaustive research before purchase, resale, and participation in loyalty programs. And about half of consumers (49%) are willing to spend money to save time, showing that the focus is on optimizing value and efficiency, not just the lowest price.
The counterweight is " unmaxxing ," or selective optimization. People don't abandon optimization, but the definition of success expands to include joy, connection, meaning, and quality of life. Someone might plan their meals for the week, follow a rigorous workout routine, and control their budget down to the penny, and then allow themselves a special dinner, a weekend getaway, or an impulse purchase. For others, balance comes from low-effort activities or solo travel.
| Mode-Switching in Numbers | |
| 2,8 billion USD | global spending on wellness products and services in 2027 (projection) |
| USD 103,8 billion | global sales of dietary supplements in 2027 (projection) |
| USD 40,4 billion | sales of w smart people in 2027 (projection; 29,5 billion in 2023) |
| More than 220 thousand | Online references to foods and beverages claiming high protein content in 2025 |
| 58 % | They experience moderate to extreme stress daily. |
| 69 % | They are looking for ways to simplify life. |
Source: Euromonitor International, Passport, Lifestyles, Health and Nutrition and Beauty Consumer Surveys (2026), Consumer Health, Consumer Electronics and Via SKU-Level Database. Market values for 2027: projections.
A market worth 2,8 trillion dollars.
The greatest business opportunities lie at both ends of the spectrum: helping consumers achieve credible and measurable results, and helping them recover from the effort that this requires. Global spending on wellness products and services is projected to exceed $2,8 trillion in 2027. Smart wearables are expected to generate over $40 billion, and smart home appliances have grown from 17% of unit sales in selected categories in 2020 to 25% in 2025. According to Euromonitor's breakdown by category, wearables are showing the fastest projected annual growth rate until 2030, while beauty and personal care and health and wellness food and beverages are the largest markets by value.
Industry professionals confirm this reading. Health, wellness and longevity (21%) and AI and automation (18%) are the themes they identify as having the greatest impact on their sector in the next two to three years, followed by value awareness (12%), functional foods and personalization.
The strongest offerings, the report says, are those that allow consumers to switch seamlessly: health products that taste rewarding, premium experiences without complexity, and convenience for moments of low energy. The Mexican brand Jumex is one example: it expanded from juices to protein shakes in the United States and, at the same time, grew its line of alcoholic nectars, creating a portfolio that accompanies the consumer between optimization and reward without taking them out of the brand's universe. Nestlé's KitKat took its historic " Have a Break " slogan to the Australian campaign " Rawdog Your Commute " in 2026, which encouraged people to make their daily commutes without their phones, positioning the deliberate pause as a form of self-improvement. L'Oréal positioned Lancôme Cell BioPrint as a gateway into a longevity beauty ecosystem that connects diagnostics, topical care, and treatments with LED devices. And the Strava app has started including physiotherapy as a type of activity, recognizing recovery as part of an athlete's journey.
Regionally, the Middle East and Africa emerge as one of the most promising markets for this trend, with 84% of consumers monitoring at least one health indicator and 92% using generative AI in their daily lives. In Asia-Pacific, the trend is more polarized: 93% of consumers like to treat themselves to small luxuries and 19% frequently make impulse purchases. In Japan, so-called " guilty consumption " is growing, from excessive portions of comfort food to indulgent snacks.
The tactics for 2027 can be summarized as designing for change, building portfolios and customer journeys that recognize behavior as contextual; proving the return, focusing on solutions with visible results that simplify decisions; and redefining progress, also valuing meaning, belonging, and self-expression. Brands that continue to point to fixed identities, instead of evolving motivations, will be the most exposed.
5 – Future Tense: the future demands proof in the present.
The fifth trend is perhaps the most unsettling. Consumers no longer take promises about the future for granted. Scarce financial reserves, seemingly out-of-reach life milestones, and constant volatility have shattered the old belief that sacrificing the present pays off later. Traditional milestones like buying a house or renovating seem increasingly distant.
Only 26% of consumers have cash on hand for an unexpected emergency, and only one in five has a retirement savings account. 38% believe the world will be more dangerous in five years. People are renting for longer periods and expect to move more frequently. Although consumer confidence has recovered from post-pandemic lows, pessimism persists and shows signs of becoming structural, especially regarding outlook.
The report underlines that this is not a one-generation story. There is a tendency to see the youngest members of Generation Z as the epicenter of the phenomenon, but consumers between 30 and 44 years old express as much skepticism as any other age group. This is precisely the age range that is approaching peak income and family formation. When those who have the most at stake in the future openly question its traditional promises, this points to a structural change and not a passing phenomenon.
“Proposals based on deferred benefits are losing their ability to support prices” – Shane MacGuill, global lead at Euromonitor International
Three answers to the same question.
Based on this shared uncertainty, Euromonitor identifies three main responses. The largest group prioritizes the present. Half of consumers still expect to be financially better off in five years, but the means to get there are more immediate, diversified, and precarious. So-called " soft savings " keeps resources accessible: 55% have a personal savings account, compared to 21% with a retirement account. 44% prefer to enjoy life without worrying about planning for the future. More volatile practices, such as sports betting and cryptocurrencies, are increasingly seen by some as legitimate financial planning tools, and " doomspending " replaces the emotional weight of disbelief with small luxuries and immediate escapes.
A second group seeks to change the course of things. Almost one in three consumers actively participates in political and social issues, and within this group, purchasing is a lever: 25% boycott brands that do not share their convictions, and 30% deliberately buy from those that do. The phenomenon is becoming more organized, with coordinated days without consumption and " economic blackouts ," such as the boycott calendar published by The People's Union USA throughout 2025 and 2026. The measured impact on national sales was reduced, the report admits, but the transition from spontaneous indignation to programmed non-consumption, with a name and date, is a challenge that is approaching for brands.
The third group redefines the terms of the relationship with the future, looking inward and upward. At the extreme, this translates into total isolation, with more than 1,5 million people in Japan living in prolonged social withdrawal. More commonly, there is a renewed interest in spirituality, nature, and alternative belief systems. 52% of consumers say that spiritual beliefs are an important part of their lives, a figure that peaks in the 30-44 age group. The Indian company Astrotalk, a digital astrology marketplace with users in more than 60 countries, reached unicorn status in 2026, with a valuation of one billion dollars.
Evidence now, promises later.
Perhaps the most significant point for the consumer goods industry lies in a figure from Euromonitor's benchmarks. Between the first quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2026, global sales of consumer goods with concrete and immediately verifiable claims grew by 33% in value, at constant prices adjusted for inflation, compared to 18% for products with generic claims, verifiable only later. This represents a difference of 15 percentage points, reversing the previous trend.
Among the specific allegations are expressions such as “clinically tested","dermatologically tested","organic certificate","certified vegan","money-back guarantee","results in N days","N grams of protein" or "Nutri-Score A"On the generic side, there appear"natural","healthy","premium","innovatorbut alsoVerde","sustainable","environmentally friendly","ethical" or "of responsible origin".
For those following the sustainability agenda, the data shows a more favorable commercial performance for products with concrete and verifiable claims, without, by themselves, establishing a causal relationship. This evolution coincides with the strengthening of European rules on generic environmental claims. Directive (EU) 2024/825, on empowering consumers for the green transition, provides for the prohibition of such claims when it is not possible to demonstrate recognized excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim. The expected date for the application of national transposition measures is September 27, 2026. Euromonitor recommends that companies audit their portfolios looking for promises about the future without sufficient funding or support, and that they remove those that cannot be substantiated, whether regarding sustainability, ethical practices, or social impact.
| Future Tense in numbers | |
| 26 % | They have money available for an emergency. |
| 21 % | They have a retirement savings account (55% have a personal savings account). |
| 44 % | They prefer to enjoy life without planning for the future. |
| 52 % | They say that spiritual beliefs are important in their lives. |
| +33% vs +18% | Growth in revenue, at constant prices, of products with concrete claims compared to generic products (1st quarter of 2024 to 2nd quarter of 2026) |
| 49 % | Western Europeans expect a more dangerous world in five years. |
Source: Euromonitor International, Passport, Lifestyles Consumer Survey (2026) and Via SKU-Level Database. Revenue growth calculated in dollars, at constant prices, between the first quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2026.
Western Europe: defensive, but not distressed.
Regional analysis places Western Europe in a particular position. It is the region where traditional assumptions have lasted the longest and where belief is weakest today. Only 44% of consumers believe their investments will hold value in the long term, and 49% expect a more dangerous world within five years, respectively the lowest and highest rates of all regions.
The answer, however, is subtle and not radical. Consumers are avoiding irreversible commitments in housing and mobility. Extended-stay formats like Zoku and apartments with flexible services like those from Bob W are replacing permanent residences, while car subscriptions like FINN and SIXT+ are replacing ownership and multi-year contracts. Mature welfare states under budgetary pressure and stretched housing markets make this the region with “ the most future to lose ”. The European buyer is defensive, but not yet desperate, and here proof and flexibility win over aspiration.
In Eastern Europe, the outlook is the most bleak: only a third of consumers expect to be better off financially in five years. The climate favors immediate and impulse spending, and the Polish group Żabka has become emblematic of this shift, with double-digit sales growth in 2025 and more than 1.300 stores opened in Poland and Romania that year, based on convenience and everyday shopping. At the opposite extreme, the Middle East and Africa are the most optimistic region, with 66% expecting to be better off in five years.
Examples of business responses are diverse. Mercado Pago, from the Mercado Libre group, makes the cashback from its loyalty program generate automatic daily interest, so that spending and growing money are no longer seen as opposites. Gucci launched the Lunetta bag in 2026, a more accessible entry into luxury for consumers less willing to postpone their aspirations. And in South Korea, " dopamine sites " have gained traction—fictional online stores where you can fill your cart and complete checkout without spending money or receiving any order.
The proposed tactics for 2027 are threefold: leading with immediate value, repositioning claims around outcomes that consumers can validate in a single purchase cycle; committing to credibility, being transparent about origin, pricing, and commitments; and serving alternative timescales, with products and rituals anchored in seasonal rhythms, experiences in nature, or reflective formats. On the business side, there is a risk of misalignment to watch out for: 51% of professionals say that long-term potential determines which innovation projects receive funding, while only 27% value the speed of return. Precisely when consumers are turning to the immediate.
What remains for retail and industry?
Taken together, Euromonitor's five trends for 2027 converge on one point: trust is no longer an abstract brand value, but something that can be measured shelf by shelf, interaction by interaction. It is measured in the availability of a product, the consistency of a recipe, the honesty of packaging, the transparency of a recommendation algorithm, the authenticity of a presence in a community, and the ability to prove today what is promised for tomorrow.
For the consumer goods industry, the practical implications are numerous. Supply chain resilience, supplier diversification, and regenerative agriculture are no longer just issues of efficiency or sustainability, but have become arguments for customer loyalty. Redesigns and packaging changes require clear and upfront communication. And claims, especially those related to sustainability, need to be concrete, verifiable, and defensible.
For retailers, there are opportunities and responsibilities. Private label brands can benefit when manufacturer brands falter, but are subject to the same consistency requirements. AI-based shopping assistants can gain customer trust if they are helpful, explainable, and easy to control, and lose it instantly if they seem to decide for them. And physical stores gain new relevance as meeting spaces, at a time when consumers increasingly seek shared, face-to-face experiences.
In a context of uncertainty that shows no sign of abating, the report leaves one idea that serves as a summary: consumers continue to believe in a version of the future, but only on their own terms. It is up to brands to prove, every day, that they deserve to be a part of it.
| How the study was done | |
| 40 | Markets covered by the Lifestyles Consumer Survey, with approximately 1.000 responses per market. |
| 40.225 | Consumers surveyed between January and February 2026 |
| 20-21 | Markets covered by the Beauty, Digital Shopper, and Health and Nutrition surveys. |
| Voice of the Industry | regular surveys of the Euromonitor industry professional network |
Source: Euromonitor International, Top Global Consumer Trends 2027 (November 2026). Euromonitor indicates that it used generative AI to synthesize its research, with final review by its experts.
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