BCG’s eighth annual global report on consumer sentiment finds that consumers are less inclined to cut back but remain cautious about spending more. The authors describe eight powerful shifts in attitudes and shopping patterns that intensified during the downturn and will last into the recovery. But looking at averages can be misleading. Companies will be facing a new kind of consumer and a multispeed recovery. They will need to rethink their growth expectations and develop a highly de-averaged approach.
