Trend Trend 4: budget coping hardens into a durable repertoire of resourceful consumption
Summary
McKinsey's fourth trend holds that what started as coping with higher prices has become structural, with consumers going beyond cutting back to buying secondhand, doing services themselves, and keeping products in use longer.
Classification
Main topicValues & Lifestyles
Region menusGlobal
Impactscope:global
Time horizon4-10 years (2026-07-26)
Last updated2026-07-29 04:49:52
Evidence 2
- State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide McKinsey & Company page=16;section=Chapter 4: The resourceful consumer - Sustained price pressure leads to savvier spending 2026-06 accessed 2026-07-26
- State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide McKinsey & Company page=16;section=Chapter 4: The resourceful consumer - Sustained price pressure leads to savvier spending 2026-06 accessed 2026-07-26
Observed signals 3
Part of issues 5
- IssueDelivering value becomes a recurring obligation rather than a one-time repositioning1 trends · 1 signals
- IssueResourcefulness acquires social prestige through buy-nothing pledges1 trends · 1 signals
- IssueThe four trends must be read as interacting, not as four separate agendas4 trends · 0 signals
- IssueThe value-now consumer applies scrutiny selectively rather than pulling back uniformly1 trends · 2 signals
- IssueValue is judged on durability, versatility, and resale, not on price alone1 trends · 2 signals
Relation types: constitutes · supports
Public id: fm-d000d431e077