Trend Trend 3: spending on meaningful experiences holds up against the instinct to cut back
Summary
McKinsey's third trend holds that in both mature and emerging markets consumers keep prioritising experiences that make their time feel well spent, and that the pull of meaningful, memorable, or restorative moments often beats the impulse to economise.
Classification
Main topicValues & Lifestyles
Region menusGlobal
Impactscope:global
Time horizon0-3 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=13;section=Chapter 3: The experience economy - Consumers prioritize meaning and memories 2026-06 accessed 2026-07-26
- State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide McKinsey & Company page=13;section=Chapter 3: The experience economy - Consumers prioritize meaning and memories 2026-06 accessed 2026-07-26
Observed signals 8
- Signal12% of Gen Z would splurge on at-home entertainment, twice the boomer share
- SignalAsked what they would do with an extra $200, consumers most often said save it for a vacation
- SignalExperiences grew 2.6% from 2023 to 2025 against 0.8% for nonessential goods
- SignalIndia's experience economy accelerates on rising incomes and a young urban base
- SignalPOP MART added a LABUBU Forest zone to its Beijing theme park in May 2026
- SignalTravel experiences grew 4.4% from 2023 to 2025 while restaurants slowed to 1.2%
- SignalTrolli runs a five-year gaming partnership and an in-person takeover at PAX East
- SignalUS landlords leased more space to service tenants than to retailers in 2025
Part of issues 4
- IssueExperience investment without a chosen emotional dimension yields poor return1 trends · 0 signals
- IssueStreaming, gaming, and social platforms become substitutes for in-person experience1 trends · 0 signals
- IssueThe experience economy splits between premium spenders and low-cost emotional substitutes1 trends · 2 signals
- IssueThe four trends must be read as interacting, not as four separate agendas4 trends · 0 signals
Relation types: constitutes · supports
Public id: fm-ee6cb9c8f350