How Value-Conscious Consumers Are Redefining Commerce in the UK

Something fascinating is unfolding in UK and European consumer behaviour: people are worried, yet they're still shopping. They're anxious about the economy, yet they're planning holidays at similar levels to last year.

PMG’s latest research reveals a striking disconnect: UK consumer sentiment towards the economy has plummeted to -32%, reflecting years of compounding pressure from rising costs and stagnant wage growth. Ask a British consumer how they feel about the economy, and you'll hear concern. Ask them what they're planning to spend this holiday season, and 70% will tell you the same or more than last year.

What looks like contradiction is actually adaptation. After a prolonged period of uncertainty, consumers are no longer spending impulsively but strategically. They’ve professionalised the act of buying: researching deeply, comparing consistently, and waiting deliberately. This behaviour—what we at PMG call strategic patience—is becoming a defining characteristic of the modern European consumer. Thus, these behaviours require brands to rethink how they communicate value to earn conversions across channels in a world where every purchase, no matter the category, is scrutinised.

One of the most surprising shifts is that the most affluent consumers have become the most deliberate. In the UK, 53% of households earning £100K+ are holding out for better prices—far more than those earning under £15K. Their behaviour reflects less a question of affordability and more a preference for greater certainty and control in their decision-making.

Higher-income shoppers now behave like procurement teams: They cross-reference Amazon reviews; they consult AI tools (who hasn’t used ChatGPT to build a comparison matrix?); they scour social feeds for validation before committing, researching earlier, and purchasing at the optimal moment.

The lesson for brands: "premium" no longer means "discount-resistant." Your most valuable customers expect transparent pricing, quality storytelling, and clear communication of value. They'll pay for what they want, but only when they're convinced it's worth it.

Walk down any UK high street, and you’ll see a paradox: young consumers glued to their phones, yet carrying shopping bags from stores they’ve just discovered in person.

This is not impulse buying, but a second behaviour that’s emerged, as speed meets selectivity.

In parallel, take into consideration that across Europe:

Retail media is expanding at 22%.

Social commerce is growing at 21%.

UK Gen Z is buying directly through TikTok while also increasing in-store visits.

Health & beauty and furniture—categories where research is the norm—continue to show strong growth

Today’s shopper blends digital validation with physical experience. They browse online, verify on mobile, assess in-store, and purchase in whichever channel offers the clearest value. For brands, the implication is a new operational requirement: every touchpoint must be ready for both brand-building and conversion, as discovery and commerce happen in the same moment, on the same screen, in the same aisle.

Understanding these shifts is one thing; acting on them requires connecting consumer behaviour, media innovation, and measurement in ways few can. Three critical areas ring true:

Make Retail Media a Core Competency

With 59% of higher-income consumers researching on Amazon, visibility in retail media environments is now a baseline requirement. At the same time, Europe’s regulatory landscape—including €5.88B in GDPR fines—is constraining third-party targeting. As traditional signals decline, retail media networks become disproportionately valuable for their rich first-party data and closed-loop measurement. This has shifted from an experimental channel to a core strategic lever for growth.

Communicate Value Beyond Price

While 67% cite price as their primary motivator, 80% want brands to acknowledge economic realities with empathy. As such, shoppers expect fair pricing, quality assurances, authentic storytelling, transparent policies, and flexibility across returns, payments, and guarantees, according to PMG’s research. After years of economic pressure and stronger consumer protections, today’s shopper demands clarity and rewards honesty.

Build Measurement That Matches Consumer Complexity

Only 23% of European marketers measure digital and traditional media together, the lowest globally. Meanwhile, consumers move seamlessly between TikTok and the high street, Amazon and department stores, and offline discovery and online checkout. When customer journeys behave like ecosystems, measurement frameworks must follow. Unified attribution and privacy-compliant data systems have become foundational requirements for sustained competitive advantage.