How retailers can meet the needs of middle class shoppers: survey

As prices keep going up, so do customer expectations, at least when it comes to middle-class consumers, 50% of whom say they’re spending more than they did last year (thanks, inflation!), per Bread Financial’s latest State of the Middle-Class Shopper report.

The financial services firm conducted a two-part survey between October and December 2023, of 5,819 consumers across the US, and then in January 2024, of 2,289 consumers.

And yes, while most (91%) agreed that their spending was more need-focused than want-focused, discretionary spending, including dining and buying beauty and personal care products, was still a part of their lives.

But since money is tight all around, consumers also have higher expectations from brands. A whopping 98% of the surveyed shoppers, for example, said retailers could do more to meet their needs, including offering better pricing (58%), frequent sales and promotions (47%), and and better customer service, as well as loyalty programs (both 37%).

In fact, customers seemed pretty big on brand loyalty in general: 47% of them said they’d buy again from a brand they loved. Of course, their preferences largely depended on the age demographics.

For instance, there was nothing like digital ease for Gen Z and millennials (both 26%), who were more than twice as likely as baby boomers “to say they want brands to offer a mobile app or improve the app currently available.” Millennials (16%) and Gen Z (17%) were also four times as likely as baby boomers (4%) to ask for varied payment options like BNPL or store credit cards.

“Looking at the rising generations of the middle-class shopper, if Gen Z and millennials are in your customer base, meet them where they are, with attainable—yet aspirational—products, payment options and engaging digital experiences,” Nick Antonelli, CMO at Bread Financial, noted in the report.