Brands are losing their significance as a reason to buy

Traditional brand messages are clearly losing their impact: only 21 per cent of respondents now cite brand reputation as one of the three most important reasons for buying. This figure is taken from the Roland Berger study “The consumer playbook is changing”. At the same time, the study states, personal networks are rising to become the second most important source of product information: 40 per cent discover products through friends and family, and 21 per cent through direct peer recommendations. From the study authors’ perspective, this means that for companies, reach alone is not enough. What matters most are credible benefits, verifiable performance and a presence at the relevant social decision-making moments.

As its core message, the study reinforces the thesis that consumer behaviour is coming under new pressures: economic uncertainty, dwindling trust in institutions and the rise of artificial intelligence are changing the way people discover, evaluate and purchase products. For the study, a total of 6,000 consumers across nine countries were surveyed between February and March 2026.

However, consumers in these nine countries assess the situation quite differently in some respects. For example, when asked about their current attitude towards climate and sustainability, respondents in the countries surveyed answered ‘(very) negative’ as follows: USA 30 per cent, Brazil 29 per cent, Mexico 14 per cent, Germany 27 per cent, France 46 per cent, Italy 45 per cent, Spain 29 per cent, the Netherlands 36 per cent, the United Arab Emirates 14 per cent, total 30 per cent.

Eight consumer sectors are also examined to a lesser extent. The study cites the following as its source “Global Consumer Survey 2026, Native Research, Roland Berger”. For the home improvement/gardening (DIY) sector, it states that consumers intend to spend 6.9 per cent less, and as much as 8.1 per cent less on furniture and home furnishings. They plan to spend more only on local leisure activities (up 2.0 per cent) and on travel and holidays (up 1.8 per cent).

The DIY category also features under the heading ‘Not everything is online’. Only 37 per cent of consumers say that online shopping is important in this area – the second-lowest figure after food and alcohol. By way of comparison, the figure is 51 per cent for electronics and 77 per cent for travel.