{"id":1744,"date":"2025-09-02T14:49:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1744"},"modified":"2025-09-09T22:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T22:10:16","slug":"recent-data-reveals-categories-consumers-will-spend-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1744","title":{"rendered":"Recent Data Reveals Categories Consumers Will Still Spend On & Where They Won’t"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest Consumer Confidence Index <\/a>released last week by the Conference Board offers a glimpse not only of current consumer sentiment, but also where consumers are planning to spend the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In summary, all three major indexes were down, with consumer confidence falling 1.3 points in August to 97.4 from 98.7 in July and the Present Situation Index based on consumer views of current business and labor market conditions, down 1.6 points to 131.2. Meanwhile, the Expectations Index based on consumers\u2019 short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions fell by 1.2 points to 74.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this coincides with a host of issues, including the impact of consumer concerns regarding the impact of tariffs on pricing. The board wrote that \u201creferences to tariffs increased somewhat and continued to be associated with concerns about higher prices. Meanwhile, references to high prices and inflation, including food and groceries, rose again in August.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The report noted that confidence \u201cfell for consumers under 35 years old, was stable for consumers aged 35 to 55, and rose for consumers over 55.\u201d It also weakened among Republicans and Democrats, showing there was no significant partisan influence guiding views about the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet despite the declines, the study showed that consumers\u2019 purchasing plans for new and used cars increased in August, while plans to purchase homes remained stable following a decline in July. The index also found that with the exception of washers and dryers, purchasing plans for other big-ticket items were down slightly from July with the biggest impact seen on TVs and tablets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also noted that consumers plan to purchase more services, including nondiscretionary categories such as financial services and car and home maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discretionary spending plans such as dining out and outdoor and indoor entertainment were down, while vacation plans declined a second straight month, \u201cwith intentions to travel abroad and within the U.S. both declining.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no specific mention of furniture, but the overall anticipated cautious approach to spending on big-ticket items combined with the lack of growth in plans to purchase a home, signals plans to buy furniture also could stall in the weeks and months ahead. Again, the implementation of tariffs in early August could contribute to this malaise toward the category, at least in the short term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRising inflation continues to shift consumer spending habits toward necessities such as groceries and away from discretionary services,\u201d the Conference Board said in an Aug. 29 follow-up economic report. \u201cIn July, consumers were focused on chasing discounts ahead of another round of tariff increases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConsumers\u2019 renewed focus on goods over services suggests an effort to front-run tariffs before the new round took effect in August,\u201d the group added. \u201cThis is supported by July\u2019s outsized surge in goods imports, according to Census Bureau data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Conference Board also shared the following insights in its Aug. 29 report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Rising inflation will likely limit how much consumers can spend on goods and services when adjusted for inflation, leading to further deceleration in economic growth in the second half of the year. After modest GDP growth of 1.4% in H1, we estimate the economy will expand at only half that pace in H2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The sharp rise in goods imports is expected to weigh on GDP growth in the third quarter, with the economy expected to expand by only .6% in the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The home furnishings category remains in the cross hairs as the industry continues to grapple with both tariffs and interest levels that are slowing existing home sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While pricing continues to adjust given the impact of issues like tariffs on finished goods, it\u2019s probably time for the industry to take steps to put consumers\u2019 minds at ease. While prices may be rising, consumers also need to understand that the product they are considering has built-in value, features and benefits that be a long-time investment in the overall aesthetics, livability and value of their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumer Confidence Rises Slightly in July<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest Consumer Confidence Index released last week by the Conference Board offers a glimpse not only of current consumer sentiment, but also where consumers are planning to spend the most. In summary, all three major indexes were down, with consumer confidence falling 1.3 points in August to 97.4 from 98.7 in July and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":127,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[429,551,485],"class_list":["post-1744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-consumer-confidence","tag-expectations-index","tag-present-situation-index"],"yoast_head":"\nRecent Data Reveals Categories Consumers Will Still Spend On & Where They Won't - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The latest Consumer Confidence Index reveals current consumer sentiment as well as what consumers are planning to spend the most on.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1744\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recent Data Reveals Categories Consumers Will Still Spend On & Where They Won't - 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