‘Wiser wallets’, one of Euromonitor International’s global consumer trends for 2025, states that people weigh the worth of their purchases against their priorities, both in terms of current needs and future demands. Consumers now approach shopping with a strategic mindset, anticipating added value as a standard. Added value became the expectation as prolonged economic uncertainties created new spending norms. Hence, people weigh the worth of their purchases against their priorities as a form of self-investment in the long-, mid-, and short-run.
Innovative shopping solutions like ecommerce and diverse payments methods remain crucial in 2025. For example, as two of the largest payment networks in the world, Visa and Mastercard are continuously innovating and launching new payment solutions to adapt to evolving consumer preferences, improve security, and leverage emerging technologies. These include:
Contactless payment expansion such as ‘Visa Tap-to-Pay’ and ‘Mastercard Contactless’ solutions.
Digital wallets like ‘Visa Direct’ and ‘Mastercard Digital Wallet’ allow secure, quick payments through mobile, Apple Pay, Google Pay, wearables, and other smart devices.
Biometric authentication for enhanced security during purchases. For example, the ‘Visa Secure’ platform developed biometric-enabled payment cards and partnerships for facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, and other biometric methods to combat fraud, while Mastercard launched biometric cards in collaboration with various banks, using fingerprint scanning to authorise transactions directly on the card itself, providing an added layer of security.
Furthermore, ecommerce platforms like Amazon continue to revamp their services while building competitive offerings, increasing the variety of products and services, being focused on building customer loyalty and offering various programmes, features, and innovations to retain existing users and attract new ones.
For example, Amazon Prime gives access not only to free shipping but also to Amazon Prime Video, grocery discounts, exclusive deals and early access, as well as additional discounts through selected credit cards, and cashback options in selected countries and regions. This provides higher value to consumers, offering them a wiser wallet experience.
Another example is the UAE’s Al-Futtaim Blue loyalty programme, which introduced features to foster long-term engagement in 2024. Blue, Al-Futtaim Group’s lifestyle and rewards programme, launched a new bill payment feature. The integration allows Blue users to pay various utility and telecom bills seamlessly and enhances user convenience by consolidating essential payment services within a single app. This feature is significant as it goes beyond traditional loyalty benefits such as discounts and rewards. It adds practical, everyday value, making bill management easier and more accessible, and increasing the likelihood that users will interact with the app more regularly.
Loyalty programmes that offer enhanced, practical benefits can significantly strengthen long-term customer loyalty and retention by integrating seamlessly into the users' daily routines. A one-stop platform offers to save time and promotes frequent engagement, reinforcing connections to the brand.
Adopting a segmented approach to understanding the priorities and needs of the target audience is crucial. For example, mapping products to different life stages can provide valuable insights for product diversification or marketing strategies. Bringing customers into the development process for testing and feedback is another way to ensure the success of innovation while at the same time fostering brand loyalty.
To sum up, to be successful in the market, brands should consider both immediate and long-term needs in their innovation roadmap to foster sustainable growth, as well as respond with solutions that convey clear benefits and tangible, useful incentives to remain relevant for their target audience.
Euromonitor interesting facts:
72% of consumers were concerned about the rising cost of everyday items;
48% of consumers planned to save more money;
57% of consumers extensively researched the products and services they consumed;
53% of professionals said their company plans to target new consumer segments or occasions to drive growth in the next five years;
46% of consumers wanted to engage with brands to influence product innovation;
3 in 5 millennials paid for a loyalty programme subscription compared to half of Gen Z.
Source: Euromonitor Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey, fielded January to February 2024 (n=39,943); Euromonitor Voice of the Industry Survey, fielded September 2024 (n=818); Euromonitor Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey, fielded January to February 2024 (n=40,236); Euromonitor Voice of the Consumer: Loyalty Survey, fielded March to April 2024 (n=16,150).
Amna is a Senior Consultant for the beauty, health, fashion, and luxury industries at data analytics company Euromonitor International. Based in Dubai, Amna has a core focus on MENAT and Pakistan. As a thought leader, she advises clients across industries on topics like health and wellness, consumer trends, retailing, business strategy, and planning. Amna is also a co-author of Euromonitor’s main annual report, Global Consumer Trends.
Euromonitor International leads the world in data analytics and research into markets, industries, economies, and consumers. We provide truly global insights and data on thousands of products and services to help our clients maximise opportunities, and we are the first destination for organisations seeking growth. With our guidance, our clients can make bold, strategic decisions with confidence. We have 16 offices around the world, with 1000+ analysts covering 210 countries and 99.9% of the world's consumers, and use the latest data science and market research techniques to help our clients to make sense of global markets.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now