I went to a great trends briefing from Mintel yesterday. And while it was packed with data, one thing stood out: there’s not a lot of new out there. Consumers are still cautious, still buying with care, and still leaning on familiar behaviours. This isn’t a market racing ahead. It’s steady as she goes. And that’s exactly why it’s worth paying attention.
So we’ve taken the six key signals from Mintel’s update and turned them into something a bit more interactive - think Choose Your Own Adventure, but for your business. Whether you run a consumer brand, a B2B company or an agency, these are the questions worth asking now across your brand, your team, your operations and your commercial foundations.
Most people are surviving, not thriving.
Around 80% of consumers expect to get by this year. Not flourish. Not upgrade. Just hold steady. That doesn’t mean they’ve stopped spending - it means they’re more selective, more rational and more protective of their time, money and energy. Businesses that feel like a risk, a faff, or a luxury will quietly be avoided.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Are we making ourselves an easy, low-friction choice for customers? | Are we structured to weather pressure or are we stretched too thin? | Do we know where our time and energy is really going and is it worth it? |
| Do we understand what makes people hesitate and remove those blockers? | Have we reviewed our pricing and margins considering how selective our clients now are? | Are we chasing work to stay busy, or choosing work that builds stability? |
| Are we spending money and time in ways that support sustainable growth? | Are we building processes that protect our delivery teams, not just our reputation? | Are we giving our team clear priorities or reacting to the loudest thing in the inbox? |
Spending is emotionally motivated.
Growth is happening in categories that offer emotional payoff - not indulgence, but control, calm, or connection. Even B2B decisions are shaped by how secure people feel. It’s not about manipulating emotion. It’s about respecting it.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Are we tuned into how people want to feel when they buy from us? | Do our team and clients feel genuinely supported or just serviced? | How emotionally intelligent is our internal culture, do we allow space for emotion or just performance? |
| Does our service model actually make people’s lives easier? | Are we creating internal ways of working that make decision-making feel calm and confident? | Are we building a studio people can think in or one that overwhelms? |
| Are we building brand memory by creating meaningful emotional touchpoints? | Are we investing in team wellbeing as seriously as we are in client delivery? | What’s the tone of our leadership when pressure hits? |
Priorities are shifting unevenly.
People are still prioritising health, financial security and mental wellbeing. Other areas - career progress, social life, hobbies - have slipped down. This isn’t a total overhaul of values, but it is a rebalancing. If your internal priorities are misaligned with your audience or your own team’s reality, performance will start to drift.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Are we adapting fast enough to what really matters to our customers? | Are we looking after our own people’s financial and mental wellbeing or assuming they’re fine? | Are we talking about mental health but running teams into the ground? |
| Are we spending on things that matter to them, or just to us? | Do we need to rethink how we define success right now - for clients, teams and leaders? | Have we reviewed what we reward is it hours, output or actual impact? |
| Do we know when to sell and when to serve? | Have we created breathing space for real strategic thinking or just filled the calendar? | Are our ways of working fit for purpose in a world where energy, not just time, is in short supply? |
Younger audiences are more open.
Younger people are more willing to try new categories, formats and experiences. Older groups are sticking with the tried and tested. This is less about age and more about appetite for risk and how clearly the reward is positioned. Internally, it’s also about who you’re listening to, and who’s shaping your thinking.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Are we launching new things because customers want them or because we’re bored? | Are we giving our team space to bring in new thinking, tools or ideas? | Are we creating space for junior and midweight voices to influence how we work? |
| Have we tested our ideas with the right group before rolling them out broadly? | Are we mentoring people to explore change safely, or gatekeeping innovation? | Do we encourage new approaches internally or say we do, but punish mistakes? |
| Are we confident our brand stretches where we want it to go? | Are we keeping risk low by adding clarity, not just caution? | Have we built a leadership culture that tolerates newness, or defaults to what’s familiar? |
The night in is still winning.
People are choosing comfort, simplicity and connection at home over going out. It’s not about frugality. It’s about managing energy and emotional capacity. That doesn’t just affect how people spend it changes how teams show up, how leaders lead, and how work fits into life.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Are we creating products or experiences that feel restorative or rewarding? | What’s our actual policy on late working and is it respected? | Are we still feeding the ‘late night pizza’ culture or building something better? |
| Do our delivery and customer support models respect people’s time and energy? | Have we structured work to fit human lives, or are we relying on overextension to deliver? | Do we set realistic timelines, or reward heroics? |
| Have we built convenience and effortlessness into how people access what we offer? | Are we honest about wellbeing or papering over burnout with perks? | Are we designing a culture that reflects real life or the highlight reel? |
Belonging still builds connection.
People want to feel aligned with the businesses they support, work with and work for. This isn’t about plastering values on a wall. It’s about consistency, clarity and behaviour. Belonging is built inside first then reflected outwards.
| B2C Business | B2B Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Do our values show up in how we treat customers and staff or just in our marketing? | B2B SME Is there clarity on what we stand for, internally and externally? | Are we creating a sense of belonging for our team that doesn’t rely on ‘culture’ as code for beer? |
| Would our employees recommend us as a place to work? | Do our team feel like they’re part of something or just delivering to target? | Are our values operationalised do they shape how we lead, price, hire and say no? |
| Are we confident our brand stretches where we want it to go? | Have we built a culture of contribution or just compliance? | Do we have clarity on who we are not for - in terms of clients, behaviours and expectations? |
In summary.
This isn’t a time for reinvention. But it is a time for sharper reflection. These consumer trends don’t shout. They signal. And in many cases, they’re reminding us of things we already knew, but perhaps haven’t acted on.
The best-performing organisations this year won’t be the ones chasing the next big shift. They’ll be the ones getting braver and more honest about what’s already true.
If you want to explore these questions in more depth, or use them as a starting point for a deeper Perspective Analysis of your business, we’re always up for a chat.
A little more reading.
