Bazaarvoice Shopper Preference Report: 88% of Shoppers Shift Spending Habits with Focus on Value and Trust-Driven Consumption

AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2025  – Bazaarvoice, Inc., the leading provider of full-funnel authentic user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce solutions, today released its third annual Shopper Preference Report. The study of over 8,000 global consumers shows that as inflation continues to impact household budgets, shoppers are making significant changes to their buying habits, with affordability and trust driving purchasing decisions. The hardest-hit categories include grocery (72%), food and beverages (60%), and health and beauty (25%). More global insights include:

The rise of value-driven consumption: Consumers are turning to strategic shopping tactics to maximize their budgets. 54% have switched to cheaper brands, 45% are delaying non-essential purchases, and 37% are actively using coupons and discount codes. Loyalty programs are also seeing increased participation, with 32% of shoppers joining programs to access better deals.

Store brands gain traction amid economic pressure: The survey also reveals that 57% of consumers have permanently switched to store-brand products. Lower prices (76%) remain the biggest factor, but improved quality (49%) and positive reviews (35%) are also helping store brands earn consumer loyalty.

Trust and authentic content shape purchase: Authenticity is key, as 52% of shoppers cite real customer reviews as the biggest factor in their final purchase decisions. Consumers trust content that includes detailed product descriptions (37%), real-life photos/videos (35%), and balanced feedback (33%). On the flip side, they are wary of overly positive, generic reviews (44%) and suspiciously high review volumes in a short time (39%).

Social media’s growing influence on shopping decisions: A third (32%) of consumers say social media introduced them to new products, while 29% use it to compare prices and products. Short-form videos (46%) and customer reviews (43%) are the most trusted content formats. However, honesty remains paramount: 52% of shoppers distrust creator content that feels overly promotional, and 43% say authenticity comes from creators who acknowledge a product’s pros and cons.

The future of shopping: Despite ongoing financial concerns, shoppers are curious about innovative shopping experiences. A quarter are excited by smart fitting rooms, and 22% find augmented reality product visualization appealing.

“As economic uncertainty continues, consumers are making more informed, strategic choices,”  said Zarina Lam Stanford, Chief Marketing Officer at Bazaarvoice. “Brands and retailers that focus on affordability, trust, and authentic engagement—particularly through user-generated content—will be best positioned to meet evolving consumer expectations.” 

For more information on the study, visit https://www.bazaarvoice.com/resources/shopper-preference-report-2025/

Research methodology

The research was commissioned by Bazaarvoice and conducted in January 2025 by Savanta among over 8,000 consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, and Canada. 

About Bazaarvoice

Bazaarvoice is reshaping how brands and retailers connect with consumers by putting the consumer voice first. With an end-to-end, commerce-empowered omni-channel content solutions and analytics platform, Bazaarvoice helps 13,000+ brands and retailers inform consumer decisions consistently and at scale at every stage of the shopper journey, on every platform where shoppers live.  2.5B shoppers use the Bazaarvoice Network on a monthly basis.

Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in North America, Europe, India, and Australia. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com