2022 Latest Survey of American Consumers! Re-understanding the Market Adjustment Layout

Recently, the research organization RRD surveyed 250 marketers and 1,000 consumers in the United States to find the intersection of consumer needs and marketers' priorities. The survey found that the factors that actually affect consumer purchasing decisions are quite different from marketers' assumptions.

With the emergence of new channels and new trends, consumer demand is always changing. According to the report, the changes in American consumer demand in 2022 will mainly be reflected in four aspects.

1. Word of mouth has a huge influence

For nearly a third of consumers surveyed in the report (28%), word of mouth is the preferred channel for learning about new brands, products or services, ahead of social media (23%), cable TV (12%) and online/digital advertising (11%).

Word of mouth outperformed all other forms of brand discovery in the past year. The survey results show that the majority (55%) of consumers discovered new brands, products or services through word of mouth in the past year, followed by social media (53%).

On the other hand, only 4% of marketers consider word-of-mouth communication as a consumer preference for learning about new brands, products or services. For marketers, efforts should be made to provide timely, relevant and share-worthy information so that consumers have something to say in order to spark conversations around their brands.

2. Consumers are more satisfied with direct mail

51% of consumers are more satisfied with the direct mail they received in the past year than they were the year before, with this satisfaction highest among Generation Y (65%), Generation Z (57%) and Generation X (53%), and lowest among Baby Boomers (36%).

While 67% of marketers have made significant changes to their marketing strategies in the past year, consumer data suggests that marketers should continue to adjust their strategies in 2022 and consider reinvesting in traditional marketing channels.

3. Consumers crave in-store shopping experiences

More than a third (35%) of consumers say the shopping habits they have developed as a result of the pandemic will not last after it ends. This is in stark contrast to marketers’ assumptions, with 43% expecting consumers will not return to their pre-pandemic shopping habits for 6-12 months.

These data points suggest that consumers are more likely to return to in-store shopping than many marketers assume and have high expectations for the in-store shopping experience, demonstrating the importance of an experience-driven in-store marketing strategy.

While some marketers have redirected budgets toward driving traffic to brand websites during the pandemic, this data suggests that marketers should remain flexible and simultaneously invest in creating exceptional in-store customer experiences in their physical stores.

4. Pinterest and TikTok are on the rise, and influencer power is overestimated

The survey shows that when it comes to following their favorite brands, consumers prefer Pinterest (21%), TikTok (20%) and Twitter (19%) over Snapchat (16%) and Reddit (11%). At the same time, 82% of marketers believe that influencers help drive consumer purchases.

However, the reality is that only 26% of consumers said that influencers made them more likely to buy a new product or service. Marketers also overestimate the power of Snapchat, with 21% of marketers saying consumers use the platform to discover new brands, while only 7% of consumers agree.

These findings present additional complexities for marketers looking to connect with their audiences, as even though consumers express a higher preference for traditional marketing channels, they are also actively engaging with brands via social media.

Therefore, marketers should strive to understand which social channels resonate with consumers and quickly inject budget funds to capitalize on trends. At the same time, marketers should remain vigilant and strive to mine real-time insights into consumer preferences and the ever-changing environment they are in.

Editor ✎ Xiao Zhu/

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