Surging costs causing Irish consumers to cut back on sustainable choices

Intrum’s annual report (ECPR), which surveys 24,000 European consumers on payment behaviour and the economic outlook, shows that record increases in the cost of living have set off a wave of bill-anxiety, forcing consumers to make difficult spending choices.

Three quarters of Irish consumers (74 per cent) say they would like to buy more sustainable goods and services, but the rising cost of living makes it challenging for them to do so. Seven in 10 are changing how they spend money and 69 per cent say that, because of inflation and increasing costs, they now can’t pay a premium for sustainable products. Of those changing their spending behaviour, 59 per cent say they plan to shop more in discount stores in the next year.

Other sectors likely to be affected by changing consumer spending patterns are not-for-profits and charities, with one in five of those changing their spending behaviour saying they will give less to charity in the next year.

“The cost-of-living crunch has understandably made struggling consumers look for discounts, leaving less scope to pay a premium for sustainable products. This can create additional challenges for governments, businesses and other organisations striving to keep sustainable consumption and the green transition at the top of the agenda,” says Vanessa Söderberg, Intrum’s Global Sustainability Director.

The ECPR findings show, however, that most Irish consumers will still ‘punish’ companies that they believe to be prejudiced. Seventy per cent said they would stop spending money with a company if they believed it discriminated against consumers by racial or socioeconomic profiling.

Other key findings in European Consumer Payment Report 2022 include:

Consumer confidence is lower now than in the darkest days of lockdown

• Around two thirds worry they won’t be able to retire comfortably (64%) and that they aren’t saving enough for the future (68%). This is up from 56% and 54% last year.

• Unlike in recent years, older consumers are more likely to be affected (for example, 74% of Gen X say they are worse off than they were last year, compared with the Irish average of 66%).

Inflation and lack of confidence is impacting consumer spending patterns

• More than seven in 10 (77 per cent) Irish consumers say they have become increasingly aware of unnecessary costs.

• Consumers changing their behaviour are cutting back on meals out to compensate for rising prices, which is bad news for the hospitality sector and others that were starting to regain their footing after the impact of Covid.

• Almost half (45 per cent) are struggling to make ends meet and expect to default on a utility bill in the next 12 months. A third (35 per cent) have already missed a payment in the past year.

• Consumers who expect to miss bill payments in the next 12 months say they are most likely to default on telephone, e-commerce and online store bills.

The full European Consumer Payment Report is available for download at intrum.com/ecpr2022

About The European Consumer Payment Report 2022

The European Consumer Payment Report 2022 is an instrument for gaining insight into European consumers’ everyday lives, their spending and ability to manage their household finances on a monthly basis. The report is based on an external survey conducted by Longitude in 24 countries in Europe. A total of 24,011 consumers participated in the 2022 edition of the survey. The field work for the study was conducted between July and September 2022.