CONSUMERS HAVE moved from being lazy, ill-informed and ripped off to being frugal, savvy and more willing to complain, according to new research which links the change in attitudes to the recession.
The results of the research, carried out by the National Consumer Agency, is due to be published in the coming weeks and focuses on how consumers are coping with the recession and how empowered people feel compared with the last time a major study of Irish consumer habits was carried out.
In 2005 the Government commissioned a Consumer Strategy Report which found that Irish consumers were ripped off, loath to complain and confused about their rights.
But according to the consumer agency, people are now price conscious, thrifty, more willing to complain and better money managers. The passivity which was once a hallmark of Irish consumers has gone and people are shopping around for better prices.
According to the research, the results of which have been seen by The Irish Times, three-quarters of Irish consumers are now actively looking around for better value while 72 per cent say the recession has made them think carefully about what they buy.
Five years ago consumers ranked quality, value and price as the major influences in determining how they shopped. Today price is the principal influencing factor with 70 per cent of those asked describing it as the most important element in influencing their decisions.
People are also more willing to complain and are getting better at it. The research, which was conducted in June, found that 73 per cent of consumers were more confident about their rights than five years ago.
In 2005 the majority of people believed the complaint process was too long and put them off complaining. Today 80 per cent of consumers have complained about high prices or bad service – the highest level since the agency began tracking Irish consumer behaviour.
The agency also found that three out of four people will continue to look for cheap deals when the recession ends. Among 25-34-year-olds this resolve is particularly high and 83 per cent say that their frugality is for keeps.
Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the National Consumer Agency, said the recession had taught people “a very tough lesson”. She said the research showed it was a lesson “particularly young people are unlikely to forget. People aged under 25 today were, effectively cosseted throughout their whole life. They had never lived through a recession”.
The research also shows that consumers are continuing to switch product and service providers and when they do, they save money.
It found that 92 per cent of people who switched electricity suppliers in the last 18 months made savings,while 88 per cent of those who moved house insurance found their outgoings reduced.
