Consumers rewrite the rules — marketers can’t copy-paste anymore

Earlier this week, WARC released its 2025 Global Consumer Trends report, outlining the shifting sands of global consumer behaviour. Drawing on GWI surveys across 54 markets, along with WARC's own research and analysis, the report decodes five broad forces that will guide consumer brand choices in the year ahead.

These include polarised cost-of-living, rising influence of creators, adoption of AI agents, health-first consumption, and a redefined social connection. For marketers navigating these fault lines, the implications are structural.

Stephanie Siew, senior research executive at WARC, frames the larger context: “Amidst persisting economic uncertainty and the unpredictability around US trade tariffs, consumers are becoming more intentional in their spending and taking greater control over different aspects of their lives, particularly in the way they consume information, manage their wellbeing, and connect with others.”

Polarised spending power: The bifurcation of the middle

At the base of these shifting behaviours lies a widening cost-of-living gap in the US. Moody Analytics reports that the top 10% of US households now account for nearly half of all consumer spending. UBS forecasts that wealthy millennials will hold five times more wealth by 2030 than they do today, intensifying the economic divergence.

With tariffs expected to impact essentials such as food and apparel, low-income households—which spend a larger portion of income on these goods—face disproportionate pressure. In this cohort, 55% would rather opt for cheaper own-brand products than pay more for a name brand, compared to 40% of high-income consumers.

Faris Yakob, co-founder of Genius Steals, explains, “Since the ‘middle class’ is bifurcating into the haves and have-nots, many companies are reshuffling to serve the top 20% percent and the top 1% within that. The lower echelons are offered value alternatives and those with money are tempted to spend it on various levels of luxury as those companies pivot to lower volume / higher margin business models.”

For marketers, this means reassessing segmentation, product tiers, and price positioning. Value isn’t one-size-fits-all anymore.

Influencers rise as the new credibility currency

One of the most potent signals from the report is the growing clout of creators and influencers. Almost half (47%) of social media users have made purchases based on influencer endorsements over the past year. Consumer trust is tilting away from traditional media towards individual voices.

GWI data shows 57% of consumers now get news from social media, ahead of national TV news (52%) and news websites (49%). Among Gen Z, this shoots up to 71%, compared to 62% of millennials and 33% of baby boomers. In a landscape where attention is fragmented, authenticity wins.

Sapna Chadha, vice president of SEA and South Asia Frontier at Google, observes, “Consumers are going to creators to discover information about brands. The difference now is that they are moving from passive discovery to really immersing themselves in an entirely new shopping experience, which encompasses video.”

Marketers should be doubling down on influencer partnerships, not just as amplification tools but as trusted brand interfaces. Elevating internal experts, ensuring message integrity, and embedding influencers into long-term strategy will be key. However, brand safety and alignment must remain non-negotiable.

AI agents: From tool to proxy

Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstraction. 24% of consumers are comfortable letting AI agents shop for them, with this number rising among Gen Z.

Unlike chatbots, AI agents are increasingly autonomous—think OpenAI’s Operator or Google’s Project Mariner, which can book travel or purchase groceries independently.

ChatGPT leads the pack in consumer usage (45% in the past month), followed by rising players like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Salesforce data finds that 39% of users are already comfortable letting AI schedule appointments.

Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst at Sonata Insights, says, “Soon, consumers will not even need to go to an AI platform to do what they do today. Instead, they will have an AI agent perform a task on their behalf, and the results will be delivered to them.”

Yet even as AI gains functional trust, GWI data shows that emotional resonance remains a human advantage. Empathy, understanding, and personal touch are still defining experiences.

The marketing playbook here involves balancing AI and human interaction across touchpoints. Brands must ensure they are favourably positioned in AI-driven discovery—including SEO strategies geared for agent-first interfaces.

Wellness as a strategic imperative

Health consciousness is accelerating. Seventy-seven percent of consumers are concerned about the health risks of ultra-processed foods. Demand for vitamins and supplements has climbed: 31% bought them in the past month, up from 24% in 2022.

McKinsey research finds millennials and Gen Z are leading the charge, buying more health-related products and services. The shift is also visual—food packaging and labels play a critical role in perception.

Alberto Romano, global consumer and shopper planning collaboration manager at Diageo, notes, “Whether it is wellness-orientated food or clothing designed for comfort and emotional wellbeing, brands have the opportunity to shape the future by carving out unique and meaningful roles and purposes that resonate deeply with consumers’ wellness lifestyles.”

This trend goes beyond category. Brands not traditionally associated with health—from beverages to fashion—can tap into wellness through reformulation, transparency, and lifestyle branding.

Connection 2.0: Offline, real, and interest-led

In a world overloaded with digital content, younger audiences are rewiring how they connect. Around half of Gen Z (51%) and millennials (50%) play board games monthly. Fitness (38%), outdoor activities (33%), and niche online platforms like Strava or Letterboxd are surging.

Over half (53%) of consumers attended a festival in the past year. These interest-based communities and real-world gatherings are filling the void left by traditional social structures.

Colleen Ryan, Partner at TRA, sums it up, “Ultimately, the way people build connections has changed. We have moved from traditional systems to connecting with people whose interests are shared. For brands, this presents a challenge but also an opportunity, a middle ground on which to build connection, a space in between.”

Marketers can build relevance by leaning into these micro-communities through pop-ups, hobby-based events, and collaborative campaigns that serve as platforms for shared passion. It’s less about mass appeal and more about meaningful visibility.

The strategic imperative for 2025

What emerges from WARC’s report is a consumer base that is at once fragmented, empowered, and exacting. From AI agents to board games, consumers are reasserting control across channels, platforms, and categories. Marketers cannot respond with generic solutions.

The urgency is to reframe strategies—creators as trusted touchpoints, AI as both interface and intelligence, wellness as a unifying theme, and interest-led communities as brand ecosystems.

The future of influence lies not just in reach, but in relevance.

And in 2025, that will be defined by brands who listen, adapt, and engage on consumers’ new terms.