As Economic Anxiety Tightens Its Hold, Predictive Consumer Intelligence Gives Brands a Critical Edge
RESTON, VA, April 14, 2026 — Resonate, the leader in predictive consumer intelligence, has released its Summer 2026 Consumer Trends Report, a deep dive into the affordability pressures, geopolitical uncertainty, and consumer sentiment that will shape buying behavior in the coming months.
Resonate’s proprietary predictive intelligence draws on more than 15,000 unique attributes to anticipate the actions consumers will take as they reprioritize spending in the face of affordability concerns. This gives brand and marketing leaders a more powerful way to reach and engage consumers than relying on traditional data alone.
Key findings from report show that:
Economic sentiment is getting worse. 72% of Americans now rate the US economy as poor or fair, up from 69% earlier this year. This dip reflects the cumulative weight of inflation and broad affordability anxiety around things like fuel prices. When geopolitical events pushed gas prices higher in March, concerns about these costs jumped 20% in a matter of weeks, while 34% of consumers have concerns about a coming recession. This demonstrates the current fragility of consumer confidence.
Summer holidays are losing their automatic spending pull. Normally reliable summer holidays like the Fourth of July and Father’s Day are seeing double-digit increases in the share of consumers opting out entirely; nearly half of consumers (47%) will not do any shopping for Father’s Day, for example. Overall discretionary spending will also be reduced, with 44% of consumers going out less and 32% selectively cutting non-essential spending.
Consumers are tightening, not stopping. It’s not all doom and gloom for brands. Even with more selective spending, 48.7% of consumers intend to move forward with major planned purchases in the next six months. Summer staples related to travel still figure into their planning, as 18.1% plan to spend more on travel this year and 37.9% have not altered their vacation plans. Brands that can identify these spenders and predict their buying behavior have a huge advantage over backward-looking competitors, even as spending tightens.
Shrewd shopping will define the summer. Consumers will respond to economic uncertainty with precision, not panic. Memorial Day remains an important buying window, but consumers are looking for deals: data shows a 12% year-over-year increase in shoppers seeking holiday sales. And 31.2% of consumers have returned to couponing. Brands can capitalize by understanding who is still in the market and reach those buyers with the right price incentives and messages to motivate a (discounted) purchase.
“The Trends Report tells us that American consumers are not backing away from spending, but they are getting smarter about every dollar,” said Bryan Gernert, CEO of Resonate. “In this environment, it’s essential that brands understand which individuals in their audience are still going to spend, what motivates them to act right now, and when their intent is highest. Predictive consumer intelligence delivers that clarity and converts it into measurable business results.”
The Consumer Trends Report highlights Resonate’s predictive approach, moving beyond demographic data to understand what feelings, needs, and concerns influence buying decisions at the individual level. This allows organizations to better target, attract, and retain customers, even during times of economic anxiety.
Download the full report HERE.
