{"id":8656,"date":"2021-08-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?p=8656"},"modified":"2025-10-07T12:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T20:09:35","slug":"understanding-the-british-consumer-and-how-to-reach-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/understanding-the-british-consumer-and-how-to-reach-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the British Consumer and How to Reach Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The French general and emperor Napoleon is reputed to have dismissed Britain as \u201ca nation of shopkeepers,\u201d but two centuries later, \u201ca nation of shoppers\u201d might be more appropriate. U.K. consumer spending has risen<\/a> every year of the past decade, other than in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc. Even then, by April 2021, spending was back to pre-pandemic levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such behaviours reflect the strong purchasing power of U.K. consumers. The Luxembourg Income Study<\/a> ranks the U.K. fourth in the world on consumers\u2019 disposable income, i.e., how much they have to spend after essentials such as housing costs and bills have been met. And while Britons, like everyone else, have suffered at the hands of the pandemic, consumer confidence is returning. The first half of the year saw some of the biggest jumps<\/a> ever in optimism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news for international businesses targeting the U.K. is that Britons have increasingly global tastes. Some are buying directly from overseas producers\u2013one recent piece of research<\/a> found 15% of British consumers bought something from an international producer every day. Many more are buying international products in retailers such as supermarkets, where 20% to 30% of goods on shelves<\/a> now typically come from overseas suppliers. The U.K. imports<\/a> around \u00a311.5bn worth of food and drink each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are British consumers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"British
Source: The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In practice, no two consumers are the same. But there are useful ways to group consumers, which can help you work out who your products might appeal to. One popular method is to divide people according to their income and wealth. For example, the influential marketer CACI<\/a> classifies British consumers into six groups on this basis (as well as many subgroups), with three groups looking particularly interesting to international companies selling into the U.K.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n