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Spend Shift: How the Post-Crisis Values Revolution Is Changing the Way We Buy, Sell, and Live
Gold Medal Winner, General Business, 2012 Axiom Business Book Awards
Understanding the post-crisis consumer
In "Spend Shift," John Gerzema, world-renowned expert on consumer values, and Pulitzer prizewinning author Michael D'Antonio document the rise of a vibrant, values-driven post-recession economy. To tell the story of this movement, the authors travel to large cities and small towns across eight bellwether states, to examine the value shifts sweeping the nation. Through in-depth observation, proprietary data from Young & Rubicam, and interviews with experts, the authors analyze the changing consumer psyche, document the five shifting values and consumer behaviors that are remaking America and the world, and explain what it means to businesses and leaders.Explores a movement in society where the majority of American consumers are embracing both value and values Shows how post-crisis consumer expectations and behaviors will drive business decisions Draws on interviews with CEOs and entrepreneurs to reveal how companies like Ford and Etsy are reconnecting with the post-crisis consumer
Compelling and insightful, "Spend Shift" is essential reading for anyone interested in how values are changing and how businesses can connect with consumers after the recession.
Understanding the post-crisis consumer
In "Spend Shift," John Gerzema, world-renowned expert on consumer values, and Pulitzer prizewinning author Michael D'Antonio document the rise of a vibrant, values-driven post-recession economy. To tell the story of this movement, the authors travel to large cities and small towns across eight bellwether states, to examine the value shifts sweeping the nation. Through in-depth observation, proprietary data from Young & Rubicam, and interviews with experts, the authors analyze the changing consumer psyche, document the five shifting values and consumer behaviors that are remaking America and the world, and explain what it means to businesses and leaders.Explores a movement in society where the majority of American consumers are embracing both value and values Shows how post-crisis consumer expectations and behaviors will drive business decisions Draws on interviews with CEOs and entrepreneurs to reveal how companies like Ford and Etsy are reconnecting with the post-crisis consumer
Compelling and insightful, "Spend Shift" is essential reading for anyone interested in how values are changing and how businesses can connect with consumers after the recession.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 10, 2020
It’s hard to read this book now and take it too seriously. Much of the “Spend Shift” that’s cited by the authors as making radical, permanent change to the American polity, in a future where Americans are thrifty customers and not consumers, has since blown away.
Cheap gas prices and changing consumer preferences have driven car-makers to cater to larger and larger vehicles, to the point that the much-lauded Ford Fiesta is no more as of model year 2020.
I can’t blame the authors for not predicting the future 10 years down the line accurately, but this is a bittersweet read that shows how society and culture could have been 10 years after the Great Recession - and definitely not how we’ve ended up.
Cheap gas prices and changing consumer preferences have driven car-makers to cater to larger and larger vehicles, to the point that the much-lauded Ford Fiesta is no more as of model year 2020.
I can’t blame the authors for not predicting the future 10 years down the line accurately, but this is a bittersweet read that shows how society and culture could have been 10 years after the Great Recession - and definitely not how we’ve ended up.
July 8, 2022
The book is very optimistic view on how different people handled positively and had a positive outcome after the Great Recession (the 2008/ 2009 market crisis). It mainly reviews how consumerism is changing and that people are turning from consumers to customers. That they want more quality products and services, honesty, transparency, moving from materialism to what’s material, less about what we carry than how we carry ourselves, in less there is more, values-led innovation, etc. That generosity is now a business model. We must think small to solve big. There are lots of different stories around those topics. But I really liked one of them for how in western Massachusetts due to the crisis they started using their own money/ currency - Berkshires in order to stimulate local production and trade. Overall I didn’t learn anything new but there were quite a few interesting stories. Some interesting points for me were:
Atkinson (from meetup.com) learned what successful groups have in common: they have to have a distinct purpose, then there must be a min number of truly committed people 3-5 who show up consistently. Purpose + interaction = stickiness. After a few years you also need an organizer to set positive tone, keep the group focused on its purpose, maintain the member’s interest by giving them interesting material and activities. He created a checklist to evaluate group’s potential:
1. Does it satisfy a real need?
2. Do its members learn more, have more fun, get more done or get support?
3. Does it have clearly articulated purpose?
4. Is it clear about who belongs and who doesn’t?
5. Is there interaction between members?
6. Do members form enduring relationships that go beyond the original reason for connecting?
7. Do members contribute, participate, do they work together to achieve the common purpose? An audience is not a community.
8. Do members feel responsibility for each other and the community at large?
9. Are there roles, responsibilities and jobs performed by the membership?
10. Is it self policing? Do people censure or eject unruly or unreasonable members? Are there guidelines, rules or norms of behavior?
Atkinson (from meetup.com) learned what successful groups have in common: they have to have a distinct purpose, then there must be a min number of truly committed people 3-5 who show up consistently. Purpose + interaction = stickiness. After a few years you also need an organizer to set positive tone, keep the group focused on its purpose, maintain the member’s interest by giving them interesting material and activities. He created a checklist to evaluate group’s potential:
1. Does it satisfy a real need?
2. Do its members learn more, have more fun, get more done or get support?
3. Does it have clearly articulated purpose?
4. Is it clear about who belongs and who doesn’t?
5. Is there interaction between members?
6. Do members form enduring relationships that go beyond the original reason for connecting?
7. Do members contribute, participate, do they work together to achieve the common purpose? An audience is not a community.
8. Do members feel responsibility for each other and the community at large?
9. Are there roles, responsibilities and jobs performed by the membership?
10. Is it self policing? Do people censure or eject unruly or unreasonable members? Are there guidelines, rules or norms of behavior?
January 1, 2021
Economic crisis is not bad, but I think maybe the author is too optimistic
January 31, 2013
Spend Shift offers insights into how our lives are changing after the Great Recession. The introduction presents data revealing shifts in consumer values. For example, consumer spending now accounts for 73 percent of all economic activity in the United States, up from 63 percent three decades ago.
Now, post recession, needs replace wants and consumers have moved toward more values-based spending. The majority of all Americans are now "spend shifters" who seek greater balance and a more fulfilling experience. They are spending less and yet feeling greater happiness and satisfaction.
The authors chronicle how "spend shifters" are changing the economic landscape in the following cities: Detroit, Dallas, Boston, Tampa, Brooklyn, Las Vegas, Dearborn, San Francisco and Los Angeles. A compelling start followed by anecdotal evidence.
Demand still drives a large portion of the U.S. economy. Develop a product or service that consumers and businesses demand, and will pay for, and you can experience your own version of "spend shifting."
Spend Shift offers insights and several takeaways, but few compelling answers. The road to our economic future is still under construction and the signage is lacking.
Now, post recession, needs replace wants and consumers have moved toward more values-based spending. The majority of all Americans are now "spend shifters" who seek greater balance and a more fulfilling experience. They are spending less and yet feeling greater happiness and satisfaction.
The authors chronicle how "spend shifters" are changing the economic landscape in the following cities: Detroit, Dallas, Boston, Tampa, Brooklyn, Las Vegas, Dearborn, San Francisco and Los Angeles. A compelling start followed by anecdotal evidence.
"The lasting lesson from the recession is that in less there is more. That removed from the things that we merely want, we find the things we truly need."The big unanswered question for me is "Once the economy approaches a more fuller recovery will "spend shifting" shift back toward a more traditional conspicuous consumption model?"
Demand still drives a large portion of the U.S. economy. Develop a product or service that consumers and businesses demand, and will pay for, and you can experience your own version of "spend shifting."
Spend Shift offers insights and several takeaways, but few compelling answers. The road to our economic future is still under construction and the signage is lacking.
January 26, 2012
A easy-to-read book exploring spending habits and their changes since the Great Recession. Engagingly written and full of wonderful anecdotes, I struggled with the cohesion of the book.
Details: American consumers are adding values to their consumption - not just value. We follow stories around the USA of how people are making new choices do develop their careers and their businesses. This is the strength of the book, as the human characters jump of the page with vibrancy and immediacy. There are a lot of inspiring stories here.
However, I had hoped that Gerzema and D'Antonio would have wrapped it up with "what it all means". Maybe that is the point, the future is more options and harder to predict.
The Takeaway: Learn why the Great Recession changed thinking and how are people living their values in the businesses.
Details: American consumers are adding values to their consumption - not just value. We follow stories around the USA of how people are making new choices do develop their careers and their businesses. This is the strength of the book, as the human characters jump of the page with vibrancy and immediacy. There are a lot of inspiring stories here.
However, I had hoped that Gerzema and D'Antonio would have wrapped it up with "what it all means". Maybe that is the point, the future is more options and harder to predict.
The Takeaway: Learn why the Great Recession changed thinking and how are people living their values in the businesses.
July 16, 2011
There is some interesting stuff in this book about how some people are shifting their buying habits to reflect their values. The author's research indicated many people are seeking quality not quantity and want to spend their money with companies that have some sort of integrity whether it's with labor or environment or something similar. It's nice to see some signs that people are all being thoughtless consumers any more. This book is mostly geared toward helping companies market to these more socially conscious people.
June 24, 2014
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"Need some good news to come from the crappy economy? Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael D'Antonio explores how the downturn has made us reevaluate our values — including a shift from spending to saving that just may remake America."
"Need some good news to come from the crappy economy? Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael D'Antonio explores how the downturn has made us reevaluate our values — including a shift from spending to saving that just may remake America."
October 1, 2012
I'd like it even better if I could believe it and didn't see the hordes of people waiting to get into the mall parking lot every weekend, and the people still buying SUVs (by cadillac and porsche and mercedes and bmw, no less), and disgusting fashion spreads that suggest anyone needs a $7000 handbag...
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June 19, 2012I loved this uplifting book. Based on Y&R global data of public attitudes, the book is full of small stories, giving people hope about how to make it in the new economy.
From pickles to Etsy, from Detroit to LA, this is a powerful, must-read book!
From pickles to Etsy, from Detroit to LA, this is a powerful, must-read book!
May 20, 2011
Nothing new here, although the examples are interesting and it ends much stronger than it starts.
August 17, 2011
Boring! Nothing really new I hadn't heard before on the news or in the Wall Street Journal.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews