We are surviving the crisis with community consumption

Since the crisis, consumer welfare has been steadily deteriorating, reaching a new low according to Cetelem's latest international survey. At Thursday's press conference presenting the survey, social psychologist István Síklaki said that the information collected on social networks has become increasingly important in the course of consumers' consumption decisions. Consumers also make their purchases more and more with the help of "smart devices", the Internet and social networks, Hungarians are especially "enthusiastic about social media".

Respondents rated the current situation in their own country on average on a scale of 2013 to 1 in the Cetelem Panorama 10 survey. Europe is surviving the crisis with the spread of community consumption, according to Cetelem analysts.

According to the summary of the international banking group Cetelem, Hungary's consumer perception is among the drivers with its 2,6 rating, only the residents of Portugal (with an indicator of 2,4) and the citizens of Spain (with a rating of 2,5) are more pessimistic.

According to the survey, consumers in the UK and Romania alone see the situation more favorably than last year.

The analyzes and forecasts were based on a survey of 12 European countries at the end of 2012, based on representative samples of nationals from the countries surveyed, using a total of more than 6500 interviewees, using a sample of at least 500 people per country.

Based on Cetelem Körkép 2013, the permanently changed circumstances give rise to radically new, alternative consumer solutions. Community consumption comes to the fore. By Cetelem, this means that smaller communities buy certain consumer goods, such as a lawn mower or pump, together. This is reinforced by the mobile revolution and social media.

Based on the experience of the survey, consumers increasingly prefer to buy used items instead of expensive or new products, "trade-in" and recycle, and internet auction sites provide an excellent framework for this - explained the university associate professor.

He explained: 83 percent of customers in Hungary think they will buy an article used in the coming years.

According to the research, safety has come to the fore, with an average of 40 percent of those surveyed planning to increase their savings in the next one year. Hungarians are also saving more and more: compared to the past, one and a half times as many (30 percent of them) plan to set aside part of their income. [Cetelem]