1. Consumer Snapshot
march 2013
www.ProsperDiscovery.com

2. march 2013
sentiment strategy discovery
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future methodology employed in producing the statistics; or the data and estimates represent only the opinion of Prosper and reliance thereon and use thereof shall be at the user’s own risk.
© 2013, Prosper®

3. sentiment
very confident/confident in chances for a strong economy
{adults 18+}
42.0%
consumer confidence
40.0% those very confident/confident in chances for a strong
economy remain stagnant at 37.5% in March
38.0%
36.0%
34.0%
32.0%
30.0%
28.0%
Source: Monthly Consumer Survey
© 2013, Prosper®

4. sentiment
very confident/confident in chances for a strong economy
{adults 18+}
50.0%
consumer confidence
45.0%
those very confident/confident in chances for a strong
40.0%
economy remain stagnant at 37.5% in March
35.0%
30.0% confidence over the years
25.0% while confidence has improved from the Great
20.0%
Recession, economic sentiment has yet to “recover”
sustained confidence readings in the 40-50% range
15.0%
would be expected in a “good” economy
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Mar-09 Mar-10 Mar-11 Mar-12 Mar-13
Source: Monthly Consumer Survey
© 2013, Prosper®

5. sentiment
very confident/confident in chances for a strong economy
{adults 18+}
50.0%
consumer confidence
45.0%
those very confident/confident in chances for a strong
40.0%
economy remain stagnant at 37.5% in March
35.0%
30.0% confidence over the years
25.0% while confidence has improved from the Great
20.0%
Recession, economic sentiment has yet to “recover”
sustained confidence readings in the 40-50% range
15.0%
would be expected in a “good” economy
10.0%
5.0% Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan
0.0% preliminary reading for March saw consumer
Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Mar-09 Mar-10 Mar-11 Mar-12 Mar-13 sentiment drop to 71.8 from 77.6 in February (source)
Source: Monthly Consumer Survey
© 2013, Prosper®

6. The frustrations expressed by
consumers essentially involve how
little consideration has been given to
how the government's inability to
reach a compromise affects people's
economic situation."
- Richard Curtin, Survey Director,
Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index

7. strategy
top 5 ways consumers are financially coping with new
“fiscal cliff” tax laws {adults 18+}
coping with policy
Spending less overall
3 out of 4 households report that they are taking
measures to financially cope with the new
Watching for sales more often fiscal cliff tax laws (source)
Reducing dining out
Using coupons more often
Spending less on clothing
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%
Adults 18+ HH Earning Under $50K HH Earning $50K+
Source: National Retail Federation / Monthly Consumer Survey
© 2013, Prosper®

8. strategy
U.S. personal saving rate
9.0 coping with policy
8.0 3 out of 4 households report that they are taking
measures to financially cope with the new
7.0
fiscal cliff tax laws (source)
6.0
5.0
spending at the expense of savings?
Percent
4.0
january‘s personal saving rate (ratio of personal saving
to disposable personal income) was 2.4%, a low not
3.0 seen since Q4 2007 (source)
2.0
great read:
1.0 The Resilient Consumer? Not Quite (Wall Street Journal)
0.0
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce: Bureau of Economic Analysis/FRED
© 2013, Prosper®

9. strategy
strongly agree/agree: “i am saving enough to meet my future needs.”
{adults 1 segmented by age group}
8+,
45.0% coping with policy
percentage of those who “strongly agree” or “agree”
40.0% 3 out of 4 households report that they are taking
measures to financially cope with the new
35.0%
fiscal cliff tax laws (source)
30.0%
25.0%
spending at the expense of savings?
20.0%
january‘s personal saving rate (ratio of personal saving
to disposable personal income) was 2.4%, a low not
15.0% seen since Q4 2007 (source)
10.0%
savings confidence
5.0%
buoyed by younger consumers, while those 35-64 (facing
0.0% mortgages, college expenses, retirement) are feeling
Adults 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
18+ more insecure
Source: Monthly Consumer Survey
© 2013, Prosper®

10. discovery
rising gas prices & the impact on spending
{adults 18+}
Adults 18+: No major impact Gas Price (U.S. All Grades Avg for Week) pain at the pump
34% $4.00
inverse relationship between gas prices and
those who say pump prices are having “no
32%
major impact” on spending
$3.80
30%
“No Major Impact”
fluctuating gas prices pinch spending in
other areas, including big ticket items,
Gas Price
28% $3.60
grocery, dining out, apparel purchases, and
vacation travel
26%
$3.40
24%
22% $3.20
Sources: Monthly Consumer Survey, Energy Information Administration (eia.doe.gov)
© 2013, Prosper®

11. © 2013, Prosper®

12. thanks
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