The New Consumerism: Lessons From the Election

As retailers approach 2025, the political season has brought into focus significant opportunities to learn from consumers based on their tendencies exhibited throughout the election cycle and its outcomes. The brands that perform best in 2025 and the following years will make powerful use of four major strategies.

Define Your Brand’s Version of Americanism

There will be newfound heroism attached to brands that are seen as contributing the most to U.S. economic growth. The concept of “buy American” holds more space with this country’s consumers than it has since the early 2000s. This is a good time to consider the ways in which your brand leans into the domestic growth agenda. For example, the extent to which your business sources raw materials from U.S. farms and suppliers, creates new jobs in a rebounding American economy, or functions as a pillar of your local communities can all be leveraged in ways that will resonate with a newly empowered electorate.

Become Your Company’s New Media Expert

Now is also the time to re-evaluate and revise your worldview on media and celebrity as they pertain to brands. Few people expected the star power of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to be eclipsed by Theo Von and the rest of the "brosphere" in 2024. This is because, for most Americans, relatability has grown more important than fame. The universal cry of “google it” becomes less so each day as roughly half of Generation Z begins informational and shopping journeys on social media instead of search engines. TikTokers unknown to most people under 40 are outselling and outhustling name-brand entertainers and athletes regarding their ability to influence — or de-influence — product sales. Knowing which podcasts your customers listen to may be far more important than knowing what they watch on TV or which billboard they pass on their way to work. Think more about audiences and the creators they follow and less about the traditional media landscape. This is especially important if your brand targets people under 40, who largely determined the election outcome.

Focus on Perception as Much as Reality

With 90 percent of buying decisions being emotional and finding thousands of people to agree with nearly any opinion is just one Reddit thread away, facts and figures don’t carry nearly the weight they once did. Historically, marketing has focused on convincing people they need a particular product and doing whatever it takes to close the sale. However, when people have limitless choices of brands, shopping channels, price points, convenience, and personalization, the opportunity to convince consumers of anything is slim. The more effective approach for most brands will be to invest in understanding what customers already need, want, and believe in and finding ways to engage on those terms.

Be as Adaptive as the Customer

Nearly 90 percent of U.S. consumers buy impulsively, and their willingness to buy higher-ticket items spontaneously is higher than ever. Exit polls from the 2024 election indicated that many people made their decisions in the final days and hours leading up to the election. It may have been a matter of one social media post or news story that swayed their vote. Ninety-five percent of the time people choose the brand that best meets their needs in the moment, and ubiquitous mobile devices have made these impulsive choices even easier and faster. From promotions to commerce channels, customer service, payment methods, and seamless integration of physical and digital (“phygital”) experiences, the brands that adapt to mercurial customer needs will outperform those that operate under more rigid guidelines.

Of course, no two businesses or brands are alike, and neither are their customers. Understanding how patriotism, new media, emotional decision-making, and impulse drive choices for your brand and category will be critical to capitalizing on these trends and driving business growth in 2025.

Ian Baer is the founder and chief soothsayer of the strategic insights platform and marketing consultancy Sooth.