Consumer confidence – rising or just a ‘blip’?

Is life as a sales manager, particularly a retail sales manager, about to get any easier? Latest data shows that consumers’ attitudes to spending may be beginning to change. The regular UK Consumer Confidence Index produced by GfK/NOP has risen one point to its highest level since June 2011, showing significant shift in consumer attitudes. Nick Moon, managing director of social research at GfK, is quoted in Retail Gazette online magazine. “Following the much-anticipated but ultimately unseen lift from the Jubilee and Olympics, even a one point increase…will offer some grounds for optimism after such a stagnant summer.” The article considers other economic indicators to see if such optimism is justified. Moon does cautions against reading too much, too quickly into the data. “We will have to wait for next month’s figures to see if there has been a real change…or…whether this is just an end-of-summer blip,” he says. Read the whole article on retail confidence at http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/articles/12142-consumer-confidence-highest-since-june-2011