t in service sectors such as telecommunications, ISPs and finance, people are looking to buy within a set of brands that they know and trust and that price is a secondary priority. The research highlights there is some careful purchasing going on among consumers and there is also the opportunity for brands in many sectors to protect themselves against price commoditisation and continue their growth trajectory by working hard to build that familiarity and earn the trust of their customers. “Certainly there is a degree of price sensitivity in the market,” said Liane Ringham, MD, Inside Story. “This is not surprising in the current economic environment – people are reducing their reliance on debt and saving more. Also, we’ve observed in our research a softening in consumer confidence over the past 12 months, which is definitely challenging for the retail sector. However this type of consumer caution does not mean it’s all down to price in all categories,” she said. “Most marketers spend their working lives getting a fundamental understanding of the segments they serve – what I think we’re seeing here is that the post-GFC world has fundamentally changed their segments. Simple as that. “We all know behaviours change happens when situations change. We know from experience that attitude change is not essential for behaviour change, but the GFC has delivered fundamental and enduring changes in the situation and marketers need to get inside how the situation has affected their own customers in order to ensure their ongoing success.”