Signals

US – A new report from consultancy AlixPartners reveals that US shoppers are increasingly indifferent to heavy discounting ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, signalling a shift in how value is being understood across the fashion industry.

A survey of more than 9,000 consumers across 140 retailers and nine fashion sectors found that shoppers now view price increases as inevitable and are placing less emphasis on chasing deals. Compared with 2024, consumers consider price 13% less important when deciding whether to purchase clothing or accessories, with the decline spanning all categories except luxury and beauty. 

Notably, the off-price sector has seen deal-hunting fall from the top purchase motivator to 19th place, while factors such as quality, value for money, consistency of pricing and store experience are emerging as core priorities.  

Despite more than 60% of consumers planning to make the most of their holiday fashion purchases in-store, shoppers are spending less time browsing and buying fewer items per visit. This suggests that while physical retail still holds cultural and social value, stores are having to work harder to justify time spent there – and to offer something beyond transactional convenience.

Rather than chasing discounts, consumers are gravitating towards purchases that feel worthwhile – reflecting broader trends in evolving retail values, as covered in our macrotrend New Codes of Value.