Public Study B2C Global 2025

Evolve or Fall Behind: The Future of Global Retail

Consumer optimism is rising, even as mounting global pressures reshape how and where people spend. To help retailers and brands adapt, evolve, and lead, the fourth volume of Roland Berger’s global consumer behaviour tracker, in partnership with Potloc, explores the evolving mindset of consumers across continents, income levels, and age groups.

How are price pressures and digital disruption reshaping retail in 2025?

This survey continues a strategic partnership between Roland Berger and Potloc that combines deep retail strategy expertise with high-quality, real-time survey data.

Roger Claudius

Principal, Roland Berger

Antoine Béguerie

Account Executive, Potloc

Sampling details

  • 3 000

    global consumers surveyed.

  • 6

    targeted countries across continents.

  • 15

    data quality checks.

Key survey support

  • Gear

    Optimized survey captured evolving consumer sentiments.

    To surface authentic insights for the fourth wave of this study, Roland Berger worked with Potloc’s survey experts to refine the questionnaire for stronger engagement and cleaner data, all while preserving year-over-year comparability between findings.

  • Globe

    Multi-geo targeting balanced depth with speed.

    With high stakes and a complex multi-country, multi-profile scope, Potloc’s project managers led fieldwork end to end, helping Roland Berger gather insights from all the right people on schedule with report publication milestones.

  • PresentationChart

    Smart tools eased manual analysis pains.

    The Roland Berger team used Potloc’s smart analysis dashboard to filter, cross-tabulate, and spot statistically significant patterns instantly — cutting hours on Excel, preventing version confusion, and freeing up more time for report creation.

We have worked with Potloc for the 4th time in our latest global consumer study. We highly value their quality and speed when it comes to generating sound consumer data as well as their ability to craft sharp questionnaires. Moreover, the support by data experts on extracting deep insights is second to none.
Roger Claudius BW
Roger Claudius Principal, Roland Berger Germany
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Key trends to watch

1

Consumer optimism is up.

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Net positive sentiment rose from 10% in 2024 to 28% in 2025 — despite persistent geopolitical and economic pressure — particularly in emerging economies and younger generations.
2

Price is king.

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Two-thirds of consumers say price is their number one purchase criterion. Behind this trend lies macroeconomic developments, with inflation reportedly affecting a large portion of the surveyed population.
3

Social commerce gains ground.

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Platforms such as TikTok Shop and Temu are rapidly gaining traction, particularly among younger consumers. But while online channels win on convenience, offline channels can win on trust,  customer care, and quality control.

Our team

Antoine Béguerie
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
antoine.beguerie@potloc.com 

Kickstart your next thought leadership survey.

With unmatched sample quality, time-saving analysis tools, and dedicated research experts at your disposal, Potloc is the go-to survey partner for PE & consulting firms.

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