Half of customers are feeling financial stress. It's shaping how they judge brands

Just 52% of consumers say they are financially secure, down 3 points over the past two years. Against the backdrop of persistent inflation, job market uncertainty, and tariff concerns, this shift is negatively impacting how customers feel about the brands they do business with. 

“When consumers feel financially strained, it changes what they need from businesses and how they respond to experiences, good or bad,” said Isabelle Zdatny, head of thought leadership at Qualtrics XM Institute. “They’re more risk-averse and less tolerant of friction. Because when you’re already stretched thin, you can’t afford the time, frustration, or cost of a purchase that doesn't work out.” 

How financial stress changes customer expectations

Financially insecure customers consistently rate their experiences lower than their more secure counterparts across every customer experience metric: satisfaction, trust, likelihood to recommend and purchase more. Customers’ likelihood to trust and recommend a business drops by nearly 7 points when they face budget constraints. These customers are evaluating these experiences through a lens of financial anxiety, and it impacts their buying decisions. 

As businesses decide where to invest, it’s critical to understand what is behind consumers’ decisions, especially as many tighten their budgets. Doing so ensures businesses are addressing genuine service problems instead of responding to external economic conditions.

Who is feeling financial insecurity most

Financial pressure isn’t evenly distributed. Middle-aged consumers (45-59 years old) have seen the steepest drop, declining 6.5 points in financial well-being over two years. This group often carries significant financial pressures: mortgages, aging parent care, and college expenses for children. 

Women feel it more acutely than men: 49% feel financially secure, compared with 56% of men. 

It’s not about price. It’s about avoiding risk and keeping promises.

Despite their budget constraints, financially insecure consumers are less motivated to switch brands by better prices (-3.7 points compared to the global average). 

More than anything, these consumers need brands that keep their promises and are reliable. This logic makes sense. These customers cannot afford a failed purchase, where the impact goes far beyond the transaction: wasted time, emotional frustration, and the potential need to re-purchase elsewhere compound the loss. 

“Surprisingly, financially strained customers appear less motivated by price than average,” said Zdatny. “When you can't afford a mistake, certainty matters more than savings. You go back to the brands you know will deliver. Trust becomes the deciding factor in this environment. And the companies that earn it now are building relationships that can outlast tough economic cycles.”

Why financially insecure consumers chose a new brand 

How to address consumer financial insecurity

Tips for business leaders:

• Analyze customer experience through an economic and demographic lens. Customer satisfaction data reflects both service quality and context. Make sure you’re comparing data for similar customer segments and journeys to avoid misallocating resources based on an incomplete understanding.
• Understand which customer segments face economic stress. Overlaying economic indicators from public data can reveal whether changes in customer behavior correlate with deteriorating economic conditions or signal actual operational issues to address. It also identifies which parts of the customer base may need different approaches to service delivery and product design.
• Eliminate friction for financially stressed customers. Products that work as promised, transparent pricing with no surprises, processes that don't waste time, and problems resolved on first contact matter more than sophisticated personalization or premium features. 

Methodology: The data comes from a global consumer study conducted by Qualtrics XM Institute in Q3 2025, surveying more than 20,000 consumers across 14 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, UAE, UK, and US.