Africa’s Middle Class: an untapped goldmine?Does China know something the West doesn’t? Its leaders have been quietly wooing their African counterparts, hoping to gain a foothold in the continent’s emerging Middle Class market — flogging them cars, clothes, and, more significantly, cheap loans and tax credits .
Consumers
Crap you don’t need: the most stupid products ever invented
A definitive HuffPo list of the 15 stupidest products available for sale. Which is the most inane? Tinkles the toilet cat that hides under your toilet seat ready to scare your guests? Or the phallic shaped boob separator?
Why aren’t customers switching banks?
The government tried last year to make it easier for people to switch banks — but there hasn’t been much take-up. Joshua Gans looks at why this is — and why it doesn’t mean the scheme was a failure.
Give consumers a little credit when it comes to managing their debt
Australian consumers are proving once again they are cleverer than the handwringers give them credit for.
Follow the consumer
A guide to investing in consumer-related stocks in the downturn. Nb. the enduring appeal of soap and cereal.
Jonas brothers need to cross over before tweens tire
Pop sensations the Jonas Brothers need to cross over, and fast. The tween market is fickle and allegiances come and go faster than ever. The band needs to strike before its core fans — young girls — “age out” of the experience.
Can’t afford a $66K glass Artichoke lamp? Try $12 sheep’s milk soap instead
Hard hit luxury stores are getting creative, banking on people to continue being just a little self-indulgent — say, splurging on a fancy garden trowel instead of a chandelier.
Consumers turn away from consumption
Is conspicuous consumption a thing of the past? Consumers are no longer searching for blatant symbols of their wealth in a battle of keeping with the Joneses.
Will the GFC help the environment?
It might hurt, but some experts are saying that the Global Financial Crisis is giving Planet Earth a bit of room to breathe.
The hipster’s eternal search for authenticity
Café Bustelo, a Cuban coffee company founded in the Bronx in 1928, is seeking new adherents and finding them at Sundance, Fashion Week and Coachella. Will the hipsters fall for it?
What gadgets are early adopters searching for?
HitWise share a sample of what people in their early technology adopter demographic groups have been searching for recently.
Harnessing peer pressure to turn the world green
Behavioral economics is an unconventional field of research that examines how human nature really works and uses it to shape the choices people make.
The seven sins of greenwashing
Of 2,219 products from North American retailers making environmental claims, researchers have found that “over 98%” committed one of several “sins.”
Plastic fantastic: Bagging the bag baggers
The plastic bag scare numbers just don’t add up, writes Michael Pascoe.
What do green consumers look like?
A UK government department has recently segmented green consumers into seven groups, writes retail commentator Rob Lake.
Making hay in the dry: farmers turn water into profit
The big dry is increasing the value of water and there are some big, big winners, writes Lionel Elmore.
Dealing with that $30,000 phone bill … without regulation
There is a “mounting dossier” of complaints to communications regulators concerning unexpectedly high mobile phone bills, reports the Australian Financial Review today.
