If ten years ago the word ‘elite’ was written on a certain product, a significant proportion of people were willing paying to much more for it than for a similar product. In certain categories, especially in those where emotions play an important role in shopping decisions, this experience is still valid. Some of the ‘old’ food products still perform really well, while internationally successful ones do rather badly in Hungary.

Why? Many examples indicate that if the external market environment changes, it influences consumption and buying habits. When people’s lives change they might also start buying different products, e.g. when a couple has a baby, the whole family’s eating habits become different. Last December 78 percent of Hungarian consumers said they changed their household’s spending habits – one year before that this ratio was 65 percent. In 2011 53 percent said they switched to cheaper food products (2010: 44 percent). Still, consumers like to indulge themselves even in recession times: they keep buying snacks even if their prices increase drastically, but they consume them weekly and not daily. For the decision makers of companies qualitative market research can help to validate numerical sales data, in order to make them understand what happens and why at the point of sale. They can also get to know consumers from the perspective of what steps their companies should take to win new consumers for their retail chains, goods or brands. Emotions of consumers are also worth knowing because consumption is a field where people try to get into a stimulated state, in which they feel excited or being in an advantageous position. These days this is one of the basic social components of consumption.