Global Scans · Consumer · Weekly Summary

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WHAT'S NEXT?: Technology will become the new sales assistant, always on, always friendly, always delivering. Consumers will co-create and create products to their exact needs. Brands will have to focus on seizing mobile moments on apps that already have consumer's attention. Instantly explore below how lifestyles, buying behaviors and attitudes are changing and where you fall short in the battle to win consumers hearts and minds.

• [New] Within five years, AI will be fully embedded into the purchase journey, and as latest Cognizant Research suggests, AI enthusiasts will be driving consumer spending by $690 B in the UK alone, with more than half of consumer purchasing driven by AI. www.cognizant.com
• [New] The strategic partnership with Uber to integrate Blade services could dynamically shift consumer engagement, setting Joby apart from its competitors. StocksToTrade
• [New] While the immediate use case is consumer remittances, Remitly is starting to view stablecoins as an opportunity that extends beyond the consumer use case. Tearsheet
• [New] After starting 2025 on solid footing, U.S. consumer spending is likely to weaken through the rest of the year and into 2026 as households feel the effects of tariffs and economic uncertainty. Morgan Stanley
• [New] In the short term, if consumer sentiment continues to languish and job anxiety intensifies, we could see a further contraction in discretionary spending, potentially leading to slower economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 and into early 2026. / USA FinancialContent
• [New] If consumer spending falters significantly, it could accelerate a broader economic slowdown, potentially pushing the Fed towards a more dovish stance, including considering interest rate cuts earlier than previously anticipated. FinancialContent
• [New] The continuing evolution of Congo's resource management strategies will have significant implications for global energy transition efforts and the future of electric mobility worldwide. Discovery Alert
• [New] While U.S. consumers have not yet cut back heavily on domestic trips, consumer sentiment has been extremely low for months, and any hints of decreased incomes could cause luxury goods like airline flights and vacations to be reduced first. Newsweek
• [New] A deflating AI bubble and buckling consumer against the backdrop of a broadly slowing economy would result in a 30% decline for the S&P 500 that could take years to work off. Morningstar, Inc.
• [New] Structural resilience from high-income consumer spending and AI productivity offsets risks like wage-driven inflation and global trade uncertainties. Ainvest
• [New] Access to NDB financing could allow Indonesia to pilot next-generation air mobility programs, including seaplane bases, unmanned aircraft corridors, and sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure - all within frameworks better suited to national development priorities. BRICS
• [New] India's energy demand, projected by the IEA to drive 25% of global growth and surpass the EU as the third-largest consumer by 2030, underscores the push to align New Delhi against Russia and China, leveraging UAE oil provisions and Abraham Accords. GeopoliticsUnplugged Substack
• [New] Products featuring CBN, CBG and other cannabinoids are expanding the consumer base beyond recreational users, with wellness-focused categories projected to grow at ~22% CAGR through 2030. Forbes
• Consumer AI spending surged 116% in the first half of 2025, while research indicates that AI-embracing consumers could drive $4.5 trillion in U.S. spending by 2030 - nearly half of all consumer transactions. Infusive
• With AI-driven revenue-per-visit increasing 84% in 2025 and younger demographics driving adoption, we are approaching an inflection point where AI could become the primary interface for consumer discovery and transactions. Infusive
• Beyond data centers, AI's influence is rapidly expanding into consumer electronics, with AI-enabled PCs expected to make up 43% of all shipments by the end of 2025. FinancialContent
• The consumer electronics segment will see the total sales volume grow by nearly 8% in the following years, rising from 7.9 billion in 2025 to 8.5 billion in 2030. ITEdgeNews
• Consumer spending, which is a crucial part of the US economy, accounting for about two-thirds of its growth remains robust: Sales were up a strong 0.6% in August, a month when spending was expected to be somewhat lackluster. CNN
• As well as the SPS area, the UK should look at the youth mobility scheme as an initiative that could pave the way for greater mobility access in the EU as well as providing young people with a great opportunity to live, study and work in a fellow European country. The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade
• The United Kingdom and the European Union are preparing to establish a Youth Mobility Scheme that could reshape opportunities for young people on both sides. DavidsonMorris | Solicitors
• The U.S. Department of Defense has previously warned service members against using direct-to-consumer genetic kits, citing the risk of surveillance, blackmail, and other operational threats. Default

Last updated: 16 October 2025