Brands, budget constraints and the immaterial

The Western consumer has fully entered the immaterial era. He mass-purchases brands that more or less reflect his idea of himself; he uses information technology more and more to do his buying or to justify his pur- chases; he consumes products and services that are becoming more and more dematerialised, supported by the digital revolution.At the same time, he is obsessed with cost, on the constant lookout for a bargain and is always reconsidering his budget.This indeed results in a better circulation of information about price and quality which helps to minimise the time spent searching for information doubled with the benefit of cumulative knowledge for today’s consumers.