Rethinking Value Beyond Price | Retail and Consumer Products Outlooks 2026 | Deloitte Insights

Why It Matters

MVP positioning translates into higher purchase intent, market‑share gains, and stronger financial performance, making it a strategic priority for brands and investors alike.

Key Takeaways

• 40% of U.S. consumers are value‑seeking, spanning all income levels.
• Value goes beyond low price; includes quality, trust, and attitude.
• More‑value‑for‑price (MVP) brands show higher three‑year purchase intent.
• MVP grocery brands boost checkout speed and associate service to win shoppers.
• Wall Street uses MVP data as an alternative performance screen.

Summary

Deloitte’s latest Retail and Consumer Products Outlook spotlights a growing cohort of value‑seeking shoppers. The research, based on 3,600 brands and nearly a million consumer responses, finds that roughly four‑in‑ten U.S. consumers—and almost half globally—prioritize value that transcends price, cutting across income brackets, even among households earning over $200,000.

The study introduces a “more‑value‑for‑price” (MVP) framework that maps price against perceived value. Core non‑price drivers emerge: quality, trust, and attitude. In grocery, faster checkout and helpful associates lift perceived value; in hotels, luxury brands leverage superior service and location; in automotive, trusted service departments command premium pricing.

Key examples underscore the breadth of the trend. One‑quarter of high‑income U.S. households identify as value seekers, debunking the low‑income myth. MVP brands capture a 2% household‑share shift in grocery over three years and consistently higher net purchase intent, while Wall Street analysts are already using MVP metrics as an alternative data screen.

For CEOs and investors, the implication is clear: embedding non‑price value drivers can boost consumer intent, shift market share, and enhance economic value relative to EBITDA. Brands that fail to adopt the MVP lens risk losing relevance in a market where value is defined by experience, trust, and convenience as much as by cost.

Original Description

What makes a MVP (more value for price) brand? The way consumers define value is evolving, prompting leaders to rethink how pricing, experience, and brand perception come together.

🔬Dive deeper into Deloitte’s research on the value-seeking consumer: https://delo.tt/6059B6ffrv

🎥 In this video, Justin Cook, US consumer products research leader at Deloitte Consumer Industry Center, and Steve Rogers, managing director at Deloitte Consumer Industry Center, discuss insights from a large-scale research effort analyzing 3,600 brands and nearly a million consumer data points to understand how value-seeking behavior is changing across income groups and markets.

🔎 Key takeaways for executives:

• Why value-seeking behavior spans all income levels, including higher-income households

• How value extends beyond price into quality, trust, and customer experience

• What the more-value-for-price framework reveals about how brands compete across price tiers

• How non-price drivers such as service, convenience, and brand attitude influence consumer decisions

• What sector-specific factors, including checkout speed in grocery and service experience in automotive and hotels, may shape perceived value

• What the data suggests about purchase intent, share shifts, and potential links to economic value

0:00 Value-Seeking Consumer Trends in Retail and Consumer Products

2:29 Why Value Does Not Mean Cheap: More Value for Price Explained

3:55 Top Value Drivers Beyond Price: Quality, Trust, and Customer Experience

5:08 Grocery Retail Value Strategy: Checkout Speed, Service, and Convenience

6:10 Hotel and Automotive Brand Differentiation Through Non-Price Value

7:32 How More-Value-for-Price Brands Drive Purchase Intent, Share Shift, and Growth

This discussion may help leaders reassess how their organizations define and deliver value in an increasingly competitive and value-conscious environment.

👉 For more insights, dive into the 2026 Retail Industry Global Outlook: https://delo.tt/6050B6ffra

👉 And the 2026 Consumer Products Industry Global Outlook:

https://delo.tt/6051B6ffrx

🔔Subscribe for more insights from Deloitte Insights on consumer trends, strategy, and the future of retail and consumer products.

Topics covered in this video:

value-seeking consumer, more-value-for-price framework, pricing strategy and value perception, non-price drivers of value, consumer behavior trends, brand differentiation, customer experience, trust and quality drivers

#ConsumerBehavior #RetailStrategy #PricingStrategy #CustomerExperience #ValueCreation #BusinessStrategy #DeloitteInsights

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