CONSUMERS REDEFINING EXPECTATIONS IN 2026
Irish consumer confidence did not collapse in 2025. It eroded – slowly, consistently and with intent. Month after month, consumer sentiment declined, remaining below its 25-year average throughout the year. By December, Ireland ended in a fragile psychological moment, not driven by one singular shock, but by a sustained atmosphere of uncertainty.
What makes this period different from previous downturns is its cause. In the past, confidence was undermined by identifiable events: a banking crash, austerity budgets, mass unemployment.
In 2025, confidence weakened because the world became harder to interpret. The complexity and relentlessness of the global news cycle – from spiralling geopolitics to trade tensions and cultural conflict – created a backdrop of anxiety. Consumers did not necessarily feel poorer, but they felt less certain. And uncertainty is corrosive.
Our review of Culture Index stories from 2025 reinforces this. Beyond headline geopolitics, the issue that resonated most deeply with Irish people was far closer to home: grocery inflation.
Food and energy remain the most frequent financial touchpoints in people’s lives, and when prices rise there, they become daily signals that the cost of living is still moving in the wrong direction. This context defines consumer expectations for 2026 – and it explains why value has become the dominant lens through which Irish consumers now make decisions.
Financial value remains central. Affordability was the defining concern of 2025 and carries into 2026. Our Core PREDICT research shows that 71% of Irish people want the cost of living to ease, yet only 26% believe it will happen. This gap between hope and belief reflects a public eager for relief but doubtful it will arrive. Compounding this, 57% are watching recession risks, and 52% believe Ireland will enter a recession in 2026.
Yet this is not a return to austerity thinking. Ireland remains a relatively wealthy, fully employed country, with significant tax receipts (for now). Consumers are not retreating; they are recalibrating. People still expect aspiration to be met – but they demand justification. Value, in 2026, must be earned.
For brands, this requires a shift in response.
First, value must be made tangible and low risk. Consumers want brands that help them stretch, save or simplify – through transparent pricing, modular offerings and flexible plans. In a climate where half the population expects recession, reassurance matters. As AI increasingly shapes how people research and validate decisions, brands should empower rather than overwhelm: guiding choices, enhancing service, and restoring a sense of control.
Second, value extends beyond money. Irish consumers remain willing to spend on experiences, moments that matter and products that save time or enhance relationships. Value is found in time gained, stress reduced, and memories created. Brands that articulate these benefits clearly will outperform those that rely solely on price messaging.
How Successful Brands Will Respond to Consumer Expectations
Food and energy remain the most frequent financial touchpoints in people’s lives, and when prices rise there, they become daily signals that the cost of living is still moving in the wrong direction. This context defines consumer expectations for 2026 – and it explains why value has become the dominant lens through which Irish consumers now make decisions.
Financial value remains central. Affordability was the defining concern of 2025 and carries into 2026. Our Core PREDICT research shows that 71% of Irish people want the cost of living to ease, yet only 26% believe it will happen.
Yet this is not a return to austerity thinking. Ireland remains a relatively wealthy, fully employed country, with significant tax receipts (for now). Consumers are not retreating; they are recalibrating. People still expect aspiration to be met – but they demand justification. Value, in 2026, must be earned.
For brands, this requires a shift in response.
First, value must be made tangible and low risk. Consumers want brands that help them stretch, save or simplify – through transparent pricing, modular offerings and flexible plans. In a climate where half the population expects recession, reassurance matters. As AI increasingly shapes how people research and validate decisions, brands should empower rather than overwhelm: guiding choices, enhancing service, and restoring a sense of control.
Second, value extends beyond money. Irish consumers remain willing to spend on experiences, moments that matter and products that save time or enhance relationships. Value is found in time gained, stress reduced, and memories created. Brands that articulate these benefits clearly will outperform those that rely solely on price messaging.
Beyond Financial Value
Third, value is increasingly human. In a post-Covid world marked by rising mistrust of institutions, people in Ireland are reaffirming core social values: community, belonging, compassion and culture. PREDICT 26 shows that 41% want communities to welcome and support migrants, even if few believe this shift will happen, indicating a quiet yet significant openness to compassion. Additionally, 48% are interested in a revival of Irish arts and culture, and 44% think it will take hold. These data points show a population simultaneously looking backward and forward – rooted in heritage while aspiring toward renewal.
Brands have a role to play here – not as commentators, but as facilitators. Trust will be built by spotlighting shared experiences, local resilience, and practical compassion. Championing Irish creativity, language, makers, and cultural expression allows brands to blend heritage with modernity. Supporting tangible initiatives – skills programmes, inclusive partnerships, community storytelling – makes values visible rather than performative.
As Ibec’s CEO Danny McCoy noted in 2025, “us versus them” thinking is the enemy of collaboration in a modern economy. Irish consumers understand this instinctively. In 2026, they will reward brands that offer not just economic value, but consistency, reassurance, and hope.
Value, ultimately, is no longer what something costs – in 2026, it is what it gives back.
