Customer Reviews

Consumed: Rethinking Business in the Era of Mindful Spending

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The thesis put forward is people will slow consumption based partly on a tight economy and based partly on a backlash to over-consumption. People are getting sick of being marketed and sold. Consumption is also a huge source of dissatisfaction.

So if the world becomes non-consumers (and I really do not think it will although a part of me hopes it pulls back a bit), how do companies thrive? This is what the book attempts to explain. The authors are not trying to pass judgment on if it should happen.

So what do companies do as we become non-consumers? I would have to type the whole book but some things(these are in my words - not theirs so there is some interpretation):

1 - reconsider what value really is for the consumer. Then sell to that.

2 - recognize the non-consumer trend and develop products that cater to that (EG smaller, thriftier, less waste)

3 - Work at connecting with customers.

4 - be genuine and real. People see through gloss.

Great quotes from the book:

"It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly" - British Philosopher Bertrand Russell

"People will buy anything that is one to a customer" Sinclair Lewis

The book was thought provoking - therefore it was good.

Amazingly written with updated facts and examples. Offers businesses and consumers all upcoming changes society will go through towards a more responsible and simple world! It has definitely changed the way I see products and businesses!

I found this book helpful to really understand the mind of the consumer due to the current recession. Benett and O'Reilly are very knowledgeable and I enjoyed the various research and statistics that accompanied their findings. It was interesting to see that people's ideals, not just their spending habits changed because of the economic downturn. The authors' strategies for how to tackle consumerism are informative and invaluable because this consumer mind-set will be around for a long time.

This book not only gives a fantastic historical account about how our culture has become obsessed with material things, it also predicts how the changes happening today, like the green and local movements, will shape the next chapter of consumerism. I thought it was nicely crafted and provided some great insights into both consumers and brands.