The American consumer is in a state of perpetual evolution. With the third installment of The Consumer Pulse, Horizon Media’s Futures Group continues tracking where the American consumer is heading — now drawing on 9,000 U.S. adults across three waves. 

Here are a few highlights to get you started: 

• An Outlook Drop Concentrated Among Financially Stressed Americans: While overall sentiment remained relatively steady, optimism among Financially Stressed consumers fell back to late-2025 levels. This group also drove pessimism up across most societal issues, with cost of living remaining the top concern, and pessimism around global affairs, AI, and technology reaching series highs.
• Consumers Are Preparing for Price Shock: The intention to hold spending steady is slowly fraying as Americans expect to pay more across 35 of the 38 categories we track. To manage the impact of rising essential expenses, people are preparing to dip into their savings.
• AI is Becoming a Daily Habit: Multiple-times-a-day AI use continues to climb. The platform landscape is also becoming more competitive, as users are expanding their AI toolkits with additional tools like Gemini and Claude. 
• AI is Starting to Shape the Shopping Cart: While productivity remains the leading use for AI, its role in retail and shopping is the fastest-growing area, up seven points this quarter. AI is increasingly working its way into how people decide what to buy, signaling a new-to-the-world influence on purchasing habits.

Want to dive into the data? Click here to explore our interactive dashboard.

*For stat sources and more information see PDF download

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