China is experiencing an increasing emphasis on self-expression. For consumer companies, one consequence is that the importance of emotional considerations in purchase decisions is rising.

The Internet, not yet 20 years on from its emergence into the consumer mainstream, is evolving as fast as ever. McKinsey's survey of 18,000 Americans has identified six key trends that will define the near future.

Mexico consumers are conflicted. On the one hand, only 16 percent of those surveyed by McKinsey believed that they were doing better economically; on the other, 48 percent are optimistic about the future.

German brand-based companies are doing better than ever—and this study shows what needs to be done to ensure that things remain this way.

How well do you understand America's young consumers? Could you describe how they communicate, with what devices? These are half-trillion dollar questions—and McKinsey’s iConsumer can help to answer them.

For multinational corporations, the emerging-markets middle class is a promising frontier. But they will need to develop a nuanced understanding to reach these consumers.

Why and how banks should be investing in emerging markets.

The China business and finance editor for the Economist has written a book about innovation, Need, Speed, and Greed. Vaitheeswaran answers five questions on consumer innovation.

The strains of the current retail bank model are showing themselves, in the form of rising costs and falling loyalty. McKinsey asked 20,000 consumers in 13 countries about what they wanted. Here is what we found.

Who are Brazil's online shoppers? And how do they use the Internet? McKinsey asked thousands of Brazilians those questions. Here are the answers.

Consumer companies know China is important. To succeed there, though, they need to understand the economic and social changes that are redefining the way that Chinese consumers spend.

More than a billion people in emerging and developing markets have cell phones but no bank accounts. Mobile money is beginning to fill this gap. Here is what you need to know about this complex but promising market.

Spain’s ongoing economic problems have eaten into the grocery sector’s results. Here is what players in the market need to know about the country’s consumers to set themselves up well for renewed growth.

Rising incomes and increasingly sophisticated consumers could open the door to more mobile postpaid offerings for operators with the right strategies.

Many European retailers want to replicate the successful models applied by discount stores, but the results are mixed. Here is how to get it right.

Here is how to form a deeper relationship with your customers by creating an engagement ecosystem that reaches beyond your marketing team.

Europe looks like a big and resilient luxury market. But look closer: Most of the growth is coming from Chinese, Japanese and Russia tourists. What are European consumers thinking? And how should the market adapt to these trends?

Together, these 30 aspiring countries represent 30 percent of global GDP—and the potential for the Internet to transform these economies is significant.

Buying something is not just a destination; it is a journey of many steps.

McKinsey estimates that about 3 million Brazilians can afford luxury goods. Here is how to reach this ambitious and surprisingly youthful market.

Europe is in crisis; the US is in the doldrums; China is worried about a property bubble; India has hit a rough patch. But Brazil is thriving. In the first of two articles on Latin America's largest economy, we look at what makes the middle class tick.

In Asia, South America, and Africa, banks have undertaken lean transformations that have raised profits by 10 to 20 percent within a year. Here is how some leading institutions are using lean management to streamline their operations and expand their business.

Consumer goods companies desperately want to reach China’s millions of emerging customers. To do so, they will need multiple strategies.

Over the next 10 years, consumer spending in emerging markets is expected to grow three times faster than in developed nations, reaching a total of $6 trillion by 2020. Consumer-goods companies must understand and address these changing patterns of —by both geography and category This report suggests how.

The traditional mom-and-pop grocery store is being displaced by modern trade. What’s driving this change—and what’s next?

Mobile usage in new markets has been associated with the pay-as-you-go (or “pre-paid”) model. As incomes rise and prices fall, consumers are likely to shift to the contract (or “post-paid”) model. Here's what companies need to know to make the shift work to their advantage.

Asian banking consumers are changing the way they do their business. Here's how banks can adapt.

Brazil pharmacy retailers have every reason to be optimistic, with strong growth and a surging economy. But there will also be a shakeout. The winners will be those who adapt to three key trends.

American consumers have been using coupons with new enthusiasm. But is this a good thing for companies?

Digital, big data, ethnicity, polarization and other trends that are shaping the US retail landscape.

Economic growth is lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. Will players in telecoms, media, and high tech be prepared to meet their demands?

Once dominated by open-air markets and department stores, Russia’s apparel market now features upscale global boutiques. Foreign players will find the market fraught with considerable, but manageable, peril.

The rush to serve India’s growing middle class has concentrated on the cities—but there’s rupees to be made in rural areas too.

Asian markets will drive growth in the global insurance industry. How can insurers make the most of this chance?

Companies that make the deep strategic, organizational, and operational shifts required can accelerate revenue growth.

Companies invest enormous money and effort to create new products and services. Too often, though, they have a serious flaw: Consumers don't want them.

What makes Chinese consumers tick? What are they worrying about? How will burgeoning inflation shape their behavior? See the answers to these questions and more in McKinsey's most recent in-depth survey of Chinese shoppers.

Consumer behavior is likely to transform the European residential energy market in the next decade. How can companies adapt?

In the fifth of five articles derived from the iConsumer survey, McKinsey analyzes trends in the use of mobile phones.

In the fourth of five articles drawn from the iConsumer survey, McKinsey research examines how people shop online.

In the third of five articles derived from the iConsumer survey, McKinsey research reveals some surprises about Japanese consumers and technology.

In the second of five articles drawing on the iConsumer survey, McKinsey identifies how people are watching television, and how those habits are changing.

Spurred by the spread of the Internet, mobile technology and social networks, global digital tribes are forming. Marketers who ignore the phenomenon will lose out.

Consumers all over Europe are turning to mobile banking, but banks are not investing enough in this opportunity.

China's rising middle class loves to shop. But it is also going in for less conspicuous consumption, in the form of financial products.

This year's Luxury Consumer Survey addresses three key questions: Can South Korea keep it up? What’s changing? And what do these trends mean for the players in the luxury industry?

Consumer-goods companies in Europe face a fast-changing business environment – and an anxious public. Here’s how to increase your chances to find profitable growth.

McKinsey's most recent Personal Financial Services Survey of almost 20,000 people found that across Asia, consumers are looking for a new relationship with their banks.

An interview with Sanjay Kapoor, CEO of India’s Bharti Airtel, plus 10 other recent articles; explore how to tap into a world of digital opportunity, particularly in emerging markets.

New McKinsey research estimates the impact of Internet search in the global economy, pinpointing the sources of value and the beneficiaries.

The CEO of Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo, Daniel Servitje, reflects on the growth path of one of the world’s biggest packaged goods companies.

Consumers say they want both electronic and physical contact points, but the desired mix varies by country and age.

Why is GM more successful in China than Honda? Why is LG bigger in India than Sony? These questions are more than academic: The survival of many Japanese companies may depend on the answers.

Consumers love low prices, but retailers shouldn’t overlook the way shoppers perceive value—both online and in stores.

Is mobile banking the wave of the retail future, or just hype? Where should banks place their bets?

McKinsey’s deep and comprehensive survey considers how consumer behavior is changing in a dozen countries and across digital experiences.

How can companies use pricing to increase profits? And what will consumers tolerate?

Chinese consumers want to spend—and they want to save. Here's what business needs to know about how they manage their wallets.

How to reach customers at every stage of the consumer decision journey.

Tablets are wildly popular. But how do people actually use them? And what does the rise of the tablet mean for other industries?

The hyper-fast growth of the past decade is slowing, but Africa remains a continent of opportunity for the telecommunications market.

The company once grew fast. Now CEO Howard Schultz wants it to grow with discipline—in emerging and developed markets alike.

New findings show how large and small companies grow—and reveal the startling performance of emerging-market players.

The global middle class is up for grabs—and the multinationals that can shift their organizational focus to scale up speedily will have the advantage.

In the next decade, emerging markets will outpace OECD countries to account for more than half the world’s economic growth. Here's how India can lead the charge.

Big box stores and malls in China’s top cities are growing fast—14 percent a year. But here’s the surprise: Traditional retail in lower-tier markets is often much more profitable.

In 2025, 600 cities will account for almost 60 percent of global GDP, or $62 trillion—and other fascinating insights about the world's economic future.

Now that the consumer-goods sector is no longer a safety play for investors, companies need a new blueprint to generate shareholder value. McKinsey identifies five imperatives.

Consumers like simplicity, but they don't always get it. Here's how manufacturers can slim down unnecessarily complicated, expensive, profit-draining portfolios.

The executive driving the U.S. household products company’s international growth discusses its strategy to expand beyond North America.

Well-managed companies already recognize the critical role pricing plays in driving performance. A foundation that underpins excellence in pricing is the key to realizing its potential.