The prospects for a surge in consumer spending necessary to provide a jolt to the economy seem
highly unlikely. Though the economy added 211,000 jobs in November, the job participation rate
so far this year is just below 63 percent and has not improved much in several years. Growth of
the labor force itself is weak. Furthermore, job growth may be less of a response to increasing
demand than to poor productivity.
The ACSI model predicts consumer spending growth of about 2.6 percent to 2.7 percent for the
fourth quarter of 2015. This may well be the new “normal” growth rate, but it is only about half
of what it was in the late 1990s. Since consumer spending represents about 70 percent of the
economy, there is no reason to expect that the economy will grow at a better clip.
Nondurable Products
Customer satisfaction drops across all measured industries in the manufacturing/nondurable
goods sector. Though overall inflation is low, food and beverage prices have increased, which is
contributing to lower customer satisfaction with nondurable products. Nearly all companies score
lower now compared with a year ago.
“Because of higher prices, consumers are spending a bit more on food items, and it is not clear if
the continued weak wage increases and lower gas prices leave household disposable income
intact,” says Fornell. “If not, there is less to spend on everything else.”
Food Manufacturing – At the top of food manufacturing, Dole ties longtime ACSI leader H.J.
Heinz with a score of 81. Most of the industry is tightly grouped between 78 and 81. ConAgra,
Kellogg, Mars and PepsiCo’s Quaker brand are deadlocked at 80. Campbell Soup, Hershey and
Kraft register 79, followed by General Mills, Nestlé and Tyson at 78. As a whole, food
manufacturing drops 3.8 percent to 76, largely as a result of a 10-percent plunge in the combined
score of smaller food companies that make up the “all others” category at 69.
Beverages – The soft drink industry is under pressure from the changing palette of consumer
tastes. As the bottled water market continues to surge and sweetened beverages fall out of favor,
soft drink manufacturers are adjusting their portfolios. Soft drink companies fall 3.7 percent to
79, the lowest score ever. Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper Snapple share the lead at 79, followed by
PepsiCo at 78. The group of smaller soft drink makers trails with a score of 74.
Brewers also are undergoing a major transformation as company consolidation continues. The
beer industry comes in at an ACSI score of 76 after a 3.8-percent drop. MillerCoors leads with a
score of 78, followed by the group of smaller breweries and microbrews at 76. Anheuser-Busch
InBev rounds out the category at 74.
Personal Care and Cleaning Products – Customer satisfaction with everyday household items
like soap, shampoo, detergents and other cleaning products declines 6.1 percent to an ACSI score
of 77. Clorox (82) remains the top-scoring company for a fifth straight year. Unilever repeats at
80 and is one of only three companies in the sector to maintain its score. Not a single
nondurables company improves its customer satisfaction this year. Colgate-Palmolive and Dial
tie at 79, while Procter & Gamble shares last place with the smaller companies group (both 75).