Marketing During Inflation and Economic Uncertainty
How to Stay Helpful When Customers Are Struggling
Summary
Rising prices, interest rates and tariffs are squeezing households and business owners across the United States and Canada, and cutting marketing can feel like the safe response. This article makes the case for staying visible and useful instead, with compassionate, practical approaches for both B2C and B2B businesses.
Why It Matters
Careful customers still buy. They compare longer and choose the businesses they trust.
Going dark costs visibility. It gives away the moments when people are searching and deciding.
Existing customers are your steadiest revenue. They also remember who helped when things were tight.
B2B buyers need help defending the purchase. A clear business case, real proof and a low-risk start make it easier for finance to say yes.
Honest, empathetic messaging builds trust. That trust outlasts a hard year.
Several things are pressing on budgets all at once
Prices have gone up, and for many families and business owners the math no longer works the way it used to.
Gas, groceries, borrowing costs and the uncertainty around tariffs are all pressing on budgets at once, in the United States and in Canada. Marketing during economic uncertainty requires a different kind of thinking, because customers are feeling that same pressure in every decision they make.
Behind the headlines are real decisions. A parent trims the grocery list. An owner holds off on a hire. A buyer asks for one more approval before signing.Prices have gone up, and for many families and business owners the math no longer works the way it used to.
Gas, groceries, borrowing costs and the uncertainty around tariffs are all pressing on budgets at once, in the United States and in Canada. If it feels heavy, that's because it is.
Behind the headlines are real decisions. A parent trims the grocery list. An owner holds off on a hire. A buyer asks for one more approval before signing.
Marketing can feel like the wrong topic right now. Done with care, it's one of the more useful things a business can keep doing. Careful customers search more, compare longer and look for someone who will help them spend well. The businesses that stay visible and useful in that moment are the ones that get chosen.
This article covers what's happening, how customers and buyers are responding, and how B2C and B2B businesses can keep serving them with compassion and good sense.
The Customer Hasn't Disappeared. The Buying Decision Has Changed.
You don't need a chart to know this. Households are stretching every paycheck, and small business owners are carrying the same weight from the other side of the counter.
The useful question isn't whether things are hard. It's how to serve people well inside it.
Consumers Are Still Spending. They're Just Much Harder to Win.
Most people haven't stopped buying. They've started deciding more carefully. In a YouGov survey of 1,340 US adults in February, 53% had set a 2026 budget, up from 46% a year earlier. Among the 28% who expect their finances to worsen, 66% plan to cut back on eating and drinking out, 54% on clothing and 48% on subscriptions.
Value is being redefined rather than abandoned. Deloitte found that 40% of Americans are value seekers, and that about 30% of them have six-figure household incomes. Among value seekers, 65% cook more meals at home and 59% switch to store brands. Careful spending isn't limited to households that are struggling the most.
The encouraging part is that spending hasn't stalled. Marketplace reported in April that US shoppers kept spending even as sentiment hit record lows, although economists credited part of that to larger tax refunds and rising prices.
Canadians are making similar choices. A Boston Consulting Group survey of more than 3,000 Canadians found that 46% are spending less than a year ago, up from 37% in 2024, and a TD survey conducted by Harris Poll found that 67% planned to cut back in 2026. Yet a Stifel Canada survey reported in July found that 57% expect to increase discretionary spending, with value central to those plans.
People still want to buy well. A business that helps them do it has a real opening.
Cutting Marketing May Save Cash. It Can Also Give Away the Customer.
Some businesses will need to tighten, and that's a reasonable response to real pressure. The more useful question is what to protect while doing it.
Pausing marketing saves cash today. It also removes a business from the moment when customers are searching, comparing and deciding. Those customers don't disappear. They buy from whoever they can find and trust.
Agencies naturally favor ad spend, so it's fair to look first at evidence from outside that circle. NFIB's August survey found that sales worsened for US small businesses, with more owners reporting lower sales than higher. CFIB reports weak demand as the leading growth constraint for 49% of Canadian small firms. When demand is soft, each remaining buyer matters more, and being easy to find and easy to trust becomes more valuable.
The industry data points the same way. Digiday reported in April that holding companies and independent agencies alike were seeing clients hold ad spend steady, and Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun said on the company's first-quarter call that clients know cutting marketing spend costs market share. Advertisers are cautious, but they aren't stopping.
None of this means spending the same amount in the same way. The practical answer is to spend smarter first. Audit what produces revenue, protect those channels and trim what doesn't.
B2C Marketing Has to Make a Careful Purchase Feel Worth It
The goal is to help someone feel good about a careful decision. Four habits do that without adding pressure.
Value Doesn't Have to Mean Discounting
Deloitte's card-transaction data showed about a 2% market share shift toward higher-value brands in US grocery, restaurants and hotels, and BCG found that Canadians rank quality for the price and low regular prices well ahead of promotions. Both point to fair, steady pricing as the stronger message. Discounts still have a place, and they work best as a thank-you to loyal customers rather than the headline of every message.
Reduce the Risk of Saying Yes
Smaller sizes, bundles, flexible payment options and clear guarantees lower the risk of a purchase. So does honest cost information, such as how long something lasts and what it saves over time. Deloitte found that 53% of value seekers buy cheaper ingredients and 40% choose restaurants with deals, so shoppers are comparing. Clear, easy comparisons help a business win that moment.
The Customer You Already Have Matters More Right Now
With more households keeping a budget, every purchase gets a second look. Loyalty rewards, personal check-ins and genuinely useful email earn attention from people who already know the business. Reaching them also costs less than finding new customers.
When Money Is Tight, Plain Language Builds Trust
If prices must rise, say so early and explain why. If a price is being held, say that too. Trust is part of how people define value now, and plain, honest communication is how it's built. Businesses that are locally owned or locally made can say so truthfully. In Canada, TD found that 63% say their commitment to buying Canadian is stronger this year.
In B2B, Winning the Buyer Is No Longer Enough
B2B buyers are people under pressure too, and many of them have to defend every purchase to finance. The research reflects that.
G2's 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, based on a June survey of 1,038 B2B decision-makers, found that 49% say their CFO reversed a purchase the buying team had already approved in the past 12 months. Budget approval was the second biggest source of delay after vendor selection at 32%, behind IT security review at 39%. Finance involvement in software decisions rose from 31% to 46% in a single year. G2 studies software buyers, but the pattern will feel familiar to anyone selling services.
G2 also found something hopeful. In organizations where a CFO had blocked an approved purchase, the CFO was also the biggest champion, which suggests finance says yes when the case is clear.
Give Your Buyer the Case They Need to Take to Finance
Give the champion a one-page business case in plain language: what it costs, what it replaces, when it pays back and what doing nothing costs. G2 found that three in four buyers who have lived through a late-stage veto expect a positive return within six months of signing.
Make the First Yes Smaller
Pilots, phased engagements and shorter initial terms make it easier to say yes. G2 found that buyers who have watched a CFO undo a deal lean harder toward shorter contracts, with 79% preferring shorter terms.
Proof Has to Survive the Finance Review
G2 reported that buyers who have been through a veto place extra weight on customer proof and third-party validation, because that's the evidence that survives a finance review. Case studies with real numbers, honest benchmarks and references do more for a cautious buyer than a polished claim.
The Person Signing the Contract Is Under Pressure Too
For small and mid-sized buyers, the person signing is often the owner. NFIB found that inflation is the single most important problem for 16% of US owners, and CFIB reports that fuel, tax and wage costs are each causing difficulty for roughly 60% or more of Canadian small firms. Patience, clear pricing and real interest in the buyer's situation count for a lot.
Marketing During Economic Uncertainty: Six Moves Worth Protecting
Six steps fit businesses of most sizes, in B2C and B2B.
Audit before cutting.
Separate spend that produces revenue from spend that doesn't. Cut the waste and keep the momentum.
Protect high-intent channels.
Search, remarketing and email reach people who are already looking, which makes each dollar easier to justify.
Put retention first.
Existing customers are the most reliable revenue right now. Reward them, check in and keep service strong.
Tighten revenue measurement.
Tie spend to leads, sales and revenue so every budget conversation rests on facts.
Refresh the message.
Lead with value, reassurance and honesty. Retire urgency and hype.
Set a visibility floor.
Agree on a minimum level of marketing that keeps the business findable, even if growth spending is paced.
A monthly review keeps the plan current as prices and rates move.
Helpful or Opportunistic? Customers Can Tell the Difference.
Customers can tell the difference between a business that's helping and one that's cashing in. A few plain choices keep messaging on the right side of that line.
Three habits sit behind those rewrites.
Name the pressure without assigning blame. Prices, rates and uncertainty are shared experiences, and leaving politics out keeps the message welcome to everyone.
Offer help before the ask. Useful guides, calculators and straight answers earn trust first.
Keep promises on price and service. A promise kept in a hard year gets remembered.
There Is Still Business to Be Won
People are working hard to make their money go further, and businesses are working just as hard to keep their doors open and their teams employed. Marketing that stays visible and useful serves both groups.
The data offers real reasons for hope. People are still spending, buyers are still buying, and finance leaders become champions when the case is clear. People also remember who helped when things were tight.
A business deciding what to keep and what to cut can start with a clear-eyed look at what's working. From there, the next step is usually to keep showing up with something genuinely useful.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing During Inflation
Should a business cut its marketing budget when inflation is high?
Some trimming can be wise, but going dark gives away visibility while customers are comparing options. Audit first, protect the channels that produce revenue and cut what doesn't.
What is the best marketing strategy during inflation?
Lead with predictable value, protect high-intent channels and existing customers, tighten revenue measurement and offer flexible ways to get started. Honest, steady messaging works better than urgency.
How can small businesses keep customers when prices go up?
Communicate any change early and explain what customers get for the price. Reward loyalty, offer smaller or flexible options where possible and follow through on every promise.
How should B2B companies sell when customers are cutting budgets?
Help the buyer justify the purchase with a clear business case, a payback estimate and real customer proof. Pilots, phased engagements and shorter initial terms lower the barrier to starting.
Is it a good time to advertise when consumers are worried about money?
Yes, when the message is helpful and honest. Consumers in the United States and Canada are still spending, though more selectively, so advertising that makes careful decisions easier is likely to be welcome.
Sources
NFIB, Small Business Optimism Index, August 2026, Sept. 8, 2026
YouGov, U.S. consumer spending and budgeting trends in 2026, March 2, 2026
Deloitte, The value-seeking consumer
Marketplace, Consumer confidence is at record lows, but Americans are still spending, April 20, 2026
Digiday, Media Buying Briefing, April 20, 2026
G2, 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, June 2026 survey
CFIB, Business Barometer for September, Sept. 24, 2026
Boston Consulting Group survey, reported by Money.ca, Dec. 12, 2025
TD Bank Group and Harris Poll, spending survey, Jan. 13, 2026
Retail Insider, Stifel Canada survey on spending intentions, July 2026
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