Vilnius
English, Lithuanian
Ruta provides research data for multiple projects covering consumer expenditure, consumer finance and the mobility industry.
Ruta specialises in consumer finance, expenditure trends, and pricing indices, with added expertise in mobility—particularly the car rental sector. Ruta has previously supported strategic managerial decision making and is familiar with requirements for data from a user's point of view.
The pressure on household budgets is not easing in 2026. Consumers are not spending less so much as spending differently, reallocating with intent and resetting category hierarchies as they go. Three major shifts will define where the money moves this year: macro shocks, that now hit wallets in days; the consumer pool, which is splitting in two; and time becoming the currency brands compete for.
Pet parents care more about the planet than other consumers do, and that concern pays off. But it is not one concern. For example, sustainable pet parents fall into five types, each acting on the environment differently and needing a different reason to buy. For brands, this niche rewards precise segmentation over a single green message.
The US/Israel-Iran war has delivered a dual shock to global supply chains through production decline and transit disruption, with Gulf crude oil output down approximately 60% (at time of writing). Infrastructure destruction prolongs recovery, while commodity shortages impacting packaging, fertilisers and electronics accelerate ally-shoring and alternative energy adoption. Consumers face price increases and volume decline, with stagflation posing the most significant structural risk.
