While it’s fair to say there’s plenty of disagreement among many issues these days, most consumers—across all income levels—generally agree on something: a sense of pessimism surrounding our current economy. So says the Index of Consumer Sentiment, a widely regarded metric from the Surveys of Consumers, as tabulated by the University of Michigan.

During our very worthwhile appearance at NRF just a few weeks ago, quite a few questions from visitors to our booth revolved around the ongoing challenges affecting retail replenishment. Nobody needs to belabor the problem—our post-pandemic economy is still plagued by unwieldy supply chain disruptions, leaving retail customers regularly disappointed with empty shelves—leaving them little choice but to consider competing stores (or online options) for everyday items they rely upon.