Welcome to the Experian Thought Leadership Hub

The better-than-expected September Jobs Report adds to the list of data that suggests the U.S. economy is heading for a soft landing. While challenges remain, the current backdrop is one of strong economic activity, a solid labor market, and a more accommodative Fed. Get North America Chief Economist Joseph Mayans’ charts and key takeaways on recent developments.

Explore Gen Z's habits and attitudes toward credit, personal finance, marketing, fraud and more.

Gen Z fast facts:

• There are 69.3 million Gen Z-ers in the United States.
• They spend six or more hours per day on their cell phones.
• They collectively demand purpose and accountability from brands they interact with.

They demand the creation of more opportunities for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Lack of financial resources and funding options are seen as barriers in achieving their goals.

Source: Statista, McKinsey & Company.

Learn how credit unions can optimize their credit limit strategies to grow card use, increase member loyalty and manage risk.

Fast facts:

• Credit card balances increased by $55 billion in December 2023, about four times the increase from November.
• 35% of holiday shopping was done in December 2023, peaking at 9% of total holiday sales the week before Christmas.
• 68% of credit card owners regularly use at least two credit cards.
• 41% opened their recent credit card because they wanted to build their credit score and history."

As interest rates soften, pent-up demand stands poised to surge once affordability shifts. Given this environment, it's imperative to reassess your lending strategy to recognize new avenues for growth. We've examined the first-time homebuyer segment to identify credit-qualified prospects and offer insights on potential opportunity areas.

Download our white paper to deepen your understanding of first-time homebuyers and learn best practices for how to successfully identify and engage this audience to help your business drive more sustainable growth.

As we prepare for the year ahead, it's crucial to understand the trends of 2023 that shaped our current economic environment. Download the 2023 Experian Edge Economic Chartbook, where you can find critical insights into the labor market, inflation, banking stress, delinquencies and more.

The Beyond the Trends Report: Winter 2023 dives into the challenges and opportunities facing small businesses in today’s shifting economy. As inflation strains consumer spending and savings dwindle, businesses must navigate rising costs and softening demand. Backed by Experian’s robust data, the report highlights key trends like increasing credit reliance, evolving consumer behaviors, and the Federal Reserve’s focus on cooling inflation. Small businesses can stay resilient by embracing strategies like market expansion, fraud prevention, and customer loyalty initiatives. With insights tailored to empower businesses, this report is your guide to thriving in a dynamic market.

This report offers granular data on a vast number of different consumer insights that will allow you to build the foundation for a successful lending strategy and create benchmarks needed to improve your financial inclusion efforts, prospecting, risk management and more.

Access our 2018 trends report, which dives into the latest findings attached to the industry and the consumers utilizing Alternative Financial Services products. Uncover new data on payment behavior, credit utilization and quality, and consumer stability for those individuals using products like short-term loans, pawn shops, payday loans, rent-to-own and beyond.

Discover how traditional lenders can benefit from these data insights, as well as what it reveals about subprime consumers.

It's that time of year; the industry's annual checkup, and we're excited to share insights that will provide a better view of the consumers you serve.

For five years in a row, Clarity's Alternative Financial Services Lending Trends Report has been the go-to resource for those seeking insights into non-prime borrower behavior, alternative credit data, industry trends in the alternative financial services market, and more.

In this report, we analyzed:

• Online lending volume and product mix market trends
• Single pay and online installment loan performance
• COVID-19 and Loan Accommodations *NEW*
• Changes in loan characteristics
• And so much more