When money gets tight, shoppers don’t stop buying. They rethink what stays in the budget. This chapter covers the four ways shoppers sort purchases in a downturn: essentials, treats, postponables and expendables. It uses Bureau of Labor Statistics spending data and introduces the two kinds of demand that hold up best.

Discretionary spending often changes shape instead of disappearing. This chapter explains the lipstick effect and what the research does and doesn’t support. It names product types worth testing, such as candles, phone accessories and small gifts. It also shows how to write listings, bundles and gift collections around why customers buy.

Households can delay a furniture upgrade, but not every hygiene or cleaning purchase. This chapter covers where to find practical essentials and the “what if the customer waits?” test for separating needs from wants. It also explains why value, shipping costs and supplier reliability matter as much as demand.

Products that run out or wear out create natural repeat orders. This chapter uses a simple example to show how repeat orders change your margins once acquisition costs are counted. It also gives three questions for finding products with a replacement cycle and ways to make reordering easy for customers.

This chapter turns the guide into a catalog review. It uses three labels: need-based, small treat and replenishable. It has four steps for spotting concentration risk, testing gaps and improving weak listings, plus a sourcing checklist covering costs, delivery, supplier consistency and customer experience.

This chapter starts with three questions to ask about ten of your existing products. It then explains how to check the numbers and supplier performance before keeping or expanding a listing. It closes with how to use Doba to compare products and suppliers as you test new categories.