In a recent article on minonline, Cella Irvine, president and CEO of The About Group, discussed some “must-watch trends” she’s discovered, based on Internet traffic, especially at About.com. “Presented with a devastating economy, we’ll still find ways to happily buy stuff,” she noted. “We won’t stop. Flagging emerging consumer trends is the lifeblood of any business, and the Web makes it easier to track, and then bag, our goods.

Evidence of chic frugality
Results of a recent survey indicated that 80 percent of consumers say they’re shopping online to save money. Nearly 50 percent of Web users are visiting social networking sites like Facebook to find recommendations before they make a purchase. Small mobile devices make the Web easier to navigate and contribute to the increase in online shopping.

There’s been a surge in do-it-yourself fashion, such as making and repairing your own jewelry. There’s also an emphasis on repairing clothes – like hemming and fixing a broken zipper – instead of buying new.

Coupons are all the rage. Page views on About.com’s couponing guide site increased 43 percent over the past few months. Consumers scoop up coupons for restaurants, travel and groceries. “Parents also appear to be tightening costs as baby food coupons were widely searched,” noted Irvine.

Everyone wants to get back to basics. About.com’s Frugal Living forum has tracked a record number of visitors who discuss making bread, cutting utility bills and recession proofing finances.

Evidence of greening older goods
A new word “upcycle” was introduced to describe old goods fashioned into new ones. The handmade goods site Etsy.com, launched in 2005, now features the work of over 100,000 sellers of upcycled goods.

“Trash to treasured furniture” is the second most-popular search term on About.com’s Flea Market Guide site. Irvine reports that a story about shopping at Goodwill is also well liked, and the phrase “garage sales” is heavily searched.

Swapping is gaining strength
Irvine pointed out that swapping furniture and other goods on the network has become a common practice thanks to groups like the nonprofit Freecycle Network. “They’re even swapping car leases,” she noted. On www.swapalease.com, a rapidly growing website, people can exit their leases before they expire. People swap cars on Craigslist. People can even share cars, thanks to companies like Zipcar.

Irvine listed two permanent home swap sites: www.besthouseswap.com and www.onlinehousetrading.com.

She said: “One unexpected gift of his new penchant for thrift is forging new connections with people via swapping and sharing the things that we love. We are now forced to reconnect.

“As our goods are remade, we also remake ourselves.”

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