DETROIT, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Inforum, Michigan's leading network for professional women and Sphere Trending, a consulting and forecasting firm based in Waterford, Mich., have released "The New Consumer," the final installment of a four-part series of reports that explore trends affecting women in the second decade of the 21st century.

Maxine Lauer, CEO (Creative Examiner of Opportunities) for Sphere Trending said the report finds that women are becoming the hub of the wheel that drives the U.S. economy.

"The economy of today is becoming female-driven," Lauer said. "American women today are better educated and have more earning potential than ever and are using advancements in education and the workforce to increase their power at every level of the marketplace."

Key findings from the report include:

• A shift to a female-driven economy in which women are using advancements in education and in the workforce to further direct expenditures in this post-recession environment.
• Women consumers have been empowered by new tools (technology, social communities), inspired by new values (health and wellness, spending less to get more) and bringing new attributes to business (supporting local, multi-tasking products).
• Today's female consumer is no longer guided by brand or retail loyalty. She listens to her own instincts, which have been honed through years of savvy consumerism that began when she was a child.
• Women are guided by a desire to determine their own destinies: when (and if) to get married, have children, buy a home and enter the workforce. This is breaking down traditional social norms to bring a new generation into the 21st century.

For a free downloadable copy of the report, click here.

"The New Consumer" follows the earlier release of "The New Workforce," a high-level overview of the key trends affecting working women; "The New Mom," which looked at the ways motherhood is changing in a busier, more connected world; and "The New Homeowner," which explored how women are changing the housing market.

Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum and Inforum Center for Leadership, said the research partnership with Sphere Trending is part of Inforum's ongoing effort to give women the tools they need to lead and succeed.

"'The New Consumer' underscores a lot of what we found out in the earlier reports," Barclay said. "Like the workplace, and the housing market, the market for consumer goods increasingly has a female bias. American women today are better educated and have more earning potential than ever. And, the new responsibilities women are taking on financially are driving them to be smarter, more value-conscious consumers – at a time when the web makes it easier than ever to compare purchase options."

About Inforum

Inforum is Michigan's leading business forum for women, with more than 1,800 members from a cross-section of Michigan's business community. The mission of the organization is to strengthen the business environment by creating opportunities for women to lead and succeed. Founded as the Women's Economic Club in 1962 in Detroit, Inforum has affiliates in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lansing, Michigan. For more information, visit Inforum's website, www.inforummichigan.org or call 877.633.3500.

About Sphere Trending

Sphere Trending, based in Waterford, Mich., is a consulting and forecasting firm that specializes in trends affecting our environments, through a deep understanding of consumer needs and desires, societal changes, technological innovations and retail landscapes. Sphere Trending then combines these macro trends with design trends to bring innovative strategies to market. Sphere Tending's clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as other companies involved in the retailing and manufacturing of flooring, building materials, arts and crafts, tabletops, electronics, indoor and outdoor furniture, and other household consumables. To learn more about Sphere Trending and its offerings, please visit www.spheretrending.com.

SOURCE Inforum