Dive Brief:

• The conventional wisdom that consumers remain wary of spending may not be exactly true, according to new research from MasterCard Advisors.

• Analyzing billions of MasterCard payments has shown that consumers are spending more to eat out and travel, and are being judicious about items they buy, though some of those items, like jewelry, are expensive.

• People are willing to pay good money, but are being deliberative in their choices, are seeking good value, and are less willing to carry a balance on their credit cards, the research found.

Dive Insight:

Retailers should take a good look at these insights, which indicate a significant shift in consumer attitudes toward spending. While recession and even post-recession shoppers were laser-focused on low prices, consumers may well be spending more. And while their idea of a good deal may be a higher price tag, they’re still deliberating about each purchase, making sure it's one that in their view is worth it.

That means that retailers must be deliberate, too, in their mix of merchandise, their pricing strategies, and the quality of goods on offer.

“I’m not going to buy a $300 pair of jeans for my teenager who outgrows them in two months," MasterCard Advisors SVP and group head of market insights Sarah Quinlan said of today's consumer at the Global Retailing Conference in Tucson Thursday, where she unveiled the research.​ "That’s so 2007.”