CPI Insights: September 2025 — Inflation Anxiety and the Blame Game on Social Media
RILA’s analysis of over 16 million U.S. social media conversations surrounding the September 2025 CPI report uncovers a nation grappling with economic fatigue and distrust. Beyond rising numbers, Americans see inflation as a symptom of systemic policy failure — with blame falling heavily on government spending, immigration costs, and tariffs. Healthcare, housing, and education top the list of pain points, symbolizing structural failures that go far beyond temporary price spikes. The public mood is overwhelmingly negative, marked by anger, blame, and a sense of entrapment as consumers feel policy decisions — not just market forces — are eroding their economic stability and future prospects.
October 27, 2025
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Early Holiday Spending Sentiment in October: How Consumers Are Feeling
As the 2025 holiday season approaches, consumer conversations reveal a fascinating mix of optimism and caution. While inflation and economic pressures weigh heavily on many households, shoppers are prioritizing meaningful experiences and emotional value over discounts and mass-market products. Parents, in particular, are determined to make the holidays special for their children, even if it means turning to flexible payment options like buy now, pay later or adjusting travel plans toward affordable domestic trips. The overall sentiment suggests a redefinition of holiday joy — one centered on authenticity, connection, and creative budgeting — offering brands a clear opportunity to engage with purpose and empathy this festive season.
October 24, 2025
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Top U.S. Consumer Concerns — Last 30 Days (RILA Global Consulting Analysis)
Over the past month, American consumers have been caught between economic pressure and cautious hope. According to RILA’s analysis of 25 million online conversations, tariffs and inflation dominate public discourse — shaping a sense of financial vulnerability that spans demographics and languages. English-speaking Americans decry tariffs as a hidden tax, while Spanish-speaking communities focus on agricultural fallout and global trade risks. Inflation’s reach now extends beyond groceries to healthcare, deepening distrust in political leadership. Meanwhile, AI-driven automation fuels job insecurity, especially among younger generations who see innovation as both opportunity and threat. Yet, amid the strain, moments of optimism — from EV purchases to financial literacy — suggest that while Americans feel squeezed, they’re still seeking control and clarity in a shifting economic landscape.
October 22, 2025
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Why Social Listening is Critical for Nuclear Energy Discussions
Nuclear energy remains one of the most emotionally charged and technically complex sectors in the global energy debate, where public perception often outweighs scientific facts. This article explores how social listening has become essential for industry leaders, policymakers, and energy organizations to understand real-time public sentiment, track misinformation, and engage communities proactively. Unlike traditional research, which captures static snapshots of opinion, social listening uncovers nuanced, rapidly evolving conversations across social media and forums, allowing stakeholders to detect concerns early, address fears around safety and waste, and craft targeted, empathetic communication strategies. By integrating these insights with market research, nuclear energy organizations can foster trust, shape narratives responsibly, and position themselves strategically in the transition to net-zero emissions.
October 22, 2025
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Why Hospitality Brands Can’t Ignore TikTok Travel Trends
TikTok has transformed the way travelers discover and choose destinations, turning viral videos into powerful drivers of bookings and brand visibility. For hospitality brands, from luxury resorts to boutique hotels, ignoring TikTok trends is no longer an option — these platforms provide real-time signals of traveler interests, desires, and frustrations. By combining social listening with traditional market research, brands can anticipate emerging trends, tailor content to viral hashtags, and convert engagement into bookings. RILA specializes in turning TikTok insights into actionable strategies, helping hotels and travel brands bridge the gap between online virality and real-world revenue while staying ahead of the competition in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
October 22, 2025
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What Social Listening Reveals About Inflation’s Impact on Dining Choices
Inflation is reshaping not just what consumers eat, but how they decide where and how much to spend—conversations that are happening in real time on social media. Traditional research methods can lag behind these rapid behavior shifts, but social listening combined with AI-driven analytics provides QSR and food brands with an immediate window into consumer priorities, price sensitivity, and value perceptions. From spotting early complaints about portion sizes to identifying the most effective promotions, brands that act on these digital signals can proactively adjust pricing, loyalty programs, and messaging to maintain loyalty and competitive advantage. By treating inflation as a strategic moment rather than a challenge, companies can turn economic pressure into actionable intelligence, protecting both margins and customer relationships.
October 22, 2025
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What Reddit and TripAdvisor Teach Us About Hospitality Pain Points
In today’s digital age, guest experiences extend far beyond hotel walls, unfolding in real time on platforms like Reddit and TripAdvisor. These forums offer unfiltered, authentic insights into travelers’ frustrations, praises, and unmet expectations, revealing pain points that traditional surveys often miss. By combining always-on social listening with structured market research, hospitality brands can detect service gaps as they emerge, understand the emotional drivers behind complaints, and implement targeted solutions that improve satisfaction and loyalty. RILA specializes in transforming these digital conversations into actionable strategies, helping hotels, resorts, and boutique properties proactively enhance operations, protect brand reputation, and turn guest feedback into a competitive advantage.
October 22, 2025
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What Consumers Really Want From Healthy Fast Food Options
As consumer expectations evolve, fast food is no longer just about speed and price—health, transparency, and personalization now dominate decision-making. This article explores how traditional research methods are being outpaced by real-time digital conversations on social media, food apps, and review platforms, revealing authentic insights into dietary trends, affordability, flavor preferences, and sustainability demands. By combining AI-driven social listening with structured market research, fast food brands can detect emerging trends, tailor menus, and anticipate shifts before competitors, turning data into actionable strategies that drive loyalty, innovation, and growth.
October 22, 2025
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What Consumers Really Think About Renewable Energy Adoption
As renewable energy technologies surge forward, understanding consumer sentiment has become just as crucial as technological innovation. Modern energy adoption is no longer a top-down process—consumers actively debate, question, and influence the trajectory of solar, wind, and EV infrastructure through online platforms and social discourse. By combining traditional market research with real-time social listening, energy providers can uncover both the emotional drivers and practical concerns shaping adoption, from cost and reliability to environmental impact and community trust. Insights like these allow organizations to craft targeted strategies, foster transparency, and ultimately accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy future—demonstrating that successful adoption depends as much on listening as it does on leading.
October 22, 2025
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