trade down

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to sell a large or relatively expensive house, car, etc, and replace it with a smaller or less expensive one

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trade down Idioms  

1. Exchange for something of lower value or price, as in They bought a smaller boat, trading down for the sake of economy. Similarly, trade up means “make an exchange for something of higher value or price,” as in They traded up to a larger house. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

“It tends to be the lower income brackets or the middle income brackets that are the most likely to trade down,” said Collin Colburn, vice president of commerce and retail media at the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

From Los Angeles Times

To some degree, such burger wars are yet another aspect of the “trade down” happening elsewhere in the retail universe, as people lean more on lower prices while their budgets creep higher.

From MarketWatch

Plenty of investors believe that Ross stands to benefit as people see prices creeping up elsewhere in their budgets and decide to trade down in apparel.

From MarketWatch

Boeing’s stock sank 3.8% toward a seven-month low in recent afternoon trading, while GE shares reversed an earlier intraday gain of as much as 2.1% to trade down 2.8%.

From MarketWatch

Shares trade down 1.8% at 15.76 euros.

From The Wall Street Journal