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Research challenges 'traditional' view of consumers and urges new approaches by marketers. Experian (LON:EXPN) has released new research that reveals the changing nature of society and its relevance to marketers.
The Experian report, HD:UK, stresses the high levels of information marketers now need in the changing market space. As social media grows and consumer markets fragment long held views are increasingly being challenged.
Experian’s HD:UK report identifies a number of new trends that can benefit today’s brands:
Who is using social network sites While younger, well-educated professionals were the early adopters of social networking sites and forums, analysis from Experian Hitwise reveals that people from disadvantaged groups in the UK who are now the most common social network users.
The Mosaic consumer group, Claimant Cultures, a group that includes the most disadvantaged people in the UK, are some of the most frequent users of social networking sites and forums.
Ex-Council Community and Upper Floor Living, people on limited incomes living in small flats, are two further Mosaic groups that over index on their use of social networking sites and forums. In contrast, the well-off professional and managerial class, Professional Rewards, are a group that significantly under index on their use of such sites. Who is looking for a bargain? Searching for a discount and holding out for a special offer or bargain are now behaviours most likely to be associated with better off, rather than less well-off consumer groups. Some of the most affluent groups in the UK are amongst the most likely to visit discount voucher, rewards and comparison websites in search of money-off coupons and the best bargains.
Active Retirement and Professional Rewards, two affluent Mosaic groups, tend of be more frequent visitors to such sites than less affluent groups including Upper Floor Living, Terraced Melting Post and Claimant Cultures, along with Liberal Opinions.
Experian’s report also highlights that more than half of all consumers (55%) claim to “be likely to delay buying something until it’s on special offer”, a figure that rises to 68% for Professional Rewards, the UK’s professional and managerial class.
In addition to the need to develop accurate consumer insight, Experian’s HD:UK report highlights how increasingly complex lives and a fragmented media landscape are seeing consumers increasingly resist “push” communications. Advertising implicationsAlmost 30% of consumers now view advertising unfavourably and consumers have developed an ability to carefully tune in and tune out from the ever-growing wave of marketing and advertising campaigns vying for their attention.
As a result, today’s HD-ready consumer only allows brand information, communications and messaging that have high levels of relevancy to get through.
Online search trends underline the fact that consumers are increasingly seeking out information that is only relevant to them.
Experian Hitwise found that the number of searches involving just one word has decreased from 24.5% in 2007 to 20.4% in 2009 and over 45% of the searches tracked by Hitwise so far in 2009 have consisted of three, four or five word searches.
Meanwhile, nine out of ten of the most popular online searches now contain a reference to a brand, compared to two thirds of the most popular searches in 2005.
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