Browsing is most important fashion influence
Men are the least important fashion influence among female shoppers, according to a survey results reported in The Sampler, the newsletter of Response Analysis, Princeton, New Jersey. In the study, conducted for a national specialty retailer with more than 200 stores and a large catalog operation, shoppers rated a variety of potential influences on their fashion decisions.
The most important factor, the findings revealed, was actual "browsing" through stores, followed closely by observing what other women are wearing. Less than one woman shopper in ten identified their discussions with men as having any influence on what they buy to wear.
Influences on women shoppers
Browsing 69%
What other women wear 64%
Looking at catalogs 51%
Talking with women 30%
Fashion magazines 30%
Newspaper ads 27%
Salesperson advice 24%
Other magazines 19%
Talking with men 9%
The study also found that women shopping for apparel tend to shop frequently (about 50% shop once or twice a month). Only one shopper in 100 shops less often than every six months. The study sampled the opinions of 400 female shoppers, ages 25-65, with a household income of $30,000 or more. They were recruited and qualified in a brief telephone interview and then responded to a mail questionnaire.
Why not buy a car?
What are the reasons why people would not buy a car? According to a study conducted by Consumer Attitude Research, a Bloomington Hills, Mich.-based subsidiary of Research Data Analysis, Inc., the reasons why people did not buy a particular car during the 1991 model year:
Percent mentioning
Economic concerns 48
Dislike styling 14
Dislike size/comfort 13
Lack of quality 7
Lack of performance 5
Lack of safety features 3
Other 10
Kids affect adult views on environment
Adults with children in their house-hold have higher awareness of environmental issues, according to The Environmental Report, a quarterly tracking study of 1000 adults conducted by Environmental Research Associates, Princeton, New Jersey. People with children at home are:
- More likely to see the environment as a "very serious problem" - 38% compared with 32% of all adults;
- Slightly more likely to have purchased a brand because they felt it came from an "environmentally concerned company;"
- More likely to switch to this company because it used recycled materials - 29% to 24% for all adults;
- More likely to know which soft drink and food containers are recyclable;
- More likely to purchase refills, 39% to 33%.
Teen market has changed during last decade
To mark its 10th anniversary, Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU), Northbrook, Ill., has developed a list of 10 major changes in the teen market over those ten years. According to Peter Zollo, TRU president, they are:
1. Teen are less materialistic. Perhaps the most dramatic finding in the past few years is teens' shift from an overriding attitude of materialism to an embracing of social concerns. In 1987, TRU began measuring teens' agreement with the statement "Success means making a lot of money." Since then, teens' agreement with this statement has decreased nearly 50 percent, from a majority of teens (61 percent) in 1987 equating money and success to only a minority (32 percent) currently.
2. Teens more aware, more caring of social concerns. As teens today are becoming less materialistic, they're becoming more aware of and concerned with a variety of social issues. Two-thirds say they care more than most people about making the world a better place. When it comes to specific issues, teens - like adults - care most about those things closest to them. So, as many teens begin to experiment with sex, alcohol and drugs, they have special concerns related to these behaviors. When asked about those issues they care most strongly about, teens answer: AIDS, drinking & driving, drug abuse, followed by environment (and several less popular concerns).
3. Teens shift attitudes on family, religion. Today's teens find family and religion important components of their lives. Still, in the past few years, TRU has found a decline in the number of teens espousing these traditional values. For example, although two-thirds of teens like "doing things with their families," teens are 20 percent less likely today than they were just four years ago to express this attitude. Similarly, although more than half say religion is an important part of their lives, teens are 20 percent less likely to feel this way today than they were in 1987.
4. Rap emerges as a cultural force and teens' favorite music. Rap is the first major cultural phenomenon of recent past that was not a by-product of the Baby Boom. Instead, today's older teens have made this form of "street" music mainstream to the point where it's the favorite genre in today's teens. Nearly 80 percent of teens say rap is "in," a higher score than for any other music type. And rap artists continue to top TRU' s popularity ratings of musical performers.
5. African-American influence has become a leader of teen lifestyle trends. Rap is only one example of the impact of the African-American influence on teens today. In the worlds of entertainment and fashion, black influence is a major force in leading teen trends. In fact, it wasn't until Michael Jackson's crossing of the color barrier on MTV in 1982 that white teen audiences were widely exposed to black music. Since that time, rap, dance and R&B have dominated radio and video airplay for teens. And now even in the most mainstream of entertainment media - network TV - shows that feature black actors, such as "The Cosby Show," "Fresh Prince," "In Living Color" and "A Different World," have become teen favorites. African-American influence extends into teen language, fashion and beauty choices.
6. Teens accepting of wider variety of fashions, styles. Compared to their counterparts of recent decades, today's teens are less ruled by strict fashion codes of "what's in" and "what's out." In fact, today's teens are often accepting of apparent "opposites" in fashion and lifestyles: tight and baggy clothes; short and long hair; leather and denim; heavy metal and top 40; health and junk food; curly and straight hair.
7. Sports have become a favorite pastime for nearly all teens. Today almost all teens - males and females, "jocks" and "bookworms" - participate in and follow sports. Ten years ago TRU found a specific teen segment, predominately male, which was far more involved with and interested in sports than teens in general. Today, this interest in sports has spread to all segments of the teen population. Boys average 10 hours a week playing sports and attending sports events; girls devote six hours weekly to sports activities.
8. Teens' spending power is bigger than ever. During the past 10 years teen disposable income has consistently and significantly increased. Since 1986 alone, teen earning power has increased by nearly 50 percent - from $65 billion to $95 billion in annual income. Not only does teen earning significantly outpace inflation, it, comes despite a decrease in the teen population (a seven percent decline since 1986).
9. After 17 years of decline, the teen population is increasing. This year, for the first time since 1975, the U.S. teenage population (12- to 19-year olds) has increased. The Census Bureau projects this population will continue to increase until at least the year 2005. Teens in 1975 were the last of the Baby Boomers. Many of today's teens are the children of the Boomers, being labeled the Baby Boomlet or Echo Boom.
10. Teens are becoming a larger part of advertisers' media/marketing mix. As teens make up a larger portion of the population and control and influence a greater variety of purchases, more and more advertisers are getting on the "teen bandwagon." Some advertisers want to tap into current teen spending. Others are investing in the teen market for long-term gains, trying to gain a competitive edge by developing brand loyalties now with these young consumers. To aid these marketers in reaching teens, media companies have responded with a proliferation of new vehicles, from MTV to new teen magazines and from teen-oriented network TV programs to alternative in-school media, such as Channel One and GymBoards. But as more advertisers take aim at the teen market, teens themselves are becoming more savvy about advertising. They understand advertising's roles, and they know what they like and dislike about advertising. Zollo says, "Teens want advertising that's relevant to their lives, that speaks directly and honestly to them. And, they want advertising that's fun, entertaining or even shocking."
Fat tops list of food label concerns
Shoppers are most interested in nutri-tional information that has a direct bearing on their health, according to a study, "Shopping For Health," conducted by Prevention magazine and the Washington, D.C.-based Food Marketing Institute. The majority who read nutritional labels say they almost always look for information about the fat (64%) and cholesterol (54%) in foods they buy for the first time. One-half (51%) almost always check for the amount of salt or sodium and the calorie content. In contrast, comparatively smaller proportions almost always check foods for vitamins (24%), or the amount of fiber (26%) or protein (26%).
Attention to specific kinds of nutritional information varies by gender. Women who read labels are more likely than their male counterparts to almost always check for the amount of fat (68 % vs. 54%) and cholesterol (58% vs. 45%) in the foods they buy. These women are also more likely to almost always check a food's salt (54% vs. 42%) and its calorie (55% vs. 41%) content. Men, who are generally less informed about nutritional issues, are more likely to almost always check a food's carbohydrate content (32% vs. 25%).
Few rate TV programming excellent
Only three percent of the American adult population is willing to call television programming in 1992 "excellent." Most people consider it either good or fair, but a substantial minority expressed significant disappointment with TV today. These are some of the results of a recent telephone survey by Barna Research Group, Glendale, Calif. The study was conducted among a representative sample of 1,212 American adults. The study explored people's perceptions of TV, along with some findings regarding boycotts of advertisers. In the study, 3% said TV programming is excellent these days, while 26% called it good, 36% felt it is fair, 13% deemed it not too good, and 19% said it is poor. Although heavy viewers tended to be more complimentary of television, even among this audience only 5% said it is excellent, and 32% called it good. Aside from problems people might have with the overall quality of what they are watching, there were significant concerns about perceptions of offensive content in the shows. Seventy-two percent of all Americans said there is too much violence on television these days, including 60% of the men, and 83% of the women. Even among those who said TV programming in general is excellent or good, 59% still felt that there is too much violence. Sixty-five percent said there is too much sexual activity on television these days, including 68% of the heavy viewers. Women were more likely to complain about TV sex than were men (75% to 54). Additionally, 84% perceived an increase in amount of sexual activity portrayed on television in the past five years.