Consumers give little attention to ads on mobile devices
Over half of smartphone and tablet users never fully pay attention to ads on their devices when watching full TV episodes and playing games, according to a survey conducted by Prosper Mobile Insights, a division of Worthington, Ohio, research company BIGresearch. Only 13.3 percent regularly pay full attention to advertising while watching TV on their device and 19.2 percent do the same while playing games. Ads found while surfing the Web on a mobile device appear to get the most attention from mobile users (35 percent).
Further, one in 10 mobile users believe advertisements viewed on their smartphone or tablet regularly influence the products or brands they purchase. Another 41 percent say these mobile ads occasionally influence their shopping habits. Nearly half are not influenced by ads viewed on a mobile device.
Consumers appear more likely to seek out the information they need from retailers or brands, as 80.8 percent say they use their smartphone or tablet to look for a product or service. Nearly 80 percent use their mobile devices to locate a store or store hours; 55.7 percent research specific products; and 53.2 percent receive text messages with special offers. One-third uses a mobile device to scan QR codes. For more information visit www.bigresearch.com.
Modern women: With great power comes great … stress?
Women’s control over spending decisions, coupled with their gains across the working world and politics, point to women of tomorrow being in a position to exert more influence than ever. Nearly 80 percent of women in developed economies indicated they believe the role of women will change and of those, 90 percent believe it will change for the better, according to New York researcher The Nielsen Company’s Women of Tomorrow study.
However, optimistic as they may be, female respondents say they are pressured for time and feel stressed and overworked. Women in emerging countries indicated they feel the pressure even more so than women in developed countries. Women across the world are managing multiple roles but a contributing factor to the higher stress levels in emerging markets is that there is little spare cash remaining after the basic essentials to spend on themselves or take vacations.
Among female respondents in emerging markets, women in India (87 percent), Mexico (74 percent) and Russia (69 percent) said they were most stressed/pressured for time. Among developed countries, women expressed feeling this pressure most in Spain (66 percent), France (65 percent) and Italy (64 percent).
When asked how women expect to allocate additional money they earn or expect to earn over the next five years, differences emerge. More than half (56 percent) of women in emerging countries said they plan to allocate funds for their children’s education, contrasted to 16 percent of women in developed countries. Women in Nigeria (85 percent), India (76 percent) and Malaysia (63 percent) gave the most importance to saving for their children’s education.
Overall, developed-market women said they plan to spend their extra money on vacations (58 percent), groceries (57 percent) and savings or paying off credit cards/debts (55 percent each), while emerging-market women said they were looking to spend extra money on everyday essentials such as clothing (70 percent), groceries (68 percent) and health and beauty items (53 percent). In emerging markets, vacation ranked seventh among women, with 40 percent indicating they would spend extra money on it.
Across countries surveyed, women believe they have more opportunities than their mothers. Women in emerging markets believe their daughters will have even more opportunities than they did relative to their mothers. However, in developed countries, women surveyed believe their daughters will have the same opportunities, not more.
Less than half (40 percent) of women in developed countries surveyed believe their daughters will have greater financial stability, while 54 percent believe their daughters will have a better education. And 34 percent believe their daughters will be less likely to retire when they choose to compared to today’s standards. However, nearly three-quarters of female respondents in developed countries believe their daughters will have better access to technology.
In emerging markets, 80 percent of women surveyed believe their daughters will have greater financial stability; 83 percent believe their daughters will have a better education; and 84 percent believe their daughters will have better access to technology. For more information visit www.nielsen.com.
We’re willing to shell out for outstanding service
Everyone knows that customer service matters. The question is, how much? Is going the extra mile to make the customer smile worth it? Research from Polaris Marketing Research Inc., Atlanta, says yes. Over one-third of Americans would be willing or extremely willing to pay 10 percent more for a product or service if they knew that they would get excellent customer service. Thirty percent of Americans are not willing to pay extra to ensure excellent customer service and 36 percent of Americans are not sure whether they would pay extra.
The findings were very consistent over demographic population subgroups. Only males, consumers ages 50+ and lower-income consumers were more likely not to be willing to pay more for excellent customer service.
Additionally, 72 percent agree that “If a company treats me right, I tend to be loyal to them.” However, 26 percent say they are less loyal to companies than they were four years ago.
The findings were remarkably stable over demographic subgroups of the population but younger consumers (under 50 years of age) are much more likely to be loyal to companies than older consumers, with older consumers more likely to be looking for the best deal rather than being loyal. For more information visit www.polarismr.com.
Hard-to-reach affluents receptive to digital media and ads
The wealthiest American consumers - those with at least $100,000 annual incomes - have long been difficult for marketers to reach through traditional media like TV and radio. They may want to try digital media, as a new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau shows that higher-income Americans embrace digital media and its ads.
Conducted by Ipsos Mendelsohn, a New York research company, the Affluent Consumers in a Digital World study found that ninety-eight percent of affluent consumers use the Internet, compared with 79 percent of the general population. They spend 26.2 hours online weekly; 17.6 hours watching TV; and 7.5 hours listening to the radio. The general population, on the other hand, spends about twice as much time weekly with TV and radio - 34 hours and 16 hours, respectively - and just 21.7 hours on the Internet.
Affluents overall comprise 21 percent of U.S. households; have 70 percent of all consumer wealth; and spend 3.2 times more than other Americans on purchases. This sought-after segment, using the Internet to a greater extent than other Americans, tends to recall more ads and to be more aware of advertised brands, products and services. Eighty-eight percent of affluent consumers recalled being exposed to one or more digital ads during the previous week, compared with 84 percent of non-affluent Internet users. Within these groups, affluents recalled 21.1 ads on average versus 20.2 for non-affluents.
Compared with non-affluent consumers, affluent consumers are also somewhat more likely to be aware of new products (55 percent vs. 49 percent), new companies (51 percent vs. 49 percent) and new Web sites (46 percent vs. 44 percent) after viewing digital ads.
In addition, 59 percent of affluent consumers reported taking action based on a digital ad during the preceding six months. The receptivity of affluent Americans to digital advertising is underscored by their greater understanding of the ad-supported Web model and the benefits of ad targeting, as compared with non-affluent consumers. Nearly a one-third of affluents (vs. 23 percent of non-affluents) said they’d be willing to share information about themselves in order to get a more customized online experience. Seventy-two percent (vs. 61 percent) agreed with the statement, “Most Web sites are free because they are supported by advertising.” Fifty-seven percent (vs. 51 percent) said they would prefer to see ad-supported online content that is free, rather than paying for content that is ad-free. For more information visit www.iab.net/affluentconsumers.
Store brands regaining ground post-recession
While the majority of global consumers still perceive store brands to be the same as or better than national brands, their positive perceptions toward store brands may be starting to decline, according to a one-year trend analysis from New York research company Ipsos Marketing.
Consumers from around the world were asked to compare store brands to national brands on several attributes. Over 80 percent of global consumers indicated that store brands are the same as or better than national brands on dimensions such as providing good value for the money, meeting their needs, offering convenience, being good for their families and offering products their family requests. However, compared to the same study conducted a year prior, store brand ratings declined somewhat, most notably in the areas of being environmentally-friendly, high-quality, trustworthy, unique and innovative. Taste, efficacy of household products and packaging appeal slipped as well. For more information visit www.ipsos.com.
Automakers offer most appealing lineup of new vehicles
As the auto industry battles through another difficult year, vehicle manufacturers are fighting to win customers by offering the most appealing vehicles in history. According to the 2011 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study from Westlake Village, Calif., research company J.D. Power and Associates, overall vehicle appeal has reached an all-time high since the study’s inception in 1996, with the industry average increasing to 781 on a 1,000-point scale (up from 778 in 2010).
Furthermore, recently-launched, all-new and redesigned models are substantially more appealing than their carryover counterparts, widening the gap in score for a second consecutive year. In 2011, the gap was 29 points, compared with 18 points in 2010 and 10 points in 2009. This improvement is partially driven by higher ratings for vehicle styling and fuel economy provided by owners of recently-launched vehicles.
While all-new and redesigned models have more problems, on average, than do carryover models, these same models are more likely to offer the styling, performance and features that customers are looking for.
BMW and Dodge each captured three segment-level awards. BMW models that received awards were the X3, Z4 Roadster and 5 Series, while Dodge received awards for the Challenger, Charger and Durango. The Charger, Durango, X3 and 5 Series were all redesigned for the 2011 model year. Ford and Honda captured two model-level awards each, with Ford receiving awards for the all-new Fiesta and F-150 LD and Honda for the Ridgeline and redesigned Odyssey.
The Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Equus, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus IS, MINI Countryman, Nissan Armada, Porsche Cayenne, Scion xB, Suzuki Kizashi and Volkswagen GTI also received awards. Of these, the Countryman, Equus and Volt are all-new models, while the Cayenne was redesigned. The Equus achieved the highest APEAL score of any model in the industry in 2011. This is the first year that a model other than the BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS or Mercedes-Benz S-Class has led the overall model ranking.
Three models ranked highest in their respective segments in both the 2011 APEAL Study and the 2011 IQS: the Dodge Challenger, Ford F-150 LD and Honda Ridgeline.
Porsche was the highest-ranking nameplate in the 2011 APEAL Study for a seventh consecutive year. Hyundai improved from 2010 more than any other nameplate this year, while Jeep and Chrysler also improved considerably. For more information visit www.jdpower.com.