1) Go West (or South) Young Man: Jobs (and therefore, people) are quickly migrating South and West: Lower taxes and fewer unions continue to encourage economic growth in the South and West. Conversely, regulations in many northern states, such as New York, are less favorable for businesses. Compounding the problem (or the opportunity for the South and West) is the fact that entire families, not just the younger workers, are moving. MR questions: How does this shift effect the consumption of your products and services? Should you test new concepts that will play better in the South and West? Should you refine the allocation of your media spend and/or the messaging behind your marketing?

2) Multi-Cultural Nation: While white non-Hispanics still comprise two thirds of the US’s 300 million people, it is the slowest growing segment at only 2%. The Hispanic population has grown over 40% since 2000 which makes it the largest minority group in the US at 50 million people (or 16%). MR questions: Do you really understand Hispanic consumer preferences as they relate to your products and services? Really? Many people give it lip service but fail to really invest in understanding this population. Do your customer satisfaction and awareness and usage studies delve deeply into Hispanic preferences?

3) Women on the Move: In a 2009 report, the Census Bureau revealed that more women had graduated college than men for the first time in US history. While the deep recession in male-dominated industries like construction and manufacturing has contributed to this shift, the increased role of women in the economic engine is a trend that’s likely to continue (see a related blog post here about women and their increased earning and purchasing power). MR questions: Are you looking at women through an outdated lens? Does your research fully understand the unique preferences of the all-powerful female consumer?

4) Power to Pops: It is forecasted that there will be 70 million grandparents by 2010. That’s a massive increase when you consider there were just 47 million in 1990. In effect, the number of grandparents in the US grew five times faster than the overall population. More importantly, grandparents are living with their children, helping with unmarried mothers (their daughters), and making spending decisions for the household. The bottom line is this: American consumers who are 50+ years old now “control the vast majority of assets and show the most economic growth.” As a result, marketing research and advertising budgets should shift accordingly, from the current allocation of 10% on that demographic to as much as 40%. MR questions: How well do you market to the grandparent demographic? Does your marketing research properly account for the grandparent demographic? How can you improve your questionnaire design, sampling and analytics in order to better understand this critical segment of the US population?

5) Christmas Spending Cheer: The Ad Age report forecasts “a small but encouraging spike in consumer spending” for this Christmas season. Furthermore it predicts, as do many other economists, that the recession in real estate will end in the spring (and construction in the summer). States likely to see the earliest turnaround include Texas and Florida, owing mainly to their relatively young populations and healthy industries. MR questions: How can you tweak your pricing and messaging to gain the most from this modest spike, without compromising the equity of your brand? Is there pent up demand for your products and services that poised to release once the psychological savings thresholds are achieved? If so, what are those thresholds and how can you ready your offerings and messaging to take full advantage of a resurgent US consumer?

David Wilson
CEO
FGI Research

While some may question the accuracy of online research due to sample bias and the risks from “professional responders,” there’s no doubt that this tool has become a much quicker way to initially evaluate the marketplace and consumer reaction compared to the traditional methods alone.  But, some skeptics have a valid point in that online research alone isn’t always the best answer.  Better solutions can often be found by combining online surveys with online communities, social media mining, online focus groups and even telephone interviewing.

Ashton Smith
Social Media Intern
FGI Research

Advanced Research Methods Lend Insight into Demographics
We polled a significant number of respondents who were nationally representative in terms of their demographics using our tested method, known as iGAGE.  Our study showed that 10.3% of married couples, with at least one working partner, were in long distance relationships.  Of these, 70.83% said that the separation was due to the U.S. economy.  Interestingly, respondents over the age of 30 were much more open to the idea of a long distance relationship than those ages 21-29.  Of those who said that they’d be willing to live apart, 86.4% were over age 30.  Exploring this further, we discovered that the majority (62.2%) of respondents would only be willing to maintain this type of relationship for less than 3 years.  Finally, although 50% women said that they would live in a long distance relationship for ‘as long as necessary’ only 19.6% of men agreed.

How Couples Communicate
Finally, FGI Research discovered some interesting ways in which couples keep their lines of communication open during separation.  Social media has emerged as a viable way for married couples to keep up with each other.  Our survey showed that 52.2% of these married couples use social media to keep in touch with their spouse.  The most popular site for communication for this purpose is Facebook (40.4%), followed by MySpace (23.4%) and Twitter (8.5%).  Surprisingly 72.3% of these social media users are between ages 30-54.  This is an unexpected shift in usage by age for media outlets that were once almost exclusively dominated by the 18-24 year old group one year ago.

Actionable Insights
How will demographic changes like this affect the market? If consumers experience instability in their interpersonal relationships, it could influence their purchasing habits in any number of ways: increased travel, increased use of social media (as our research found), changes in how they prepare or buy meals, living situations, lifestyles, and so on. To stay abreast of trends like these, companies should research not just what consumers buy but why they buy –the lifestyles behind the purchasing habits, the everyday realities that impact how, where, and what people buy. Advanced research methods like custom online panels can help businesses understand these things, as can, more importantly, online communities where customers can share spontaneous insights about their daily lives. Combined with surveys on standard topics like packaging, brand, and advertising, research into customers’ daily habits and life situations can make for a more effective business model.

Next Steps You Can Take

Survey Methods
Date of Study: 10/07/2010
Total Responders: 233
Sample Source:FGI SmartPanel