Pew Research: Online Brands Should Target Affluent Consumers

Pew Research:  Online Brands Should Target Affluent Consumers

According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, the more money a consumer has, the more apt they are to connect and engage online.

Wealthy households have more access to broadband at home and remain connected with  smartphones.

They engage through email (93% use), online news outlets (80%) and also pay bills and donate to charity online.

Higher household income families are also more likely to research health news and information online, look for medical treatments and search for doctors and health care facilities online. They are also more likely to shop online (81% use ecommerce websites), to research products online (88%), make travel plans/reservations (83%), pay bills or use online banks than lower income households.

• 79% of those living in households earning $75,000 or more own desktop computers, compared with 55% of those living in less well-off homes.
• 79% of those living in higher-income households own laptops, compared with 47% of those living in less well-off homes.
• 70% of those living in higher-income households own iPods or other MP3 players, compared with 42% of those living in less well-off homes.
• 54% of those living in higher-income households own game consoles, compared with 41% of those living in less well-off homes.
• 12% of those living in higher-income households own e-book readers such as Kindles, compared with 3% of those living in less well-off homes.
• 9% of those living in higher-income households own tablet computers such as iPads, compared with 3% of those living in less well-off homes.

Examining those living in households with an income of $150,000 or more, there are significant differences with the other income groups. The affluent are significantly more likely to use the internet (30% more) and email (25% more) than the rest of the American population.

Looking more closely at internet users, the affluent are more likely than other internet users to participate in video chat (22% more likely), pay bills online (19%) and get online news (11%).

In fact, technology saturates the lives of affluent Americans. Nearly all (96%) of this affluent demographic use the internet or email. Nine in ten (89%) of the high-income internet users have searched online for maps or directions, 86% have researched a product online, and 82% get a portion of their news online.