Mobile Audience Reflects Auto Consumer Habits

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U.S. mobile users and automotive consumers are alike, with a preference for buying "practical" cars in the midst of a rocky economy, according to new research from mobile ad firm 4INFO.

The finding comes from its partnership with auto industry database Polk, correlating the company's offline auto transaction data with audience information from 4INFO's AdHaven mobile ad-serving platform.

Given the U.S. mobile population -- about 230 million users ages 13+ -- perhaps it's not surprising the mobile audience would be representative of automotive consumers overall. 4INFO says AdHaven reaches 90 million mobile users, while Polk analyzes more than 600 million records to determine changes in vehicle ownership.

But where things become more interesting for marketers is in drilling down into the combined data to segment mobile audiences according to pricing levels and purchase intent. So in terms of what they are willing to spend, the largest chunk (25.6%) of mobile users is looking for mid-size cars.

Another 20.7% would buy an SUV or Mini SUV, pickup trucks, 19%, luxury cars, 16%, and economy cars, 15.5%. The skew toward more fuel-efficient, practical vehicles mirrors the preferences of the national audience, according to the 4INFO study.

Looking at purchase intent, the audience segmenting goes even farther. But it also reflects the broader emphasis on buying sensibly instead of splurging when it comes to the auto market. Among mobile users looking to buy cars in the next year to 18 months, a used pickup truck was the most popular category, with 34% planning to get one. About 30% were in the market for a used minivan, 29% for a used full-size SUV, 24% for a used sporty car, and 15% for a used economy car.

Last among the dozen different segments highlighted were those looking for a used luxury car, at 6%. "In other words, the mobile audience is leaning towards purchase of pre-owned vehicles, and they most typically buy a car that is similar to their current vehicle," according to 4INFO.

The study, however, found that mobile users are typically more creditworthy than the general population -- a key consideration when it comes to getting an auto loan. Possibly because of the requirements for buying or leasing smartphones, mobile users tend to have higher credit scores (and credit awareness) than the U.S. average. For example, 32% of mobile users have credit scores rated "excellent" compared to 13% of the wider population.

But the data on credit standing is not cut-and-dried. For instance, 27% of Americans overall have credit rated "very good" compared to only 11% of mobile users, and both groups are fairly close when it comes to the proportion with "poor" credit, at 27% overall, and 24% for mobile owners.

Earlier this year, 4INFO teamed with purchase behavior database Datalogix and Polk to give advertisers the ability to match offline and Web audience data to mobile devices to permit precise targeting. Automotive is the second industry vertical the company has rolled out using offline purchase behavior, after pet food.

According to second-quarter data from mobile ad network Millennial Media, automotive was the fifth-highest spending category worldwide after retail and restaurants, telecommunications, finance and entertainment.

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