One in Four Bought from DRTV, Study Says

A study released Monday by the Electronic Retailing Association finds that two-thirds of Americans have watch some sort of direct-response TV and one of out four have purchased products.

DRTV includes not only short- and long-form TV ads but also the shopping done on home television shopping networks like QVC, HSN, Shop at Home and ShopNBC.

The study found 136.2 million viewers (63% of the population) tuning in to some form of direct-response. It’s down 11% compared to a 1996 study.

ERA President Elissa Matulis Myers said direct-response TV has become a business that draws major companies like Microsoft. She said advertisers realize that DRTV is easily trackable in terms of ROI.

Myers said the study explodes myths about DRTV, such as the idea that many more women buy than men. Myers said the study found that 48% of DRTV purchasers are men. She also said that the audience is more likely to be affluent. The study found that DRTV viewers are more likely to be employed and married with children.

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The median age of buyers was 45.9, 79.3% were Caucasian, 58.6% full-time employed, 60.3% were married and 43.1% had children present in the home. The mean household income was $55,000, said Myers.

The study also found that on average people who watch DRTV are four years younger than Americans who don’t watch, and the time spent watching infomercials among 16-24 has increased from a year ago.

“This is the highly desirable, 70 million strong population that traditional advertisers spend billions trying to attract,” Myers said.

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