Real-Time Web Turns Consumers Into Impulse Buyers

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Video, mobile, social, and better search capabilities continue to make it easy for consumers to buy online -- not just kids, but also older adults. In fact, 65% of girls ages 6 to 16 are more likely to buy straight from a mobile ad if there is a means to do so.

Some 80% said they would buy immediately, while 20% would rather wait for a special occasion. Given the purchasing constraints of this demographic, mobile ad agency MobiGirl Media, which conducted the study, said 27% would buy with a credit card, but 48% would ask their parents to purchase an item for them.

MobiGirl Media, a COPPA-compliant agency, conducted an in-app survey of 775 girls ages 6 to 16 to determine their buying habits and purchasing power on mobile advertising. The study also looks at the type of ads they love most, and how the tweens and the young teens spread the word when they love something they see in a mobile ad.

Some 22% of girls surveyed said they tap on the ad in mobile app just to view it, while 56% tap on an ad when it's for a product that interests them. Some 53% of tweens would share a cool product with their friends. Of those, 58% said they would share products they love with friends in person, and 42% would share things by sending a text or with an in-ad share button.

Impulse buys give these consumers easy access to products. While 58% of tweens said they are more than likely to tap on ads containing deals and free stuff, marketers should consider abandoning campaigns using follow-up promotional offers for this market segment.

Conversely, close to half of baby boomers and seniors plan to spend more time on mobile devices during the next year -- and about seven in 10 own a mobile phone, according to Google. About 78% of boomers and 52% of seniors are online, spending about 19 hours weekly on the Internet, which remains the top information source for research and news.

Many baby boomers and older adults also enjoy YouTube. Google estimates that 54% of baby boomers and older adults watch online video, compared with 65% of general population. Some 82% name YouTube as their preferred online video-watching site, and three in four take some sort of action after watching a video.

Social networks remain a main source for content, with 71% of boomers and 59% of seniors using a social network daily. About half follow a group or organization on a social network, according to Google.

Overall, across all adult demographics, consumers are spending more on digital music. The U.S. population spent $1.34 billion on digital tracks in 2012, up from $1.27 billion in the prior year, according to Nielsen's U.S. Entertainment Consumer Report. Digital music buyers are 45% more likely to be 25 to 34, while those who purchase physical CDs are between 35 and 44.

Those spending come from households earning an average annual income of $66,000, and contribute to more than 70% of spending on entertainment, such as books, video-on-demand and music. Internet users who purchase digital music are more likely Asian, 8%, or Hispanic, 5%, compared with the average adult online.

5 comments about "Real-Time Web Turns Consumers Into Impulse Buyers".
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  1. Nick D from ___, May 28, 2013 at 9:17 a.m.

    "27% would buy with a credit card"

    er... how many girls aged 6-16 have a credit card? It rather makes one question the validity of the study...

  2. Chris Severs from Postmedia, May 28, 2013 at 10:47 a.m.

    Why are parents of 6-yr old girls allowing them to click ads in the first place...let alone take part in an online survey? And I agree with the credit card comment from Nick. Redonkulous...

  3. Angela Cason from CasonNightingale, May 28, 2013 at 11:38 a.m.

    Teens often have bank accounts linked to their parents' accounts -- it's how I pay my teen's allowance. The 27% mentioned in the article is likely this older end of the spectrum.
    As for clicking on ads...how do you restrict that behavior? Unless you're supervising every second of their mobile time, which is unrealistic.

    I'd like more info on why re-marketing is discouraged for this group.(Paragraph 5). Are they borrowing a phone or account? Is it considered unethical?

  4. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, May 28, 2013 at 12:36 p.m.

    6-16 years old. How many are paying for it ? Their parents credit cards do not even count. Ideal: Pass a course in finance before allowed to order anything on line. Maybe it should also go for adults.

  5. Howie Goldfarb from Blue Star Strategic Marketing, May 29, 2013 at 8:35 a.m.

    I find the fact anyone asked 6-16 year olds these questions abhorrent. It is the reason Alex Bogusky left. It doesn't do good for the reputation of marketers. That said the data is unbelievable. AdWeek published an Infographic 2 summers ago claiming 85% of kids under 15 had cell phones. Because I see a ton on 1-2 yr olds walking around chatting it up.

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