Fifteen years ago, if you were asked to describe what it meant to have reached affluence, it is safe to assume that it would mean owning a house, as well as a car and maybe even something else - a boat, or summerhouse. But as the oldest crop of Millennials is beginning to reach affluence, I can't help but ponder about how this definition has evolved today, and how it might morph in the future, as this younger generation of affluents' consumer behavior appears to be much different than generations past.

Affluent lifestyles today are technology-enabled and media-infused. In recent years, their ownership of mobile devices went from niche to mainstream with unprecedented speed, and their overall use of digital media continues to rise.

#GivingTuesday launched last week, good timing for this time of year, when amidst all the commercialism, many of us start to think about giving back.

How luxury purveyors can capture ecommerce leadership

Algorithms rule our world. They are pervasive "people replacements," appearing everywhere and inside of most everything with a microprocessor. Where people used to diagnose illnesses, analyze foreign policy, make art, make war, buy media or write copy, now machine intelligence (thanks to the algorithm) does all of that. From your iPhone to your microwave to the elevator in your office, algorithms help us understand and navigate our world. They get us what we want and take us where we want to go-literally and figuratively.

In our November posting, we highlighted that Amazon was tied with Walmart for being the #1 store In America, with almost six in ten adults (59%) reporting they had made a purchase from it in the past 12 months. Notably, Amazon's reach was 68% among more upscale consumers - those with $75,000+ household incomes (the top 40% of Americans and the entry-level "affluents" to many affluent marketers), while attaining a 69% reach among those few adults with $250,000+ household incomes (the top 3% of American adults and entry-level "luxury buyers" to many luxury marketers).

Despite their wealth, affluent consumers aren't as quick to dish out big bucks as one might think. In an October survey, Unity Marketing found that the top 20% of American consumers are being cautious about fourth-quarter spending this year. Despite reports that the economy is improving, factors such as unstable governmental policies have some wealthy would-be shoppers thinking twice about their holiday shopping. In a question about future spending, only 20% of those surveyed said they plan on spending more on luxury goods this year than last.

'Tis shaping up to be a good holiday season for Affluent-focused brands. At least that's the suggestion from our October 2013 Affluent Barometer, which finds Affluent interest in holiday travel and holiday spending significantly ahead of last year.

"How do you market to affluents?" is a typical question a brand will ask any agency. Affluents represent the "white whale" of marketing that can prove elusive and hard to capture. And their capture does represent a "whale" of a purchase where your typical affluent may drop $2,500 on a luxury item.

Major retailers (e.g., brick-and-mortar retailers, online-only retailers, and those that are omni-channel) target and service a wide variety of socio-economic segments. With the 2013 holiday shopping season approaching and with Amazon continuing to grow rapidly and appearing frequently in the business news, the Shullman Pulse Fall 2013 Preview Wave surveyed U.S. adults regarding the stores where they have bought goods and services in the past 12 months. The following focuses on the top 10 stores according to consumers' reporting they made a purchase there in the past 12 months.