• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, May 25, 2017

Fluent’s “Marketing to the Heartland” in the first two research series looked at differencesin core values and media consumption habits of consumers living in the Heartland. The studies also included those who reside along the coasts, as well as comparisons between Americans living in urban, suburban, and rural areas. This report focuses on the shopping behaviorsof Americans living in the Heartland, and how they differ, depending on where people live.

(The Heartland region is comprised of 26 states in the Southwest, Midwest and parts of the Southeast, based on a definition designed by the New Heartland Group)

In the age of widespread smartphone usage and shopping on handhelds, it is imperative for brands to optimize their end-to-end customer journeys for mobile. Overall, 57% of Americans said they made an online purchase in the past 6 months and 43% made a purchase on their smartphone in the same timeframe, says the report. Consumers living in the Heartland as well as rural areas have been slower to adopt mobile commerce.

 Even though online shopping has become ubiquitous, physical stores are still the preferred way of shopping for nearly half of US consumers in both Heartland and Coastal areas, says the report. Consumers generally prefer shopping in a physical store because they like to see or try items on in person (74% for total US). Many also find brick and mortar shopping more convenient, especially in the Heartland.

Consumer Preference For Shopping Online Or In A Physical Store

• Online… 19%
• Physical store… 45%
• No preference…  35%

Rural residents are more likely to prefer shopping in physical stores because of convenience and cheaper prices. They are also more likely to say that the stores they prefer do not have an ecommerce presence. On the other hand, urban consumers are more likely to prefer brick and mortar stores due to a belief that they offer a better selection of products, says the report.

Nearly 2 in 10 Americans say they prefer shopping online, and the top reasons for doing so.

Reasons For Preferring Online Shopping (Among Those Who Prefer Online Shopping; Total US )

• Convenience… 52%
• Cheaper prices… 39%
• Better sales/deals… 35%
• Better selection of products… 34%
• I have Amazon Prime… 31%
• I dislike shopping in stores… 25%
• I don’t have good stores near me… 15%

Source: Fluent, May 2017

For rural and suburban consumers, convenience is the top reason for preferring to shop online. Rural residents who prefer to shop online are also much more likely to believe that they don’t have good stores near them.

Urban residents are much more likely to consider themselves spenders rather than savers. Half of them agree with this statement, says the report, higher than any other group.

Agree with the following statement: Shopping is a social activity I engage in with family and friends

• Rural… 37%
• Suburban… 35%
• Urban… 50%

Even though some might assume that suburban and rural Americans would be more likely to view shopping as a social activity, it is urban consumers who are most likely to shop as a social activity with family and friends, says the report. This can be due to several factors: urban centers have a wider variety of shopping venues available and more urban residents self-identify as spenders. Population composition is also a factor; retirees are least likely to shop as a social activity with family and friends, and urban areas have fewer retirees.

 Although marketers often see positive returns on campaigns endorsed by a celebrity (research indicates that athlete product endorsements boost sales by an average of 4%), consumers are not always aware of the influence that celebrity endorsements have on their propensity to purchase products. Only 13% of US consumers agree that celebrity endorsements influence them to buy products, although this rate is 22% among urban consumers, says the report.

There is also a profound difference in how consumers relate to the brands they purchase depending on where they live. Urban and suburban dwellers consider brand names to be more important and are willing to pay more for brand name products, says the report. Conversely, rural residents are more price conscious and don’t care about brands as much. There is an opportunity to fine-tune marketing strategies, focusing on branding attributes in urban areas and highlighting cost savings in rural areas.

Heartland consumers are more receptive to email marketing newsletters; a third said they remembered making a purchase after seeing a promotion in a newsletter, says the report. Since urban and suburban consumers are more likely to prioritize brand quality, or their perceptions of it, and they are also more likely to believe that advertising has an impact on their purchasing behavior.

Again, the Heartland region is comprised of 26 states in the Southwest, Midwest and parts of the Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, OH, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV)

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