• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 26, 2018

Responding to a newly released survey conducted by ID.me, military service members and veterans are increasingly seeking out military discounts when they shop online, and are more likely to become long-term customers of brands that offer them.

Military discounts shape the online shopping habits of veterans and active duty service members, who go out of their way to find brands that acknowledge and reward service in the armed forces, according to the ID.me survey, that polled 6,377 military veterans and 2,013 active service members.

According to Blake Hall, the founder of ID.me and a former Army Ranger, “Veterans connect with brands that honor their military service, Now that online retailers don’t have to worry about non-veterans trying to take advantage of these discounts, more brands should offer veterans’ discounts. These discounts are an important tool for connecting with, and keeping, customers.”

ID.me surveyed nearly 8,500 active and former members of the military about their online shopping habits with Veterans Day approaching, and found that:

• 95% of those surveyed say they spend time searching for exclusive military discounts before making a purchase online;
• 90% say they will choose to make a purchase with a retailer that offers an exclusive military discount over a retailer that doesn’t; 
• 96% say they are more likely to be loyal and return to a retailer that offers an exclusive military discount over and over;
• 95% of those surveyed perceive brands that offer military discounts as patriotic and/or caring about veterans; (89% of respondents feel honored to receive such a discount)
• 97% of respondents said they took advantage of a military discount in the last year, with more than half having redeemed discounts at least once every other month;
• 93% of veterans and 90% of active service members surveyed planned to take advantage of special military discounts this upcoming Veterans Day; 
• 56% say they search for military discounts most or all of the time.

Survey respondents highlighted brands such as Ford and Under Armour, among others, as brands who effectively engage and market to the military community:

• Under Armour founded UA Freedom in 2010 to help raise awareness about the challenges combat veterans face and hosts events to help the military community stay fit. The retailer sells branded UA Freedom gear that athletes can wear to show their support and gratitude to the U.S. military. 
• Ford has saluted U.S. service members ever since Henry T. Ford started hiring disabled military veterans returning from World War I. The Ford Motor Company Fund has provided nearly $11 million to veteran organizations since 1974. The military community is an important customer segment – often overlooked by marketers. Encompassingactive duty service members, reserves, veterans, spouses, and immediate families, they represent 47 million Americans and boast a whopping $1.4 trillion in purchasing power.

CEO Blake Hall said that “ID.me has credentialed over half the active duty community and millions of Veterans into a secure and privacy-enhancing digital ID that gives our members control over their information. Once a member of the military verifies their military affiliation with ID.me, they never have to do it again across any organization where ID.me is integrated.”

 For a comprehensive list of brands offering military discounts visit shop.id.me/military. The survey infographic can be found at https://go.id.me/2QlyV9j.