Lowdown on ‘always on’ consumers

Nigel Wilson

It has been well documented that over the past decade, the advent of social media, the proliferation of the latest smartphones and tablets, and access to limitless data regardless of location, have seen consumers become more connected than ever before.
As marketers, we often speak of generational characteristics – but what do we know about some of the individual traits of these digitally-savvy consumers? Experian’s recent “always on” consumer research has pinpointed four distinct types of consumer who are more digitally connected than ever before:
The “Social Butterfly” is a young female-about-town aged 18-34, who spends most of her spare time socialising with friends or enjoying leisure activities. She uses technology for social networking, sharing and social shopping.
Social Butterflys are also three times more likely to use social networks across devices, and 3.5 times more likely to purchase an item that appears on social networks, particularly if it is recommended by peers.
The “Working Professional” is a career-focused individual (usually male aged 35-44), accessing content on-the-go primarily for work purposes. They use technology to stay connected and informed, keep in touch and get the job done.
They are three times more likely to see the importance of having Internet access when on the go, underlining the importance of mobile phones to them.
However, Working Professionals are 80% less likely to want to receive ads on their phone and almost 50% less likely to purchase products they see advertised on such sites.
The “Gamer” is a young single male aged 18 to 24 with a love of gaming via almost any Internet-enabled device, the most popular being consoles and mobile phones.
They are more likely than average to play games on 7 out of 8 game-enabled devices including work computers, and 89% more likely than average to say that they play games on their work computer at least once a week.
The “Everything Tech” is aged 18 to 34 and likes to be the first to try new things, from the newest bar to the hottest gadget. Tablets are the device of choice, most often used for steaming and downloading video.
Of all types, mobile devices have the strongest influence on Everything Tech’s purchasing decisions and they are ten times more likely to be interested in receiving ads on their devices.

The emergence of the “always on” consumer means that brands need to deliver co-ordinated and consistent, seamless communications regardless of channel. Importantly, it also highlights that while they may all be super-connected, “always on” consumers are distinct and different and so need to be engaged on an individual basis.
The rise of this consumer raises the game for marketers and brands and their marketing must evolve to become truly cross-channel. To do this marketers need to really understand and gain deep insight on their audiences, use this insight to create meaningful and relevant communications and then interact with them intelligently and consistently every single time, regardless of channel.

Nigel Wilson is managing director of data and analytics at Experian Marketing Services