Report: connecting brands with the ‘always on’ consumer

New research released by Experian has identified four distinct types of consumer who are ‘always on’ and more digitally connected than ever before, offering brands deeper insight into what is described as a ‘global phenomenon.’

Experian’s research, derived from the Simmons national consumer survey, explores the platform and device preferences, media consumption habits and the online and offline behaviours of the tech obsessed consumer. The research classes consumers as either ‘Social Butterflies’, ‘Working Professionals’, ‘Gamers’ or ‘Everything Tech’.

Drawn from the US, which has the highest penetration of internet users in the world at 79%, the research highlights how brands need to evolve their marketing strategies to engage customers based on their platform choices and preferences to deliver co-ordinated and consistent customer experiences regardless of channel.

Importantly, the research 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 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.

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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.

The Gamer is a young single male aged 18 to 24 with a love of gaming via almost any game enabled device, the most popular being gaming consoles and mobile phones.

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.

“As our insight highlights, over the past decade, the advent of social media, the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other new connected devices, and access to limitless data regardless of location have led to the emergence of the always on, connected consumer,” said Nigel Wilson, Managing Director, data & analytics, Experian Marketing Services.

“This consumer really is a global phenomenon, equally likely to be found in New York, Nottingham or Sao Paulo. More and more of us are always on through one device or another. Being able to interact and consume content seamlessly across various platforms is now the expectation.”

Wilson says that the rise of the ‘always on’ consumer raises the game for marketers and brands, and that 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.”