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iProspect Study Uncovers Online Preferences and Behaviors of Affluent Males

There are 19 Million Affluent Men on the Internet and They are Researching, Shopping and Spending More Than Ever Before

Boston, MA – May 2, 2012 – iProspect, a leading global digital performance agency, today released “The Affluent Male: What His Online Behavior Can Teach Luxury Brand Marketers,” a first of its kind report detailing the preferences, behaviors and attitudes of affluent males toward online advertising. There are 19 million affluent males on the Internet – ages 18 and older with a household income of at least $100,000 – and they are shopping and spending at rates higher than ever before. Forty percent of respondents are shopping online at least twice a week and those who are shopping multiple times are spending in excess of $30,000 annually. Luxury menswear is on the leading edge of this growth trend, growing at a rate of about 14 percent per year. This shift in luxury spending means more opportunities for advertisers to target this growing segment – across all devices.

“The old adage that men hate to shop is being upended by the digital experience. Not only are affluent men shopping online more, but this demographic is doing extensive research, shopping and then purchasing online, which provides advertisers with multiple touch points to reach him. Understanding the habits of the high-end consumer allows iProspect to help our clients develop well-integrated digital campaigns that connect with this audience and deliver results,” said Robert Murray, global chief executive officer, iProspect.

iProspect’s “The Affluent Male: What His Online Behavior Can Teach Luxury Brand Marketers” study establishes, for the first time, who the affluent male is, his behaviors and preferences towards devices, research and shopping, and how marketers can target and effectively communicate with this audience. The data shows that online shopping is the norm rather than the anomaly for the affluent male. He is connected through multiple devices and is using them for research and purchasing.

An overwhelming preference among affluent males (70%) to research and buy online as opposed to researching online and purchasing in store, provides unique opportunities for advertisers to capitalize on this audience’s behaviors. And while the majority of purchases are still made on PCs, the affluent male is doing more and more research on mobile devices, making a multi-channel approach necessary.

  • The vast majority (91%) access a PC at least once daily, while seventy-seven percent have a mobile smartphone and 50 percent own a tablet.
  • Engagement with these devices is high across the board – almost 100 percent of survey respondents report using their PCs and mobile smartphones at least daily and 85% reporting daily use of tablets.
  • When an affluent male has daily access to tablet, he is 32 percent more likely to have made a purchase via the device.
  • In terms of visibility, 71 percent have seen ads on a PC while one in three have seen ads on a mobile phone or tablet.

“By all indications, this segment has untapped purchasing power which can and will trickle down to non-luxury brands,” said Murray. “The best digital marketing strategies integrate practices across all channels. For brand managers, knowing how to effectively communicate to affluent men will a key factor to success in an increasingly digital world.”

As this segment continues to grow and evolve, marketers will need to be diligent and apply a holistic approach with consistent messaging, visual storytelling and strategic placements to engage the affluent male consumer.

About iProspect’s Affluent Male Study:
The study we developed and conducted in partnership with comScore, and included two custom behavioral analyses that were applied to comScore’s U.S. panel of affluent males (males, 18+ with a household income of $100,000+) in February 2012. In addition to the self-reported data collected via the survey, comScore tracked website visitation. The cognographic report measured online behaviors for January 2012, and provided a cross-referenced picture of reach percent and reach index for categories and websites/properties.

For a full report of the survey results, including detailed findings, please visit: http://www.iprospect.com/digital-affluent-male

About iProspect:
iProspect, part of Aegis Media, is a global digital performance agency that provides some of the world’s most sought-after brands with digital marketing strategies that maximize ROI through social media, SEO, paid search, display media, shopping feed management, mobile marketing, attribution modeling and management and other related services. Clients include Fortune 500 companies and leaders across multiple industries, including Neiman Marcus, Gilt Groupe, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Glaxo Smith Kline, and Reliant Energy, among others. iProspect was recently awarded a 2011 Interactive Marketing Award for “Best Ecommerce Site Launch or Revamp” and have been included on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 List in 2011, 2010 and 2009. The agency is headquartered in Boston, and has more than 1200 employees in 37 offices globally. For more information, visit www.iprospect.com or follow them on Twitter @iProspect.

Media Contacts:
Jordan Arnt
PR & Communications Manager, iProspect
817-625-4157
Jordan.Arnt@iProspect.com

Heather Dinolfo
Atomic PR for iProspect
212-669-3791
heather.dinolfo@atomicpr.com

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