SymphonyIRI breaks down the digital consumer with new analysis
CHICAGO — SymphonyIRI Group on Tuesday unveiled its latest segmentation solution called DigitaLink, which leverages SymphonyIRI’s Consumer Network Panel, MarketPulse research and analytic capabilities to segment shoppers into unique profiles, enabling suppliers and retailers to better manage marketing efforts with online consumers.
“With DigitaLink, we identified five distinct groups of Internet users, all of whom are active online in one way or another, but access the Web in different ways, have different comfort levels with technology and various attitudes about how much they want to engage with it and the role they want the technology to play in their lives,” SymphonyIRI EVP and GM consumer insights Larry Levin said. “Digging a level deeper, DigitaLink helps assess purchase patterns for each segment while also providing a tool that can be used to classify these shoppers.”
The five segments defined by SymphonyIRI include:
Show Me the Money — These shoppers focus on using digital technology to save money by frequently searching for and downloading coupons online. They may occasionally write product reviews or post comments on blogs;
Digitize Me! — These shoppers have incorporated digital media across the board in their lives and participate in various online activities. They have a higher tendency of interacting with companies and brands on social networks and also are more willing to post their opinions online;
Technophobes — This group rarely searches online for product information or coupons, or interacts on blogs, leaving most online activity to email;
Socializers — Socializers use the Internet primarily as a means of communication versus a shopping resource; and
Wired for Work — Most consumers who fall in this segment own a smartphone and are driven by digital media, but use the technology primarily for work-related tasks.
Two of these five shopper segments, “Show Me the Money” and “Digitize Me!” are most likely to search online for information about a variety of categories in addition to spending a higher percentage of their money online overall, providing the best short-term opportunities for manufacturers and retailers seeking to expand their online activities.
The remaining three segments make up 65% of the online population and don’t appear to provide as much near-term potential for marketing activity based on their attitudes and digital consumption behaviors.
The DigitaLink segmentation survey was completed in October 2011 through SymphonyIRI’s Consumer Network Panel of 100,000 households. A more specific survey of 47,000 households was also completed to provide more detailed segmentation analysis.
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