WORTHINGTON, Ohio -- Black consumers over the age of 18 are more mobile-minded than the general population and appear to be on the leading edge of engagement regarding the use of their mobile devices to aid in shopping, according to a new study from Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The research found that black consumers have a mobile aptitude score of 127.3, indicating they have a higher mobile capacity (plus 27 percent) than adults 18 and over. In addition to mobile ownership, usage, influence to purchase and frequency of mobile Internet access, the index includes various mobile shopping behaviors to provide marketers with a better understanding of shoppers’ propensity toward mobile media.
One of the many components of the mobile aptitude score is how consumers use their mobile device to assist in purchasing decisions while inside a store. The study revealed that black consumers are more likely to use the “mobile mall” at their fingertips to get a discount, request a price match, comparison shop and get more information on a product. Additionally, they are more likely to treat a brick-and-mortar store as a “showroom” to evaluate products and then buy online.
A score of 100 is flat to the general population, while a score of 105 indicates the score is 5 percent higher than the general population, and so on. According to the research, when asked how they regularly use a smartphone/tablet while shopping in a store, blacks aged 18 and older scored:
"Check in" for a discount: 144
Compare prices and purchase from the same retailer's website: 138
Compare prices and purchase from another retailer's website: 137
Request a price match: 137
Scan a QR code to get more information about a product: 136
Compare prices and purchase from the same retailer's website using my device: 129
Compare prices, but still purchase from the same retailer: 128
Compare prices and purchase from another retailer's website using my device: 127
Compare prices and purchase from another retailer's physical store: 127
Read product reviews to decide between products: 126
Worthington, Ohio-based Prosper Insights & Analytics provides advanced business intelligence using analytical software to examine big datasets and provide answers to executives via its cloud-based InsightCenters platform powered by Prosper Technologies.