Within the portion of the study focused on US consumers, discounts and free products prove far more attractive to women than men (82% vs. 57%), although the data is derived from a small sample (<100).
A similar gender gap in the survey's data remains true across the 24 countries surveyed, though to a lesser degree. On average, 56% of female respondents said that companies and brands which send them coupons for product discounts or free products make them want to stay connected to that company and/or brand online. This compares to an overall number of 45% for male respondents from all countries.
Surprisingly, at least to me, the study shows not much variation in response when we sort those responses by average household income... There was only a 5% range between high and low income brackets. This would seem to indicate that upscale car buyers and vehicle owners appreciate soupons, discounts and freebies as much as lower income automotive consumers. From personal experience, if those high incomes automotive consumers surveyed were attorneys and college professors the results would have shown even less of a difference!
When separating the survey results by marital status and education levels, the same lack of variance shows up... People like coupons, discounts and private offers regardless of age, income, marital status or political party. This is probably not too surprising for many of us, so why are dealers not taking advantage of tools such as Facebook Deals and Twitter Offers for followers?
The study also cites a couple of groups that seemed to have a much higher-than-average likelihood of responding favorably to discounts and gifts from dealerships, car companies and brands:
- Unemployed (53%)
- Under 35 Years Old (52%)
Not surprising to me, people identifying themselves as chief income earners, business owners, senior executives and decision-makers were less likely than the average respondent to be influenced by these types of coupon, discount and targeted offer strategies.
While the Ipsos study does not go into much detail or describe exactly what is meant by “following brands online,” I will bet money and feel confident that they are referring to consumers following, subscribing, liking and connecting with companies and brands on social media... Including car dealerships! This has been the case with several previous Ipsos surveys.
In support of the analysis and conclusions that car dealers can take away from the Ipsos study I am referring to, there is also another recent study from PricewaterhouseCoopers which found that among American consumers, including vehicle buyers and service department customers, social media users are attracted to companies, dealerships and brands’ social media presence primarily by deals, promotions, and discount offers (sales).
About the Data: The Ipsos data is based on a total of 4,840 adults across 24 countries who follow brands online. Respondents were aged 18-64 in the US and Canada, and 16-64 in all other countries. The survey was conducted from December 4-18, 2012.
The countries reporting were: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the US.
Data Source: MarketingCharts.com/brands-discounts-and-freebies-seen-fostering-bo...
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