BALTIMORE — Vertis Communications announced the tenth anniversary of its proprietary Vertis Customer Focus study, which has been analyzing the key trends behind consumer purchasing behaviors, entertainment preferences and media usage patterns since 1998.

Spanning a decade of research, Vertis' Customer Focus: Decade of Data study revealed that for adult men 18 and older, TV advertising is no longer the main influencer in their purchasing decisions, down eight percent from 1998 to 22 percent. Conversely, advertising inserts have grown to become the most influential medium for both adult men and all adults in America. Twenty-four percent of men and 27 percent of total adults indicated they turn to this medium when making a purchasing decision, compared to just 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively, 10 years ago.

Vertis' Decade of Data research also reveals young adults have drifted away from personal interaction when choosing leisure activities. Since 1998, the number of young adults participating in team sports has decreased from 19 percent to 13 percent, while the amount of time spent with computers has drastically increased, from 8 percent to 21 percent in the same 10 years. Additionally, Vertis' study reveals the number of young adults going out to the movies has decreased from 13 percent in 1998 to just three percent in 2008, while the number of adolescents staying home to watch television or rent videos has increased from 24 in percent in 1998 to 32 percent in 2008.

The Vertis Communications Customer Focus: Decade of Data study, which surveyed 3,000 consumers via telephone, further revealed the following:

• In the past decade, the electronics industry has witnessed a rising involvement of women in purchasing decisions like never before. In 1998, only 69 percent of women ages 18-24 reported being involved in the decision-making process when purchasing home electronics; in 2008, 91 percent report they are a part of the process, with cell phones, desktop computers and digital cameras being some of the most popular purchases for this age group.
• Considered late adopters, 68 percent of women age 50 and older now have access to the Internet, up from 30 percent in 1998.
• In the past 10 years, the percentage of women ages 25-34 who are single or living with their significant others has increased eight percent, from 30 percent in 1998 to 38 percent in 2008.
• Today's consumers rally around victims of natural disasters and are more focused on making social connections. In 2005, when this attitude first emerged following Hurricane Katrina, more than 85 percent of adults had responded to a charitable appeal, surpassing the 77 percent that responded immediately after the events of 9/11.
• Since 2004, fewer shoppers visit a store without first researching their purchases, hinting that today's consumers are much more educated about their buying decisions. Prior to entering a store in 2008, approximately 57 percent of adults will look through advertising circulars, 50 percent will conduct research on the Internet, and 38 percent will utilize catalogs to retrieve additional information.
• In 2004, 31 percent of adults indicated they entered a store without any prior research; this number is down to 17 percent in 2008.