BALTIMORE — In the 10th anniversary of its proprietary Vertis Customer Focus study, which analyzes key trends behind consumer purchasing behaviors, entertainment preferences and media usage patterns, Vertis Communications, a provider of print advertising, direct marketing solutions and related value-added services to retail and consumer services companies, found that TV is no longer the main influencer in adult men's purchasing decisions, and that today's consumers are more informed than ever.
According to Vertis' "Customer Focus: Decade of Data" study, adult men 18 and older no longer consider TV advertising the chief influencer of their buying decisions, down eight percent from 1998 to 22 percent, while advertising inserts have become the most influential medium for both adult men and all adults in the United States. Twenty-four percent of men and 27 percent of total adults said that they rely on this medium when making a purchasing decision, vs. 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively, 10 years ago.
According to Vertis' "Customer Focus: Decade of Data" study, adult men 18 and older no longer consider TV advertising the chief influencer of their buying decisions, down eight percent from 1998 to 22 percent, while advertising inserts have become the most influential medium for both adult men and all adults in the United States. Twenty-four percent of men and 27 percent of total adults said that they rely on this medium when making a purchasing decision, vs. 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively, 10 years ago.
Among the other findings was that since 2004, fewer shoppers visit a store without first researching their purchases, indicating that consumers now are much more educated about their buying decisions. Before going to a store in 2008, Vertis' study shows that about 57 percent of adults will look through advertising circulars, 50 percent will conduct research on the Internet, and 38 percent will use catalogs to obtain additional information. In 2004, 31 percent of adults said they entered a store without any prior research; this number fell to 17 percent in 2008.
