Online Shopping Saves Money, says Survey

DDI: 91

Comparison shopping has never been easier online given the spate of new bots available that scour e-tailers for the best deals. This survey conducted by one of those online tool vendors will uncover little meaningful data for marketers to leverage as the upcoming holiday season rapidly approaches. The vendor's spokesperson even conceded that the survey compared "apples and oranges" somewhat because it compared the "average" offline prices with the "lowest" online prices. Better sources for average online spend and the habits of online comparison shoppers will undoubtedly accelerate in the coming weeks as eMarketer, Forrester and Shop.com release their fourth quarter projections. Stay put and tuned.

Holiday Spending Survey Findings Disagree

Two surveys projecting consumer spending on year-end holiday gifts provide differing opinions on the rosiness of the upcoming season. The National Retail Federation's comprehensive study covers a nationwide rep sample of consumers and is an excellent source for marketers to access tracking data year-to-year. Released simultaneously, however, is the University of Florida's localized version that surveys state residents on upcoming spending patterns. NRF paints a rosy view while the university forecasts a down period. While marketers might quickly jump on NRF's assessment of the state of consumer discretionary income levels I find a more focused viewpoint likely brings about less directional advice on how to allocate marketing resources for the fourth quarter. Marketers segmenting consumers based on these data into potential spenders and re-gifters, for instance, should consider all data points equally before moving forward with year-end resource allocations.

CEA Survey Reveals Top Year-End Holiday Gift

DDI: 89

No surprises that a survey of adults reveals that MP3 players lead the gift wish list for the consumer electronics category. Nor is the finding that digital cameras are tops on the gift giving side of the fence this year. What's most pressing about this Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored piece of research is it is likely intended to stir interest in the glitz and ritz around its upcoming trade show where vendors will be touting and pushing these high-priced items to story-hungry media who will, in turn, tout and push them to consumers via ritzy and glitzy trade features (which happen to juxtapose ads for iPods and SureShots). High-tech marketers well in the throes of their media buying for year-end holiday ad spaces and promotion pushes should gloss over this research as "nothing new here" and continue their strategies status quo -- until some better data become available on consumer attitudes toward electronics from more reputable research firms.

Strategic Vision's Total Value Study on Autos Drives DDIs Higher For Toyota, Honda

DDI: 192

Rare is the auto study that can drive marketing insights on leading brands to new levels, especially the Data Dump Indices of Toyota (DDI 142, +3) and Honda (DDI 144.2, +3.2), two manufacturers that continue to outpace American companies in consumer mindshare and brand equity. As Strategic Vision's graph confirms, the total value equation for auto purchasers continues to be fueled by trust and incentives, two leading indicators of brand performance.

Marketers of infrequently purchased merchandise, such as furniture, jewelry, and even high-tech consumer goods should take note of this study as general guidance of how consumers think about brand decisions. Automotive marketers in particular, however, should uphold these data with high regard when planning near-term moves that affect market share momentum and customer retention strategies.

Consumers Trust Traditional Media Most, says Lexis/Nexis Survey

DDI: 144

A quite comprehensive study from Lexis/Nexis when coupled with the findings from Pew's recent study on media preferences provides a useful profile for marketers leveraging traditional media to reach adults with high-profile psychographics. The findings show that when consumers are faced with major events that significantly affect their lives, such as a pandemic or an ominous hurricane, their trust mostly remains with traditional media, such as professional journalists at mainstream newspapers, magazines, television and radio, versus emerging media sources created by citizen journalists including Internet-only publications, blogs and podcasts. The Data Dump Index, however, for technology manufacturers of emerging media enablers, such as Typepad (DDI, 103), remain unchanged until after Nielsen data are released following November Sweeps.

Women Choose 'Casual' Videogames Over TV, says Study

DDI: 89

Little value is garnered from the gender segmentation of this study on the habits of video game players conducted, dubiously enough, by a video game marketer. PopCap Games oversells the data in its press release and even attempts to substantiate the findings via a third-party psychologist who endorses the behaviors uncovered in the survey. Although a research supplier fielded the study it is not revealed if it weighted the final data set to compensate for the oversampling of females in the final respondent base. As such, these data do not affect the Data Dump Indicies of leading video game manufacturers such as Nintendo (DDI, 122) and Sony (DDI, 119). Net-net is that this study is "game over" for marketers seeking to capture mind share of females via video game promotions and events.