Be Direct

American Demographics, Oct 1, 2003 by Rebecca Gardyn

Byline: REBECCA GARDYN

Americans may complain about excess junk mail, late-night infomercials and telemarketing calls, but one thing is for certain: they work. Three-quarters of consumers who responded to a direct marketing offer in the past year made a purchase through a direct channel, according to a nationally representative in-person survey of 2,510 consumers age 16 and older conducted for Direct magazine (a sister publication of American Demographics) by Norwalk, Conn.-based research firm Yankelovich. Consumers who purchase through direct channels differ significantly from non-purchasers in many ways, but most noteworthy is their anxiousness about saving time. Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of direct marketing purchasers say that they regularly multitask in order to save precious minutes, compared with less than half (47 percent) of non-purchasers. They are also more likely to buy takeout food, give up sleep and hire people to do things for them. Direct marketing consumers also lean on the Internet more heavily: 70 percent of purchasers say that they shop online, compared with 48 percent of non-purchasers, and 27 percent make financial transactions over the Internet, compared with 14 percent of non-purchasers. As a result, they are also much less skittish about disclosing personal info online: While 58 percent of non-purchasers agree that it isn't safe to use a credit card to buy something online, only 44 percent of purchasers feel the same.

GIVE IT TO THEM GOOD

A retailer who can offer exceptional customer service and a knowledgeable sales staff will earn big points with consumers, and even more so with consumers who shop via direct marketing channels such as catalogs, direct mail and infomercials.

PERCENTAGE OF CONSUMERS WHO SAY THAT THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM IN DECIDING WHERE TO SHOP: