2 in 3 consumers say that their basic mobile or cell service is an untouchable item of their budgets, representing a 4.7% increase from 64% who responded that way in 2008, according to a survey conducted in 2011 for STORES Magazine by BIGinsight, released in February 2012. By comparison, 60% of respondents in 2011 said that their basic cable/satellite TV was untouchable, down slightly from 61% in 2008.
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The average US consumer celebrating Valentine’s Day this year will shell out $126.03 on traditional merchandise, up 8.5% from last year’s $116.21, and marking the highest average in the NRF Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey’s 10-year history, according to the February 2012 survey, conducted by BIGinsight.

Total spending for the day is expected to reach $17.6 billion, up 12% from $15.7 billion last year.
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73% of Super Bowl viewers say they look at Super Bowl TV commercials as entertainment, by far the leading opinion cited by respondents to an NRF survey conducted by BIGinsight, released in January 2012. The proportion of viewers who say that advertisers should save their money and pass the savings on to them (18.5%) is roughly matched by those who say the ads make them aware of advertiser brands (16.9%). Similarly, although 8.9% complain that the commercials make the game last too long, a similar proportion report that they influence them to buy products from the advertisers (8.4%). Read More »

80.6% of consumers reported using coupons sometimes (33.2%), very often (34%), or always (13.4%) in 2011, with a further 14% saying they used them, but rarely, according to a study released in January 2012 by NCH. The proportion reporting using coupons at least sometimes in 2011 represents 3% growth from 78.3% in 2010, and has risen every year since 2007, when it was 63.6%. By contrast, the 5.4% of consumers in 2011 who said they never use coupons is the lowest since 2007, when it stood at 10.6%. Read More »

Visitors to CPG brand websites buy 37% more in retail stores than non-visitors to the brand website, and complete 41% more transactions, according to [download page] a comScore, Accenture, and dunnhumbyUSA study released in January 2012. Website visitors are also heavier buyers within a brand’s product category, spending 53% more category dollars than non-visitors. And they have more purchase occasions than non-visitors for both the brand and the category, making 35% more purchase trips for the brand, and 39% more in the overall category (3.2 vs. 2.3). Read More »

US consumers redeemed 3.5 billion CPG coupons in 2011, representing a 6.1% increase from 3.3 billion in 2010 and a 9% rise from 3.2 billion in 2009, according to a study released in January 2012 by NCH. In addition, CPG coupon redemption in 2011 represented a significant 34.6% jump from 2.6 billion CPG coupons redeemed in 2007 and 2008. Interestingly, redemption grew as distribution declined: the 305 billion CPG coupons distributed in 2011 was down 8.1% from the 332 billion distributed in 2010. Read More »

The total number of CPG coupons distributed in the US during 2011 dropped 8.1% after hitting a peak in 2010, but remains up 7% from its 2007 pre-recession level, indicating continued strong levels of investment by marketers, according to a study released in January 2012 by NCH.

The number of CPG coupons distributed in the US last year via all media totaled 305 billion, down from 332 billion in 2010 and 311 million in 2009, but up from 285 billion in 2007.
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78% of viewers completed 100% of interactive in-stream video ads, compared to 69% who completed 100% in-stream ads without interactive elements, according to results from a PointRoll study that compared campaign results from April to December 2011. By contrast, just 39% of viewers completed 100% of in-banner video ads. Interaction rates, where users specifically took an action within the ad, were also more than 3 times higher for in-stream video ads than for in-banner video ads during the period. Read More »

Coupons from home heavily influenced brand choice for 55% of consumers in Q4 2011, unchanged from the previous quarter, but representing a 15% rise from 48% in Q1, according to a survey released in January 2012 by SymphonyIRI. Use of newspaper circulars from home proved influential to almost half of consumers, up 14% from 43% in Q1, while use of in-store circulars also gained steam over the course of the year, cited by 44% of consumers as a brand decision influencer in Q4, compared to 36% in Q1. Shopper loyalty card discounts proved influential to 42% of consumers, ahead of signs or displays in the store (30%). Read More »

Click through rates (CTR) on Facebook ads increased by 18% from Q1 to Q4 2011 among the 5 major markets (Canada, France, Germany, UK, and the US) measured by TBG Digital, according to the company’s Q4 2011 report, released in January 2012. CTR increased by an average of 7% between Q3 and Q4 2011, bolstered by France (100% increase), but offset by Germany (18% decrease) and the US (2% decrease). In fact, France overtook all other markets in ad performance in Q4, with the US, Germany, Canada, and the UK following.
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