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'Digital Savvy' Tend to Be Luxury Shoppers, On-the-Go, Independent Voters

Digitally Savvy* consumers are 56% more likely than average to own or lease a luxury vehicle, 175% more likely to have spent $500 or more on men’s or women’s business clothing in the past year, and 49% more likely to own a second home, according to (pdf) Scarborough Research.

Nationally, 6% of consumers are classified as Digital Savvy, the analysis found. Austin, TX, is the most Digital Savvy city, with 12% of adults there being so designated - almost twice the national average.

Las Vegas, NV, Sacramento and San Diego are also leading Digital Savvy cities, with 10% of their residents having this higher level of technological orientation and adoption.

The ranking of Digital Savvy cities is part of a just-released complimentary Scarborough report, “Understanding the Digital Savvy Consumer.”

Other findings from Scarborough’s analysis, below.

• Online, the Digitally Savvy consumer group is also high-end in its shopping behavior:
  • More than half (54%) of the Digital Savvy spent more than $500 online during the past year, and 35% spent upwards of $1,000 during that timeframe.
  • They are far more likely to spend online in high-end purchasing categories, such as automotive and travel, as well as every day items, such as books and clothing.
• Politically, Digital Savvy consumers are 25% more likely to be “Independent” voters.
• Active lifestyles and on-the-go living are the hallmarks of the Digital Savvy. They are far more likely to enjoy athletic leisure activities, including basketball, yoga, free weights training and jogging.
• The Digital Savvy are 18% more likely to have longer commutes - one hour or more to work each way. Accordingly, they rely on cell phones for communication and information: More than half (59%) of the Digital Savvy use their cell phones for email.
• Demographically, the Digital Savvy are male, young and wealthy. Some 56% of them are male and 77% is below the age of 44.
• They are 132% more likely than the average consumer to have an annual household income of $150,000 or more. More than half (57%) of this group has an annual household income of $75,000 or greater.

“The most Digitally Savvy markets are known for leading the nation in a variety of hi-tech behaviors. They also typically have the presence of major universities and represent established tech corridors in the US,” said Gary Meo, SVP, print and digital media services, Scarborough Research.

“The Digital Savvy is a consumer segment which is important to monitor - both locally and nationally. They are early adopters when it comes to fully integrating new technologies into their lives, and their shopping patterns, demographics and lifestyles could presage behaviors of consumers across the country.”

*About the Digital Savvy analysis: Scarborough Research created a special segmentation within its syndicated national study (Scarborough USA+) for the Digital Savvy analysis. Eighteen hi-tech consumer behaviors and purchasing patterns were identified and isolated within the national study. These behaviors included household ownership of certain hi-tech items (such as DVRs, satellite radio or VoIP); consumer likelihood to engage in certain Web 2.0 behaviors (including blogging, downloading music and online gaming); and usage of leading-edge cellular device features (email, text messaging, etc.). For each Scarborough USA+ respondent, the number of the 18 hi-tech characteristics they had was tabulated. Those who satisfied eight or more were classified as “Digital Savvy.”