Tag: purchasing behavior

What’s the Party Allegiance Breakdown Among American Ad Filterers?

Posted on by AAX Team

AAX is getting ready to publish another insight-rich report, filled with fascinating findings gleaned from the vaults that the GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior.

We’re interested in all internet behavior, of course, but we’re especially interested in the behavior of the demographic GWI calls “selective ad blocking users.”

Otherwise known as ad filterers, this is a demographic composed of the 95% of internet users that choose to run an ad blocker but have consented to see some ads—like the unobtrusive, respectful forms of advertisement known as “Acceptable Ads.”

We know a few things about these interesting individuals. We know they’re more affluent and more engaged than other groups. We know they spend both more time and more money on the internet.

And now we know about their party affiliation.

When examining the party affiliation among USA-based ad filterers, a few things become immediately clear: the largest percentage (nearly 40%) of ad filterers vote Democrat, and the second-largest percentage (roughly 26%) vote Republican.

But it’s important as well to examine the next three most popular choices: Independent, Undecided/unsure and Prefer not to say. Because those three fields, when added up, make 26.6%—larger than the percentage of Republican ad filterers, and enough to tip the balance in a meaningful way.

Red + Blue = Purple

So what do we know about these independent, undecided, and secretive voters?

One thing that’s been made clear is that many independent voters—especially the younger ones—“focus on issues, not party.” That’s one reason we at AAX have compiled a study that connects “party affiliation” with questions about voters’ stated values and their stance on a variety of issues.

Only slightly more than half of voters ages 18-24 were affiliated with one party in 2020. These voters, it’s suggested, “want[ed] to be involved in the issue, not the ideology.” In other words, they were more interested in the values of the candidate than they were with identifying as a donkey or an elephant.

In general, independent voters of all ages tend to lean towards a party…even if they’re not ready to pledge allegiance to that party, put up lawn signs, go to election night parties at the local Democrat or Republican headquarters, or otherwise absorb that party into their identity.

According to recent Pew Research:

An overwhelming majority of independents (81%) continue to “lean” toward either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Among the public overall, 17% are Democratic-leaning independents, while 13% lean toward the Republican Party. (Source)

But, the Pew article goes on to state, the rest of the independent voters are still a wild card, with many of them staying away from political activity altogether, and many more of them keeping their political identity a secret forever.

Whether the trend towards identifying as an independent voter continues upward will remain to be seen, but one fact remains: more than a quarter of the ad filtering demographic are neither blue, nor red…but a shade of purple.

Why ad filterers make small purchases online.

Posted on by AAX Team

As we wind down our series recapping AAX’s forthcoming study Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA, which takes a deep dive into everything from ad filterers’ engaged brand interaction to their love of gaming consoles, we realized it was time to look at the nitty gritty: the small, everyday purchases that make up the bulk of so many of our online purchasing budgets.

These are the so-called “minor purchases,” a broad category that encompasses everything from small-scale media (music, films, magazines, newspapers) to hygiene articles (cleaning products, shaving products, personal grooming products, deodorizer) to gift cards.

And if you’ve been following our series so far, you can probably deduce our findings, which are very much in line with the trends and patterns that have emerged regarding the affluent, educated, youthful demographic of ad filterers.

That’s right: ad filterers outspend non- ad blocking users when it comes to small purchases in the realm of media and household helpers alike. In fact, ad filterers spend, on average, twice to three times the amount that non- ad filterers do.

But what’s behind this passion for small-ticket items?

One reason, of course, is the reality of 2020.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact that COVID-19 has had on the world of ecommerce. Consumers across all demographics are flexing their purchasing power online, prompting a shift that Forbes refers to as “accelerating the adoption curve.” And this acceleration is like nothing that preceded it.

As reported in Forbes:

This moment in modern retail history is unprecedented, and there is no playbook for it. Even those retailers who strategically invested in digital technology years ago never saw this coming.
(Source)

If ecommerce in 2020 is a rising wave, small-ticket items are the crest: the result of ad-ons that buoy the consumer towards free shipping. The rates of shopping cart abandonment due to high shipping costs are well documented, and making small additional purchases—which, unsurprisingly in the era of COVID, often tend towards the hygiene-related—often gets consumers to the dollar amount that can result in free shipping.

And, of course, coronavirus has also prompted an uptick in the amount of media purchased online, whether that means online subscriptions of magazines or streaming services. In a time when Saturday night is synonymous with wearing pyjamas, eating popcorn, and watching movies at home, it’s unsurprising that these sorts of purchases would be on the rise.

We think that a thoughtful look into the smaller purchases made by ad filterers is a fitting way to end our recap series, because it ultimately underlines something fundamental about ad filterers in general: their behavioral patterns follow those of…well, everyone else.

Ad filterers may be on the whole more educated, younger, and more affluent than the average citizen, but their tastes and preferences don’t diverge from non- ad blocking users. In fact, they tend to be ever-so-slightly ahead of the curve—the kind of early adopters and forward-thinkers that can suggest the future of larger trends and patterns.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

What major purchases do ad filterers make online?

Posted on by AAX Team

A study conducted by Forbes Insights, in association with Synchrony Financial, “A Split Screen: Online Information and a Human Touch,” suggests that people aren’t always comfortable making big-ticket purchases online.

As Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer and head of the CMO Practice at Forbes Media, states:

“Customers do their homework for major purchases, and that’s easiest online. But when it comes to the actual purchase, they like to do it in person.”

But whether the reasoning behind the reticence to make big purchases online comes from worries over shipping, concern about product satisfaction, or second thoughts about data protection, it seems like one group is exempt from online purchase-related hesitation: ad filterers.

According to recent datas gleaned from the GlobalWebIndex (GWI), ad filterers are happy to make significant purchases online, and they do it at a rate that greatly outstrips that of their non- ad blocking user peers.

We looked specifically at five common major purchases made in US households: computer games, headphones, gaming consoles, experiences like day spa outings, and desktop PCs. And ad filterers were more than twice as likely to purchase all of these online as non- ad blocking users.

In fact, when looking at computer games, headphones, gaming consoles and desktop computers, ad filterers are proven to be between two and a half and three times more likely. In the category of gaming consoles—a device that ad blocking users have a particular and historic affinity for—the numbers are similar.

But what’s the reason for this discrepancy? Why do ad filterers out-spend non- ad blocking users when making large purchases?

Part of it might have to do with their comparative wealth. Ever since ad blocking users began being examined as a demographic, their high levels of disposable income have been a subject of interest. This certainly makes it easier to make large purchases. As Toni White, CMO of Synchrony Financial states, “A major purchase is a commitment for many consumers.”

But there might be more to it. A familiarity and sense of confidence surrounding the product is also key to making a purchase, and that confidence and familiarity can be boosted by research conducted with an amount of digital fluency.

Since ad filterers are online at higher rates than their non- ad blocking counterparts, their fluency and comfort levels when conducting the important step of product research are bound to be higher… making them more likely to take the plunge.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

How do ad filterers interact with brands online?

Posted on by AAX Team

As we discussed in depth in our last post, ad filterers are intrepid brand discoverers, constantly learning, evolving, and seeking out new brands at rates as much as three times that of users without ad blockers installed on their devices.

This is a still surprising fact for many. (We can’t count how many time we’ve been asked “People who filter their ad experience are still open and excited to learn about new brands?”) But what comes after this brand discovery is even more interesting from a marketing perspective.

Because ad filterers don’t lose interest in a brand in the post-discovery phase. Instead, they become, if anything, even more intrigued by the particulars of the brand’s identity. This leads to behavior that can be summarized as being both highly engaged and interactive.

The relationship between ad filterers and brands may start at discovery, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. Instead, the data trove over at the GlobalWebIndex (GWI) shows that ad filterers are approximately three times as likely to click on an online ad at the top or side of a website. In other words, that discovery leads to immediate, definable action.

We’d chalk this up to the innate curiosity of ad filterers, a demographic defined by its high levels of education, wealth, and thrill-seeking behavior. But we also think that, by virtue of the fact that ad filterers generally curate their own ad exposure, often choosing to be served unobtrusive Acceptable Ads, that they’re receptive to the ads they do encounter while browsing. After all, the ads they see are usually tasteful, respectful, and don’t demand the attention of the user through obnoxious methods.

This appears to translate into engagement that lasts long past the point of clicking on online ads. Ad filterers are also more than three times as likely to visit a brand’s social network page as non- ad blocking users, and more than twice as likely to follow a brand’s social media presence as non-ad blocking users.

And that engagement is priceless. Literally. Forbes, in reporting on the invaluable asset of social media, asserts that “It works. In many ways, social media is the new word of mouth.”

This suggests a correlation we find fascinating: users, when served respectful and non-intrusive ads, will actually reward the brands serving these ads with greater-than-average engagement and long-lasting interactivity.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

Enthusiastic purchasers of digital content: ad filterers

Posted on by AAX Team

Whether it comes to news services, online magazines, study programs, or learning materials… ad filterers want to purchase it.

Ad filterers flock to digital content, outspending their non- ad blocking user counterparts at a rate of three to one. And, while this might not be surprising given ad filterers’ sky-high levels of engagement and the amount of time this dynamic demographic spends online, it’s worth spending a bit of time considering the implications of this staggering statistic.

The desire to premium content, especially the kind that comes at an extra cost, fits in with some things we know about the ad filtering demographic. This is a group composed of wealthier-than-average, highly educated, engaged individuals.

We know that ad filterers use their wealth to purchase products after seeing ads at a greater rate than non- ad blocking users, so it’s not surprising that some of that disposable income would also go towards digital paid content. It also stands to reason that ad filterers would purchase digital content: news subscriptions, study materials, and magazine subscriptions are generally purchased at a higher rate by people with higher levels of education. And “engagement” isn’t a personality quirk that’s relegated to brand loyalty or social media engagement—studies show that people who are engaged in one aspect of their lives tend to show similar levels of engagement in other arenas. That means that ad filterers’ choice to dive deep into digital media could very well be a result of the same kind of curiosity and engagement that propels them towards following their favorite brands’ social media.

And, of course, it’s a matter of priority. We touched on the topic of prioritization in our last study, which answered the question “What do ad blocking users prioritize?”

Here’s what we found:

Ad blocking users, as it turns out, prioritize being well-informed. 79.2% agreed with the statement “It is important to be well-informed about things.” […] A well-informed person, then, is someone who is not only omnivorous when it comes to knowledge…but also always hungry for the next brain snack.

Ad filterers, a subset of ad blocking users, appear to have similar priorities. They certainly exhibit the same appetite for knowledge of all kinds, and the desire to access information that will enhance their baseline of knowledge is strong enough that they’re willing and ready to purchase access to premium, paid, digital content.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.