CHICAGO, IL, Feb. 23 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Numerator, a data and technology company serving the market research space, has released new consumer research, Understanding the Influence of Heritage on Black Consumers.* The report says that black consumers, especially with African and Caribbean family identities, are deeply connected to home cooking, more likely to follow vegetarian/vegan diets and over-index on organic foods.
“Family heritage identity data helps brands and retailers develop and refine product innovation and marketing strategies based on more specific consumer needs,” said Eric Belcher, CEO of Numerator. “As the population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse, brands need an in-depth understanding of each consumer group. Numerator captures hundreds of demographic, psychographic and media consumption attributes for consumers who buy across all channels to provide brands with the deepest insights into modern consumers and unlock more growth opportunities.
Findings on consumption preferences include:
Heritage identity and ancestry strongly influence consumer behavior. Half of black consumers (50%) say their family heritage or ancestry has a strong impact on the food products they buy and the holidays they celebrate, compared to 34% of all consumers. The importance of heritage is significantly higher among black consumers with African descent identities (68%) or Caribbean descent identities (64%).
- Black consumers with African or Caribbean identities are more likely to cook from scratch than the average American consumer. 42% of American consumers say they cook from scratch, compared to 50% of black consumers of American origin, 56% of African origin and 55% of Caribbean origin.
- Food preferences are linked to heritage identities. Black consumers of African descent are twice as likely to follow a vegetarian diet and 80% more likely to be gluten-free than the average black consumer. Black Caribbean consumers are 50% more likely to follow a vegan or pescatarian diet.
- Culinary preferences and diets are reflected in Black consumers’ top grocery aisles (by share of spend). Black consumers over-index the share of spending on seafood and fish (index 170 vs. all consumers), herbs and spices (144) and frozen foods (114), and under-index Dairy (77), In-Store Bakery (78) and Pasta and Noodles (80).
- A commitment to organic food is important to many black consumers. Compared to the average US consumer, black consumers have a stronger preference for organic foods (22% of black consumers versus 17% of all consumers), which is even more pronounced among black consumers of African descent (22 %) and Caribbean (32%). %).
Black consumers value brand values more than other consumers. A third (33%) of black consumers say they are very aware of the company values behind the products they buy (compared to 25% of all consumers).
- Nearly a quarter (23%) of black consumers say they consider brand values when making purchasing decisions, compared to 17% of consumers overall.
- Black consumers are more than twice as likely as the average consumer to place the highest importance on causes/issues related to diversity, equality and social justice (index 204).
- Black American consumers are more likely to align with community-oriented corporate values, charitable causes, or products made in the United States. Those with African heritage are more likely to favor religious/political causes, charitable causes and renewable energy. Those with a Caribbean heritage are over-indexed on values related to animal welfare, natural or organic products and environmentally friendly practices.
FMCG expenditure results include:
Black consumers are more likely to shop at smaller format retailers. Black consumers spend comparatively more of their FMCG dollars at retailers such as dollar stores (index 163 vs. all consumers), pharmacies (123), and gas and convenience stores (105), compared to compared to the average buyer. Much of this difference can be attributed to store availability by location, with a higher proportion of black consumers living in urban areas.
- Club and Online retailers are under-indexed with black consumers, both channels capturing 9% less FMCG spending from black consumers than the average US consumer.
Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) black consumers qualify as budget conscious, compared to 30% of all consumers. Affiliation is true across income levels and ethnicity groups, with black Caribbean consumers even more likely to identify with budget-oriented trends (index 118 vs. all black consumers) .
In the face of inflation, budget-conscious black consumers are willing to make adjustments to continue buying their usual products. Black consumers are more likely to react to rising prices by switching to smaller products (index 143 vs. all consumers), switching retailers (121) or buying in bulk (111). They are less likely to stop buying certain items (73) or switch to cheaper brands (81).
- Almost a third (31%) of black consumers say their financial situation has improved since last year (index 124 vs all consumers). 45% declare that their situation has not changed (Index 86) and 23% declare that it has worsened (Index 106).
Black consumers prefer popular branded products to private label alternatives. Despite budget trends, black consumers are more likely than the average consumer to say they prefer brand names (index 136), associate brand name with quality (138), and rarely consider private label products ( 129).
- Brand preference is also evident in private label market share data, with grocery, health and beauty, household and baby private label brands capturing a lower share of spending among black consumers. than among all consumers.
Results of media activation include:
Black consumers consider email, social media and online ads to be the most influential advertising methods. The influence varies by group, with black consumers of African descent preferring print advertising, Caribbean descent preferring digital advertising, and American descent preferring in-store advertising.
Brands can connect with black consumers through social media platforms and streaming services. Compared to consumers overall, black consumers are more likely to use Twitter (index 133) or TikTok (131); listen to Pandora (146) or podcasts (113); and watch YouTube (142) or local news (114).
Black consumers generally trust ads more, although this varies by heritage identity. Compared to the average consumer, black consumers are 55% more likely to trust advertised brands and 39% more likely to find advertising entertaining. Black American consumers are the least confident in advertising, while those of African descent are the most confident.
* The report analyzes consumer consumption preferences, FMCG spending habits, and media activation for Black American consumers as a whole, as well as through the lens of identity and identity. heritage ancestry, including African, Caribbean and American heritage. Numerator panelists self-identify on hundreds of demographic and psychographic attributes, including racial identity and ancestry. For the latter, consumers were asked to select all countries relevant to their family heritage or ancestry. The top three segments selected by Black consumers were the United States (58.6%), African countries (15.4%) and Caribbean countries (13.6%).
About the numerator:
Numerator is a data and technology company that brings speed and scale to market research. Numerator combines first-party data from over one million US households with cutting-edge technology to provide unparalleled 360-degree consumer insight for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Based in Chicago, IL, Numerator has more than 2,500 employees worldwide. The majority of Fortune 100 companies are Numerator customers.
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