A new study by Nielsen found women and minorities use handheld devices more than the rest of the U.S. population. “With newer generations coming into the consumer fold, the U.S.’ mosaic of buyers grows more diverse. As such, measuring these audiences has become increasingly pertinent—not only because of the value of representation but because these audiences are helping to shape the future of how we consume and communicate,” the report says.
According to Nielsen, African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics make up 40 percent of the population in the U.S. and that number is only expected to increase to 50 percent by 2044. Women also spend six percent more time on apps and using the internet on tablets compared to men. Women mostly use mobile devices for social networking.
Nielsen’s index for the report was based on weekly time spent. The report reveals women had an index level of 106 when it came to their tablet usage, compared to 104 for smartphone usage. The study found women spend 16 percent more time with video-focused apps and websites and about 17 percent more time streaming audio on tablets than all tablet users.
Black, Asian American and Hispanic adults spend more time using their apps and the internet on their smartphones than the rest of the American population. African Americans spend around two hours and 47 minutes on their smartphones, making them the number one in time spent per day. When it comes to tablet usage, Asian American spend the most time, averaging 45 minutes. The average total of the three groups is two hours and 19 minutes on smartphones and 43 minutes on tablets.
Another study found young Hispanic consumers are driving population growth in the U.S. They’re welcoming technology faster than other groups. Latinos 18 and older are nine percent more likely to own a smartphone, 11 percent more likely to own a game console, and 13 percent more likely to own a smartwatch compared to non-Hispanic whites. They’re more targeted in advertising. Last year, marketers’ spend grew 96 percent on Hispanic audiences when it came to advanced demographic audience segment data according to a report by Lotame.
Per the study, “Younger generations and their increasingly diverse profiles will command more spending power as they mature. That means understanding their unique preferences and habits, especially for mobile devices, is paramount to connecting with these audiences.”
In January, Nielsen released a report on Millennial shopping habits and found this group is more active on social media compared to their older counterparts. Around 61 percent of Millennials purchased their FMCG products online over a three-month span. When it comes to the device about 40 percent of those purchases were done through a mobile phone, only nine percent less than desktop/laptop purchases.
