Age and gender politics of acquisition

Differences in age and gender can be instructive. Yes, it would be easier if everyone just behaved exactly the same. But they don’t. There are some clear differences, as this perfectly ordinary, typical family shows

In the Customer Acquisition Barometer (CAB) survey we discovered more than the headline figures, with some fascinating titbits that every marketer should know about. This means you.

For example, we know that consumers are predisposed to share information with a brand. 31% would not share information with a brand they know, rising to 51% for a brand they do not know.

In addition, incentives to share information vary in their effectiveness. For familiar brands, 46% would respond to a loyalty scheme, compared to 21% for an unknown brand. Competitions, coupons and free products/services from a known brand will encourage around three in 10 consumers, down to two in 10 for an unknown brand. Social sharing and exclusive content are the least influential incentives.

Gender differences

An old joke goes something like this: the lord of the manor calls the head butler and says to him, “Blast Jeeves, what is the difference between men and women?”

Jeeves is taken aback but recovers quickly, replying, “I cannot conceive sir.”

There are other differences, many of which relate to the different ways in which men and women use social media, according to the CAB research.

For example, women are significantly more likely to share pictures online. 56% of women will share, while just 39% of men will share, a 17% difference.

Women are 10% more likely to have posted social updates compared to men, 57% of women compared to 47% of men. This difference could explain why women are better disposed to contact from brands on social networks – 16% of women compared to 10% of men.

In fact, men see sharing as an inherently more risky endeavour. 40% of men agreed that sharing “always compromises the security of their information” compared to 30% of women. Again, a 10% difference.

If you plan to call consumers, then there is an additional piece of information to consider. The biggest frustration for women was "being contacted too often", but for men it was "being called from an overseas call centre". That’s men for you.

Age differences

Oscar Wilde remarked that, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

We found that many young people behave as you would expect young people to behave – in a relatively carefree manner. The 18-24 year old group was the least likely to use a loyalty card, almost 20% fewer used a loyalty card compared to other age groups (18-24 – 58%, 25-34 – 76%, 35-44 – 81%, 45-54 – 85%, 55-64 – 79%, 65+ - 81%).

Perhaps less surprisingly the oldest 65+ age group is the least likely to have shared information to enter a competition (19%), while the 34-41 year-olds were the most likely to.

Older age-groups were the most likely to be carefree with their data. 19% of the 65+ age group and 30% of the 55-64 age group agreed that "sharing information always compromised their security". The most careful were the 25-34 age group with 40% agreeing.

Younger people were also the most trusting of high street retailers. 30% of 18-24 year-olds thought high street retailers could look after their information, compared to 13% of 25-34 year olds, 14% of 35-44 year-olds and a dwindling number of the older age-groups down to 8% of the 65+.

The youngest age-groups were also happier for brands to contact them more regularly. The majority of those aged 45 and above wanted to be contacted annually. Those ages between 35 and 44 preferred quarterly contact, while the 18-24 year-olds wanted to be contacted monthly.