Marketing research and insights news and information. This issue's keywords: spelling and grammar; mobile transactions; advertising to Millennials; car buyer satisfaction; home renovations
While 80 percent of American adults consider themselves to be good spellers, 71 percent say they often find spelling mistakes in the written correspondence from others, according to a survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Oakland, Calif., online resource Dictionary.com. The research also shows that when it comes to the English language, 59 percent say improper grammar annoys them the most, with 65 percent finding misspellings and misuse of the English language on social media particularly irksome. Millennials are most bothered by slip-ups, with 74 percent of respondents in the 18-34 age range saying spelling and grammar errors on social media bother them. This age group is more consistently annoyed by spelling and grammar mistakes than any other age group, as 60 percent of 35-44-year-olds are bothered by mistakes versus 59 percent of those ages 45-54, 64 percent for ages 55-64 and 60 percent for ages 65 and over. Females are also more prone to annoyance, with 79 percent of females age 18-34 citing annoyance versus 69 percent of males that same age.
More than 56 percent of U.S. smartphone owners have abandoned a mobile transaction, with 23 percent saying the value of the abandoned cart was $100 or more, costing U.S. retailers as much as $24.5 billion in lost revenue shows research by Palo Alto, Calif., identity management and credentials company Jumio. Forty-five percent of abandonments were due to purchase uncertainty, followed by issues of speed (36 percent of abandonments), navigation difficulties (31 percent), concerns about payment security (27 percent) or safety of personal information (26 percent). Apparel is the most abandoned category, with 60 percent saying they have abandoned apparel purchases, followed by travel, with 41 percent saying they have abandoned purchases, household items (39 percent) and electronics (35 percent). Additionally, 66 percent of those who abandon a mobile purchase went back to attempt it a second time, with 36 percent switching to a computer, 23 percent trying again on their mobile phones and 7 percent switching to a tablet.
Millennials find ads to be more relevant compared to older consumers shows a study conducted by U.K.-based research firm YouGov for Acxiom. The research found that 22 percent of Millennials ages 18-24 say they believe the ads they are exposed to are increasingly relevant to them, compared to 10 percent of those ages 35 and over. The survey also found that perceived relevancy of ads decreased as a consumer ages. Seventy-one percent of consumers 55 and older believe they are not affected by advertising, compared to 49 percent of consumers ages 18-34. Additionally, four in 10 of consumers 55 and over believe nothing will make them respond positively to an ad, a belief that only 15 percent of Millennials hold.
The rise of prices and recalls has brought car buyer satisfaction down for the third straight year, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Customer satisfaction with automobiles dropped 3.7 percent to 79 on the ACSI's 100-point scale. Car owners have reported a 40 percent increase in recalls compared to second-quarter 2014, which is damaging driver satisfaction, along with rising prices. Of the 27 nameplates tracked by the ACSI, only two improved from a year ago, both foreign-made. The highest-scoring automakers were Japanese and luxury brand cars in general, with Toyota's Lexus scoring 84 points and Mercedes-Benz falling 3 percent to 83. Honda's luxury brand Acura, one of the two brands to improve this year, rose 8 percent to 83, tied with Mercedes and Lincoln for second place. General Motors dropped 3 percent to 79 and Fiat Chrysler fell 5 percent to 75.
U.S. consumers who are planning home renovations are nearly twice as likely as the general population to be influenced by mobile and desktop ads, according to a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, with 22 percent saying these ads guide their purchase, compared to 12 percent of the general population. Forty percent of home renovators cite online search as a source for home improvement ideas and are more likely to research home improvement products on interactive screens than in a store, with about one-third buying the products on a digital platform. One in five use social media for home improvement ideas and three out of four check social media at least once a week. This same group, most likely to be aged 35-64, also tends to invest more heavily on household-related products, including furniture and home electronics.
These reports were compiled from recent issues of the Daily News Queue, a free e-newsletter digest of marketing research and insights news and information delivered each business morning. Not already in the Queue? Sign up here!