Affluent shoppers were 47% more likely than shoppers earning less than $100K annually to make an online purchase in the first quarter of 2013, and on average they spent 41% more on individual purchases, according to a recent report by Martini Media and comScore.
The gap between affluent and non-affluent spending grew in 1Q13 compared with the December 2012 holiday period, when affluent consumers were only 31% more likely to buy and spent only 15% more.
Below, additional key findings from the Affluent Online Shopper Index, which tracked of the online shopping behavior of those with household incomes greater than $100K annually in 4Q12 and 1Q13.
A Taste for Luxury
- Affluent consumers in 1Q13 were 7% more likely to visit luxury retail sites and made 16% more visits per visitor than those earning under $100K.
- Affluent shoppers were 74% more likely to make a purchase on a luxury site, and they spent an average of $184 per purchase—51% more than those earning under $100K.
- These gaps were much smaller during the 2012 holiday period, when affluent users were only 47% more likely to buy on a luxury site and spent only 25% more than non-affluent shoppers.
What They're Buying
Affluent spending in 1Q13 indexed especially high in the apparel, accessories and jewelry, general services, and event and movie tickets categories; that was consistent with previous-quarter data.
In 1Q13, affluent consumers spent on average...
- $171 on event and movie tickets
- $163 on apparel, accessories and jewelry
- $155 on electronics and computing
- $122 on home and living
- $113 on general services
About the research: The Affluent Online Shopper Index was based on comScore data. It examined the behavior of the online affluent audience (defined as those with a household income greater than $100K) by indexing affluent users (across the Internet) against non-affluent online users (HHI < $100K).
