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Opinion Digital Shopping Has Left the Yellow Pages Behind R etailers are going to have to work harder and more cre- atively for your business and your loyalty Remember back in the day when Yellow Pages encouraged every- one to: “Let Your Fingers do the Walking,” to quickly and efficient- ly thumb through its pages to locate any business or service imaginable? Which really came in handy when we were in the market for anything from pizza to elec- tronics to specialty shoes to a plumber (this catchy phrase, by the way, is cited by AdAge.com as an Honorable Mention in the list- ing of “The Top 10 Slogans of the 20th Century”). We have become spoiled rotten, since the not-so- long-ago heyday of the Yellow Pages – including the very people who work in the techno-wonder companies that keep upping the ante and changing the game, as well as those who track all of the subsequent trends in consumer behavior. Because as consumers, all of us need or want something – food, shelter, clothing, electronics, entertainment, etc. You name it. But, our fingers still do the walking, alright – on our phones. According to new Nielsen mobile research, in addition to talking and NNPA C OLUMNIST Cheryl Pearson- McNeil texting, American smartphone owners are whipping out these handy little devices and trolling retail apps and websites to shop, research products and product reviews, compare prices, find retail locations and redeem coupons. “Mobile shopping has reached scale and is only going to grow as smartphone penetration continues to rise,” according to John Burbank, Nielsen’s president of strategic initiatives. Here’s what Nielsen data shows: During the 2011 holiday season, the top retail apps and websites combined – Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Target and Walmart – reached nearly 60 percent of smartphone owners. Both men and women prefer retailers’ mobile websites over mobile apps; though men are more likely to opt for the apps over women. Female smartphone owners pre- fer Target and Walmart mobile websites, while Best Buy skews male. Amazon and eBay appeal to both. While we, as shoppers, still use traditional forms of marketing like direct mail and newspaper ads, we are nearly twice as likely (60 per- cent) to read a retailers’ email than those colorful paper circulars in the stores (30 percent). More than 30 percent of shop- pers are actively researching online while shopping (talk about Digital shoppers spend 27 per- cent more per household per trip. Shoppers cannot be classified simply as either digital or not. There are specific shopper seg- ments, based on our attitudes toward experimentation. Nielsen Category Shopping Fundamentals Research breaks it down: 55 per- cent of shoppers are defined as “Occasional Trialists.” These are middle-class people aged 50-59 who either live with a spouse or a partner and usually keep up with what’s going on; although they We have become spoiled rotten, since the not-so-long-ago heyday of the Yellow Pages advanced multi-tasking). 31 percent of ALL purchase decisions (both consumer pack- aged goods, e.g. packaged food, beauty and personal care, baby care, household cleaning products; and Non-CPG categories, e.g. consumer electronics and technol- ogy, entertainment items and con- tent, etc.), involve some online or mobile activity. don’t go out of their way to try every new thing. The second group is the “Trendsetters” (27 percent). This is a more affluent group between 25–49. They have children or teenagers in the house- hold and love to keep ahead of what’s happening; love to try the newest, latest and greatest and telling others all about it. Lastly, we have the “Satisfied & Seden- tary” (18 percent). These folks are 60+, less affluent and live alone. The S&S crowd knows what they like and don’t feel the need to keep up with new things. Any of those sounds like anyone you know? Know what all of this means? Well, yes, shopping can be crazy- easy: like taking your store right of your pocket. But, it also means that retailers from your local gro- cery store to the biggest chains must think even more outside the box in getting your attention and your business, as the options for penetration and awareness are almost endless. It means they are going to have to hone in with even sharper, laser focus on you as an individual consumer – your likes, dislikes, preferences. Retailers are going to have to work harder and more creatively for your business and your loyalty. They have to woo you. Because you have infi- nite choices; more than ever before – no matter what kind of shopper you are. Ah, power. Use it wisely. Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is sen- ior vice president of public affairs and government relations for Nielsen. The Murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. While some people may be sur- prised by the murder of a 17 year old African American male by a white vigilante under the label of “Neighborhood Watch,” too many of us, as people of color, are not. This tragic event serves as a painful reminder that things have not changed as much as we think. One need but ask a few simple questions, like when is the last time you heard of a person with a gun, killing a person without a weapon and there is no arrest made and no charges filed? When a drunk driver kills another person because of his or her carelessness T HE F LORIDA T RIBUNE charge, if the killer was Black. Dr. John E. Warren is the editor of The Florida Tribune Dr. John E. Warren can males with the law enforce- ment agencies giving silent con- sent. That is not acceptable. While murder in and of itself is not a fed- eral crime, the violation of the Civil Rights of the victim — guar- anteed by the United States Con- stitution — is a crime. It is both appropriate and necessary that U.S. Attorney General Eric Hold- er has ordered the Civil Rights Division of the Depart- ment of Justice to inves- tigate this matter. While the Justice Department does the job that the Florida Attorney General seemed unable to do, we must not allow the “White” Press to demonize Trayvon Mar- tin as some have already started to do. For exam- ple, the fact that he had been suspended from school, for whatever rea- son, had nothing to do with him being killed because he was walking slowly through a neighborhood with a soda and candy and minding his own busi- ness. In spite of George Zimmer- man’s mind, we are not living in World War II Germany, nor have we embraced the “thought police” as an addendum to the United States Constitution. We the public, the people of Florida and the family of Trayvon Martin, should accept nothing less than the arrest and charging of George Zimmerman with murder for the reckless and needless killing of Trayvon Martin. It must be said in fairness that white wit- Now we have moved to having white civilians kill African American males with the law enforcement agencies giving silent consent at the very least they are arrested and charged with negligent manslaughter. George Zimmer- man, the killer of Trayvon Martin, was neither arrested nor charged, in spite of the fact that he was told not to leave his car by the 911 operator until officers arrived. We have had murders before and unfortunately, far too many are Black on Black crimes; we have had more murders of African American males by white police officers across this country than we can name on one hand, but now we have moved to having white civilians kill African Ameri- nesses have come forth and called this incident murder. In any other case that would be sufficient for a Week on the Web The International Fellowship Family Faces Foreclosure … in NW News For The Skanner News on your smart phone go to www. theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. Online Payday Lenders: Consumer Ripoffs by Offshore Corporations … in NW News Six Months Later, What Has Occupy Protest Achieved? … in US News For a Century, Underground Rail- road Ran South … in US News Trayvon Martin’s Death Takes Toll on Family … in Opinion Herbie Hancock Launches International Jazz Day … in Entertainment www. The Skanner.com has the latest news from Portland and beyond, on your mobile or your desk- top, it’s your go-to place for the news you won’t see in mainstream publications. It’s your community. It’s The Skanner. The Seattle Skanner March 21, 2012 Page 5
