Research illuminates buying trends.
ALC conducted an extensive quantitative survey to compare attitudes toward products and services among Milestones segments and a control group not experiencing any of these life-changing events. This research led directly to the development of the Milestones Databases, which allow mailers to engage in effective life moment marketing.
There's a good story for marketers behind each milestone.
Milestones New Business Owners are two times more likely than the control group to take continuing education classes and 200% more likely to buy a new car. They enjoy outdoor activities, refurnish their homes in higher percentages, and are the most concerned with earning and saving money to live on than any other group. With this milestone come new needs for personal loans, computer equipment, mobile communications, and insurance.
Milestones New Homeowners purchase more big-ticket items including swimming pools and cars at a rate significantly higher than the control group. With this Milestone come the new needs of home furnishings, satellite & cable service, home security, and financial loans. New Homeowners tend to spend 5 times more on products in the first 6 months of their move than settled homeowners do in 5 years.
Milestones Engaged/Newlyweds are focused on exercise and are three times more likely to participate in programs that promote fitness than the control group. They place entertainment at a higher priority than financial planning and obtain credit cards and loans at a higher level than any other group. They are also more Internet-driven: 85% more likely to visit beauty and fashion websites and 63% more likely to chat online. The average engagement lasts 15 months and during that time, couples spend $4 billion dollars on furniture, $3 billion on housewares and $400 million on tableware. The median age of today’s bride is 25 and on average, she spends $27,000 on her wedding and nearly three times that just after tying the knot.
Milestones New Baby reaches a new generation of expectant and new mothers who are coming upon life’s single most important milestone—parenthood. Dubbed “Generation Y,” “Echo Boomers,” or “Millennium Generation,” these children of Baby Boomers are having babies themselves and their revolutionary spending habits are following them into parenthood.
Milestones New Parents spend more than $6,000 on average before their bundle of joy arrives and another $14,000 on baby products and services during the first year of the baby’s life. Working moms spend $2,000 preparing to rejoin the workforce. New Parents also contribute in higher percentages to children’s groups and charities. They are 45% more likely to have graduated college and 30% more likely to have a graduate degree than the control group. With this special milestone come many new needs for home remodeling, home security, entertainment systems, video camera, and of course, children’s merchandise.
Milestones Empty Nesters are primarily age 45-64. These boomers account for nearly half of the 4.6 trillion dollars spent in our economy. The last of their kids are graduating college or already working in a full-time career. They are 48% more likely to donate to charities than the control group and seven times more likely than to have a child graduate from college. They show a shift upward in spending for their own personal “wants” and are enjoying low-impact leisure activities like gardening, playing cards, fishing, and golfing.
Milestones Edvisors College Student Network (Postal and Email files) consists of students who register at Edvisors’ websites and are seeking college admissions help, financial aid, scholarships, and career services. Over 95% of all traffic to Edvisors’ websites is organic, not paid, resulting in higher quality visitors ready to purchase. Students engage and transact with Edvisors through interactive members-only sites, blogs, social media, email marketing, newsletters, and e-books such as annual FAFSA and Scholarship Help Guides.
Milestones Automobile Ownership Register is fed by sophisticated CRM software operated by more than 4,600 dealerships nationwide. From owning a first car to attaining the luxury sports car of their dreams, automobile buyers reach a personal milestone with each new automobile. Whether driving new or used vehicles, most motorists spend a lot of time in their rides and take pride in the cars they drive. Reach drivers at all stages of automobile ownership.