Study finds affluent shoppers more likely to spend online than other consumers.

As Brafton has reported, affluent consumers use social media to engage with like-minded peers, share opinions among networks and connect with new business partners. However, high-brow consumers were also more likely to keep their social media lives private and hidden from plain view. Marketers who want to reach prospects with significant spending powers through social media content have to work harder to breakthrough certain barriers, but a new study conducted by Martini Media in conjunction with comScore suggests affluent consumers embrace online marketing and shopping more today than ever before.

According to the study from Martini Media, affluents – buyers with annual household incomes greater than $100,000 – engaged in online holiday shopping in droves this year. In fact, the purchases made by this demographic were from luxury brands, which demonstrate that people have developed even greater trust with online shopping.

Wealthy Social Media UsersThe report broke down the degree to which high-brow shoppers purchased products compared to less-affluent consumers between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Data shows that people with high incomes were 15 percent more likely to purchase products online compared to those with lower incomes. Affluents also spent 19 percent more per purchase. American consumers with more available cash spent 80 percent more on apparel than other shoppers and 41 percent to purchase from luxury websites.

Rich Social Media UsersAdditionally, Martini Media, with comScore’s help, calculated the value of each online expenditure made by affluent shoppers. The study discovered that the average buyer spent approximately $113 per website between November 21 and November 26. The report’s findings indicate that online shopping has become a standard practice for affluent shoppers, even while purchasing high-end goods from luxury websites.

While Martini Media’s data only evaluates affluent shopping behaviors between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, trends could continue to pan out throughout the course of 2013. Brands that cater to high-end shoppers often struggled to have any significant impact on the web in terms of ecommerce and sales, but perhaps this all might change in the new year. Brands may want to construct their own content marketing campaigns to educate and reach affluent shoppers, especially companies that produce and sell luxury items. Well-written copy that speaks to high-income buyers could be companies’ most effective marketing efforts, as more people turn to the web to make purchases.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.