With Father’s Day behind us and graduations now occurring throughout the U.S., June certainly is a key month for shoppers to spend on their dads and grads. Believe it or not, these two demographics have very similar tendencies when it comes to their shopping behaviors and preferences.
Both dads and grads are difficult to shop for, as neither demographic likes to ask for help. Only 13% of dads and 22% of students aged 18 to 24 say they ask for advice on what to buy, according to digital content provider Purch.
To conduct the study, Purch recently asked more than 1,000 active technology buyers to share insights around their purchasing habits.
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Another key similarity between dads and grads is that they don’t care about the latest product trends. Just 22% of dads say they want the most popular best-selling products, while even fewer (13%) students feel the same. In fact, up to one third of dads and students simply want to purchase products that meet their needs — even if they aren’t necessarily popular.
Over the past six months, electronic devices were the most-purchased items among both consumer groups. Smartphones took the top spot, with 59% of dads and 67% of students purchasing them. However, the purchase rates of tablets, TVs and laptops were very similar:
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37% of dads purchased a tablet vs. 40% of students;
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41% of dads purchased a TV vs. 40% of students; and
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41% of dads purchased a laptop vs. 37% of students.
Fathers and students conduct approximately seven different research activities before making a final purchase decision. More than half (54%) of students and slightly less than half (47%) of dads say they need to know a lot of information about product features and usability before they make a decision.
Specifically, 64% of dads read in-depth reviews of several products, as do 58% of students. Additionally, 60% of dads seek out special offers, deals or promotions, compared to 47% of students.
