Survey shows blacks entered shopping season with buying intentions

(January 10, 2006) Black consumers faced the recent holiday shopping season with high confidence about their employment status and their intentions to make big-ticket purchases. These attitudes are revealed in the Target Market News/NiaOnline Black Consumer Confidence Survey for November.  Nearly three-quarters of African-Americans surveyed felt secure they'll remain in their jobs during the next 90 days.

Black job optimism was up in November from the previous month, in which 74 percent of blacks said they feel secure about their current employment status for the next 90 days. That was an increase of four percent over October. Twenty-six percent of both blacks and whites in the latest survey said they are not sure they will be in their current job 90 days from now.

When asked if they plan to buy a big-ticket item such as a car, major appliance, or high-end electronics within the next 90 days, 33 percent of blacks said yes in the November survey, an increase from the 31 percent who responded positively in October. The percentage of whites saying they would make such purchases was unchanged, at 16 percent.

"African Americans' optimism about making big-ticket purchases hit a seven-month high in November — the beginning of the holiday shopping season. This represented a significant opportunity for retailers," observed Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, president and CEO of Nia Enterprises in Chicago.
 
The latest Target Market News/NiaOnline Black Consumer Confidence Survey was conducted by Chicago-based Nia Enterprises, LLC through its NiaOnline Quick Response survey service (www.niaonline.com). All respondents to the survey were members of NiaOnline.com's Consumer Advisory Panel, which reaches over 125,000 black household members. The results are based on responses from 424 black respondents and 408 white respondents.  

How do you feel about your job status for the  
next 90 days?  
 
BLACKS           June     July    Aug     Sept    Oct    Nov 
Will be in          69%      72%    71%     73%   70%   74% 
current job            
 
May not be in     31%    28%    29%      27%   30%   26% 
current job      
 
WHITES            June     July    Aug    Sept     Oct      Nov 
Will be in           70%     73%    73%    73%    72%    74% 
current job            
 
May not be in    30%      27%    27%    27%    28%    26% 
current job      
 
-------------------------------- 
Do you think you'll buy a big-ticket item in the next 90 days? 
 
BLACKS        June      July      Aug     Sept    Oct      Nov 
Yes                  29%      26%     30%     25%    31%    33% 
No                    55%      53%     52%     58%    51%    49% 
Not sure         15%       21%    18%     17%    18%    18% 
 
WHITES  
Yes                 16%       16%      14%    13%      16%    16% 
No                   60%       59%      63%    63%      62%    60% 
Not sure         24%       25%      23%     24%     22%    24%


Go to Target Market News homepage
 

 NEW!  Search the entire contents of the Target Market News Web site!

Looking for hard-to-find information on the African-American consumer market? Now you can easily search the contents of the leading source for information on African-American marketing and media. Scan our entire Web site for news, research and information using Google-powered keyword searches. Hundreds of articles, stories and report findings can be accessed for free. Click here to try it now!


_____________________________________________________________________________________


 12th Annual Edition Available 
Latest 'Buying Power' report shows black consumers spending more on home life

As the American economy continues to move sluggishly, African-American households are curtailing their spending in many categories, including food, clothing and basic household items, while investing more in home repair, home entertainment and consumer electronics. Although they are trimming back, black consumers are still spending more than their white counterparts on most of these products.

According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America” report, African-American households are tightening their belts when it comes to dining out, expanding their wardrobes, and leisure activities out of the home. At the same time, they are increasing their spending on home repairs and remodeling, audio and...
Story and statistics continued
_________________________

  SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 


The trade publication for
in-depth coverage of Black
Consumer Marketing
and Media news


 ORDER THE WORKBOOK NOW!

The sixth annual event examining the latest trends, findings and practices in marketing to African-American consumers

Presentations from:

America Online
Arbitron Inc.
Burrell
Carol H. Williams Advertising
E. Morris Communications
Ethnic Print Media Group
GlobalHue
Hunter-Miller Group
Images USA
Nia Online
NSights Worldwide LLC
On Wheels Inc.
R.J. Dale Advertising & P.R.
Target Market News
U.S. Census Bureau
...and more!