Discretionary Spending Index

We all know that Discretionary spending has dropped dramatically since 3rd quarter 2008.

While marketers have traditionally used income, net worth + income producing assets to target the affluent consumer, these data elements provide insight only into spending capacity – not how much is actually being spent.

Consumers who appear nearly identical in terms of their demographics may vary widely when it comes to discretionary spending – some are savers; some are spenders.

This new select helps us target consumers based on what they spend, not just their financial capacity.

Key Industries:

  • Travel
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Personal care
  • Non-Profits
  • Dining Out
  • Alcoholic Beverages

How the information is derived:

This is a household level model, created by Experian.

Experian uses Econometric Data, which is supplied by US Government agencies regarding retail sales trends, unemployment, & housing; National Survey Data which comes from surveys conducted by the US government on household spending by category overlaid on Experians consumer data.

This model is re-calibrated quarterly based on the econometric trends.

The entire InSource consumer file was run through this model and a 5-byte score, was appended to each household, representing annual discretionary spend dollars ranging from $888 to the top category of $87,900+up

Examples:

We have seen great Test Results for season ticket sales in Major League Sports Teams (Ask me for samples of Baseball + Basketball franchises)

Fine Tune Cruise Prospects:

Traditionally, Urban Professionals and Prime Middle America segments are the top cruise prospects. Our new DSI has found that as a group prime middle America consumers have 46% less in annual discretionary spend dollars than Urban Professionals. If I wanted to get the biggest bang for my buck, I’d mail to the Urban Professional group.

Luxury Auto:

Remember, it’s not just enough to show a high income…..but auto dealers are looking to reach out to individuals who are ready to write the check.

This new Discretionary Spending Index is available as a list select (you can overlay it onto almost all of our Consumer files), as a Research tool, or for Enhancement.