Study: 8% of U.S. Women Are Recession-Proof Shoppers

By Matthew Fields

The results of a new survey being released June 12 reveal that women are still fashionably shopping in today's drooping economic climate and spending a lot of money.

The online survey was commissioned by Elle magazine. It was conducted in fall 2007 based on a composite scale of price sensitivity and annual expenditures.

Researchers identified a "recession-proof shopper," who is at the median age of 29. She is affluent, with a median household income of $62,000: 65% were in the workforce, and only 52% worked full-time. Elle states they are passionate shoppers with 57% spending over $2,000 or more per year on clothes and 40% spending $750 or more per year on accessories and footwear.

The majority will be willing to splurge on shoes (75%), handbags (70%), beauty (68%), evening/special occasion products (63%), jeans (63%), jewelry watches (57%) and weekend clothes (52%), but not outwear/coats (41%) and workout clothes (18%).

Seemingly, there is negligence when it comes to the price of trendy products. Eighty percent are willing to pay more for the latest fashions and 81% agree that "price is not the most important factor—it's getting just what I want." Also, 79% agree "there are times that I buy clothing without even looking at the price."

In 2008, 53% of recession-proof shoppers will spend as much or more than they did in 2007, compared to 34% of all other shoppers who will do the same.

About half of the 1,534 women surveyed shop in retail stores to look at, browse or purchase clothes or accessories on a weekly basis.

Elle will present the research, entitled Meet The Recession-Proof Shopper: The Mindset and Motivation of Today's Best Shoppers, on June 12 at the Plaza Hotel in New York. MRI Interactive, using a national population sample of women aged 18-49 from Survey Sample International, conducted the survey and identified that 8% of all women—which equals 5.4 million consumers—are recession-proof shoppers.

Along with the Elle presentation, Microsoft this week is presenting its findings on another demographic unaffected by turmoil in the economy, identified as the Luxury Goods Consumers.

Microsoft’s study found that digital advertising such as e-mail, online ads, IM and blogs continue to play a significant role in the consumer’s decision to buy luxury goods. Reasons to buy these more expensive goods stem from not only consumer’s rational reasons, such as quality in materials, design, manufacturing and service, but from the emotional feelings of prestige, pleasure, success, and confidence of associating themselves with these brands.

Participants revealed that luxury consumers engaged with luxury brands in six different ways on the internet: awareness to seek out information, admiration in seeing luxury brands’ advertised, exploration in understanding and authenticating the brand, consideration in researching and choosing the product, efficiency and superiority of the purchase transaction, and ownership of exclusive offers/information from a higher level of membership.

The study suggests targeting these luxury consumers through reputable fashion, lifestyle, culture, entertainment and news publications, travel, and finance websites.