Black Consumers More Likely to Consider Brand Values in Purchase Decisions and Prefer Brand Names

Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released a new consumer study, Understanding the Influence of Heritage on Black Consumers.* The report indicates that Black consumers, particularly with African and Caribbean family heritage identities, are deeply connected to home cooking, more likely to follow vegetarian / vegan diets and over-index on organic foods.

“Family heritage identity data helps brands and retailers develop and refine product innovation and marketing strategies in line with more specific consumer needs,” said Eric Belcher, CEO, Numerator. “As the population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse, brands need an in-depth understanding of every consumer group. Numerator captures hundreds of demographic, psychographic, and media consumption attributes for consumers purchasing across channels to provide brands the deepest insight into modern consumers and unlock more growth opportunities.”

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Consumption Preferences Findings Include:

Heritage identity and ancestry heavily influence consumer behavior. Half of Black consumers (50%) say their family heritage or ancestry has a strong impact on the food products they buy and the holidays they celebrate, compared to 34% of all consumers. Importance of heritage is significantly higher among Black consumers with African heritage identities (68%) or Caribbean heritage identities (64%).

• Black consumers with African or Caribbean heritage identities are more likely to cook from scratch than the average US consumer. 42% of US consumers say they cook from scratch, compared to 50% of Black consumers with US heritage, 56% with African heritage and 55% with Caribbean heritage.
• Dietary preferences tie back to heritage identities. Black consumers with African heritage are twice as likely to follow a vegetarian diet and 80% more likely to be gluten-free than the average Black consumer. Black consumers of Caribbean heritage are 50% more likely to follow vegan or pescatarian diets.
• Cooking preferences and diets are reflected in top grocery departments for Black consumers (by share of spend). Black consumers over-index in share of spend for Seafood & Fish (Index 170 vs all consumers), Herbs & Spices (144), and Frozen Foods (114), and under-index in Dairy (77), In-store Bakery (78), and Pasta & Noodles (80).
• A commitment to organic eating is important to many Black consumers. Compared to the average US consumer, Black consumers have a stronger preference for organic foods (22% of Black consumers vs 17% of all consumers), which is even more pronounced with Black consumers of African heritage (22%) and Caribbean heritage (32%).

Black consumers place more importance on brand values than other consumers. One-third (33%) of Black consumers say they have a high awareness of the corporate values behind the products they buy (compared to 25% of all consumers).

• Nearly a quarter (23%) of Black consumers say they consider a brand’s values when making purchasing decisions, compared to 17% of all consumers.
• Black consumers are more than twice as likely as the average consumer to place the greatest importance on causes/issues related to diversity, equality and social justice (Index 204).
• Black consumers with US heritage are more likely to align with corporate values that focus on community, charitable causes or products made in the USA. Those with African heritage are more likely to favor causes with religious/political focus, charitable causes and renewable energy. Those with Caribbean heritage over indexed on values that tie back to animal welfare, natural or organic products and eco-friendly practices.

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