Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- Blacks spent $10.2 billion on select electronics, TVs and computers largest chunk
-
- Figure 1: Estimated Black consumer spending on select electronic equipment, 2014
- The issues
- Technology not for the sake of it – It’s about talk value, image and entertainment
- Blacks aren’t ready to cut the cord – The bigger the screen the better
-
- Figure 2: Household ownership of televisions, Black versus all, April 2015
- Blacks more confident in their tech savvy, but that’s not always a good thing
-
- Figure 3: Black consumers’ perceptions of their tech-savvy and adoption, Black versus all, April 2015
- Blacks want smart devices, even if it means owning multiple products
- The opportunities
- Stand out from the crowd with targeted advertising
- As seen on TV: Leveraging Black celebrities could pay off
- Show and tell: Blacks need to see why they can’t live without devices
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Buying power growth expected to impact electronics, already at over $10 billion
- Blacks are a bigger fish in this small pond than one may think
Expenditures on Select Electronic Equipment
-
- Blacks splurge in areas where they get mostentertainment
-
- Figure 4: Spending on selected electronic equipment, by all consumers and Black consumers, 2014
- Blacks’ spending on entertainment forecast to grow 41% from 2014-19
Market Perspective
-
- Black buying power likely to reach $1.4 trillion by 2019
-
- Figure 5: Buying power trends among Black consumers, 1990-2019 (projections)
- Black buying power growing at a faster rate than that of White consumers
-
- Figure 6: Changes in buying power, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
Market Factors
-
- Blacks households outnumber other multicultural groups
-
- Figure 7: Number of households in US, by race/Hispanic origin, January 2015
- iGeneration and Millennials represent nearly half of Black population
-
- Figure 8: Population of generations, by race/Hispanic origin, 2015
-
- Figure 9: Distribution of population by race and generation, 2015
- Blacks have lower household incomes, several factors besides occupation to consider
-
- Figure 10: Median household income, Blacks versus all, 2013
- Average incomes up 17% in a 10-year period
-
- Figure 11: Median household income for households headed by Blacks, in inflation-adjusted dollars, 2003-13
Key Players – What You Need to Know
-
- Don’t sleep – Beats by Dre, Apple and Comcast are revolutionizing the industry
- Down, but not out – Wearable tech and portable gaming devices
What’s Working?
-
- Beats by Dre – Live out Loud
-
- Figure 12: Beats by Dre Presents: LeBron James in re-established 2014 – Powerbeats2 Wireless, October 2014
- Ethnically diverse emojis – Adding color to the conversation
- Comcast – Bringing your world to life via the big screen
-
- Figure 13: "Lip Sync" -- XFINITY Share app, May 2015
What’s Struggling?
-
- Wearable tech and portable gaming devices – Down but not out
What’s Next?
-
- Can you speak emoji?
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Blacks are tech-savvy – First to have gadgets, they provide entertainment and escape
- Where there’s a will there’s a way, Blacks turn TVs into smart(er) TV
- Limited space, portability and convenience drive laptop and tablet sales
- Smartphones win big among Blacks, Samsung is the leader
- Digital gap is closed, Blacks spend more time online than others
Technology Products Overview
-
- Small devices are nice, but Blacks must have big screens, highest picture clarity
-
- Figure 14: Black household ownership of consumer electronics hardware, April 2015
- Vast majority of Blacks own a smartphone, tablets also prevalent
-
- Figure 15: Black personal ownership of consumer electronics hardware, April 2015
Television Ownership
-
- Three quarters of Black households own an HD TV
-
- Figure 16: Household ownership of televisions, Black versus all, April 2015
- Availability of brands at mass merchandisers may be driving sales
-
- Figure 17: Brand of television(s) owned by household, Asian versus all, April 2014-December 2014
- Blacks have more TVs in their household than others
-
- Figure 18: Number of televisions owned, Black versus all, April 2015
Television Behaviors and Attitudes
-
- Watching TV is an integral part of Blacks’ lives
-
- Figure 19: Television watching behaviors, Black versus all, April 2015
- Family TV is important, but children have less influence on Black parents
-
- Figure 20: Attitudes toward watching television, Black versus all, April 2015
- One third of Blacks build their schedule and events around TV programs
-
- Figure 21: Attitudes toward TV and advertising – Any agree, Black versus all, Fall 2014
Physical and Digital Playback
-
- One in five Black households turn their TV into smart(er) TVs
-
- Figure 22: Household ownership of media playback devices, Black versus all, April 2015
- Magnavox over indexes for DVD/Blu-ray players among Blacks
-
- Figure 23: Brand of DVD/Blu-ray player(s) owned by household, Blacks versus all, April 2014-December 2014
Gaming Consoles
-
- Black consumers more likely than others to have a gaming device
-
- Figure 24: Gaming console ownership, Black versus all, April 2015
- PlayStation is a winner among Blacks, more so than the total population
-
- Figure 25: Brand summary of video game systems owned or played, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
- Blacks seek games that are action packed or sports-related
-
- Figure 26: Genre of video games owned or played, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
PCs and Tablets
-
- More than half of Black households have a tablet, on par with total population
-
- Figure 27: Household and personal ownership of PCs, Black versus all, April 2015
- Dell is #1, but more Blacks buy Toshibas compared to the average
-
- Figure 28: Brand of PC(s) owned by household, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
Mobile Phones and Wearables
-
- Three out of 4 Blacks own a smartphone, Samsung is the leader
-
- Figure 29: Personal ownership of mobile phones, Black versus all, April 2015
- Figure 30: Brand of cell phone/smartphone owned, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
- Ownership of wearable devices low…for now
-
- Figure 31: Personal ownership of wearable devices, Black versus all, April 2015
Other Portable Electronics Hardware
-
- Smartphones impacting sales of other portable devices
-
- Figure 32: Black household/personal ownership of other portable electronics hardware – Type, trended, April 2010-December 2014
-
- Figure 33: Other portable electronic hardware ownership, Black versus all, April 2015
- One quarter use smartphone to read e-books, opportunity for larger screen
-
- Figure 34: Devices used to read an e-book in the last 12 months, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
- More Blacks buy TomTom GPS, ranks #2 in leading brand
-
- Figure 35: Brand of GPS owned, Black versus all, April 2014-December 2014
Internet Usage
-
- The digital divide has closed
-
- Figure 36: Blacks’ incidence of internet use, April 2012-December 2014, and by age, April 2014-December 2014
- One in five households access internet through their TV or gaming device
-
- Figure 37: Methods used to access the internet in the last three months, Black versus all, April 2015
Online Activities
-
- Blacks more likely to check product reviews, do price comparisons online
-
- Figure 38: Online activities in past three months, Black versus All, April 2015
Social Media
-
- Facebook and YouTube are most popular, Blacks over index on Twitter and Instagram
-
- Figure 39: Social media sites visited, Black versus all, April 2015
Attitudes toward Technology and Electronics
-
- Blacks significantly more likely to be “almost always online”
-
- Figure 40: Attitudes toward technology, Black versus all, April 2015
- Blacks are tech geeks and trendsetters when it comes to technology
-
- Figure 41: Attitudes toward electronics – Any agree, Black versus all, April 2015
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
-
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
Appendix – Consumer
-
- Television
-
- Figure 42: Black household ownership of televisions – Type, trended, Fall 2010-14
-
- Figure 43: Blacks’ attitudes toward TV and advertising – Any agree, trended, Fall 2010-14
- Physical and digital playback
-
- Figure 44: Black household ownership of DVD/Blu-ray player, trended, Fall 2010-14
- Gaming consoles
-
- Figure 45: Blacks and video games – Owns or plays, trended, Fall 2010-14
- PCs and tablets
-
- Figure 46: Black household ownership of PCs – Type, trended, Fall 2010-14
- Mobile phones
-
- Figure 47: Black cellphone/smartphone ownership – Type, trended, Fall 2012-14
- Other portable electronics
-
- Figure 48: Black household/personal ownership of other portable electronic hardware – Type, trended, Fall 2010-14
- Internet usage
-
- Figure 49: Black internet usage, trended, Fall 2012-14
Back to top