Early Adopters
July 9, 2007 – 1:29 pmTo market a new product or service, one needs to first identify the target market. For an innovative web-service like Thembid.com, we have identified our target consumer to be the early adopters. Thembid.com is an innovative website which works in reverse of Ebay. They allow consumers to post requests on the website and have local businesses and providers to bid on the requests. Thembid.com needs to find a specific niche market to market their innovative service.
At first, I thought my quest to find more information about the early adopters would be too easy. In this highly innovative world with all sorts of new technology coming out every hour, I was sure there is someone out there who sorted it out and published their work somewhere. Apparently they don’t. Early adopters seem like an entirely new category of people, but the truth is they definitely are not.
Early adopters are generally characterized as influential, educated and active in their community or social network. They are quick to try new things, develop opinions and actively share their opinions. They are the target and the producer of most viral marketing efforts. That is exactly why if you are a new innovative company with little budget, they should be you first target.
But how do you market to the early adopters if you don’t even know them? After a long hardcore brainstorming and an extensive research finally our ThemBid Team came up with a list of common characteristics of the early adopters.
Demographic
Age: 25-55, online shoppers are not significantly younger than non-shoppers. 39.6 Vs. 40
Education: at least 2 years college
Professional Level: Office professional
Income: 45,000
300,000, online shoppers have significantly higher household income compared to non-shoppers. $48,350 Vs. $38,660.
Psychographic
Computer: Less than two years old
Internet Connectivity: broadband access
Technological savvy: Has a premium cell phone that is less than two years old, owns ipod, multiple online accounts, significantly more competent than non-shoppers.
Behavioral
Internet shoppers showed stronger opinion leadership characteristics.
Online shoppers are bigger overall spenders.
Online shoppers have less fear of financial loss of the internet.
Internet Activity: Buys online; Ebay
To successfully market to this group of market, we have to customize our marketing plan according to those characteristics and find the most affective method. As an early adopter yourself (you are right, if you read this you are an early adopter yourself) you can check out the forum page below to discuss your thoughts on early adopters. Thought comments and see what others are thinking too!