Report: Singles 35-50

Top Brands

How important is it to you to have branded goods or do you prefer own label for food?
Respondents don’t mind buying own label for food but prefer a named brand for skincare and beauty products. Quality is essential an d they like the reassurance of a branded good.

What are the must have brands for electronics? Why?
Sony and Apple are the makes mentioned most often and by spending a little bit more on larger purchase respondents feel that the products will last longer and hence save them money.

Where & how often do you conduct your food shopping?
The main factor in choosing a supermarket for basic shopping is its location and proximity to home but many top it up with little extras and more luxury goods at shops such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer’s, which they see as a treat. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables from local markets is also quite popular with this age group.

How important is the healthiness of the food brands you buy?
A mixture of health problems and more awareness of their health makes this demographic study the labels of the food they buy very carefully. Respondents avoid too many carbs, salt, sugar and fat and try to buy organic goods when possible.

Retail

What do you buy when you want to indulge yourself?
To treat themselves respondents like to buy luxury food and drink. From
Expensive chocolates to a nice bottle of wine, respondents like to indulge their taste sensors. The second most most popular answer was clothes and shoes.

When and where do you shop for clothing?
Singles like to shop regularly on the high street and Marks & Spencers is a top choice because of the value and variety it offers. Department shops are also popular because it is easier than visiting lots of shops individually. Online shopping isn’t as popular for this demographic.

What stores offer the best in-store experience? Why?
John Lewis was the outright winner with respondents due to the easy to navigate layout and the excellent customer service on offer. Respondents also like department stores that offer a little extra, like squirts of perfume that add to the shopping experience.

Where do you shop for items for your home?
Ikea, John Lewis and Mark & Spencer’s are rated for their homeware selection but respondents are increasing buying online because of the discounts they can receive.

What do you shop for online? What could companies do to encourage
you to buy more items online?
By offering bigger discounts respondents would be more inclined to buy online. They also want companies to make offers easier to understand and more green and ethical products available to buy.

Finance

What do you like to spend your money on?
Socialising, from going out to dinner to trips to the theatre and drinking is the most enjoyable way for this poll to spend their money. They also like to buy CDs, books and for men its spent on their hobbies. Women like to buy items to decorate the home. Travelling and going on holiday is also popular.

Have you ever visited an Independent Financial Advisor? What for & how did you rate the experience?
Those that had good experiences with a IFAs praised the advice they were given and which they found useful for mortgages and pensions

Criticisms include scepticism over how independent the advice really was, pushy staff and the use of too much jargon, which was confusing.

What could your bank do to improve its service?
The main gripes are too few cashiers and inconvenient opening hours, which respondents would like to see improved. However online banking was praised as helping towards this.

Why did you pick your current credit card company?
When it comes to choosing a credit card the main things respondents want are reward points, competitive rates extras like insurance on purchases and a name they recognise and trust. Many have taken out credit cards with their bank for convenience.

What are the financial pluses/ difficulties of living alone?
The pluses of living alone mentioned are more disposable income, the freedom to spend money frivolously on one’s self, not having to pay for someone else and freedom from the burden of dependents. The minuses include extra supplements for single rooms when travelling, no one to help with bills, no one to help out when times are tight and the difficulty of getting a mortgage with only one income.

Media & technology

How much time do you spend watching TV?
The average time spent watching TV by Singles is 3 hours per day

What channels and programmes have you watched over the preceding days?
Terrestrial TV is still the most popular but UK Gold and Sky Sports were viewed frequently by the guys. The typical type of shows watched are comedies, soaps, wildlife shows and the news. Shows mentioned include X factor, Strictly come Dancing and Eastenders.

What mobile phone company are you with? Why?
The majority of respondents are with Vodafone from inertia or because they believe they offer good deals. When searching for a phone to purchase respondents want good reception, regular upgrades and to be rewarded for their loyalty.

What are your favourite websites to visit and why? What would encourage you to different/more varied things on the Internet?
Top internet sites are Google, Ebay and Yahoo. To encourage respondents to spend more time online respondents think they should increase advertising and include more forums and interactive elements.

Of all the technologies used which is the most important /which do you value the most? Why?
Though the most indispensable items is clearly the computer and broadband many mentioned more mundane household objects such as the kettle, the TV and the oven as essential to their lives.

The computer is so highly valued because it helps respondents find and carry out work, enables them to stay in contact with friends and purchase goods/

Work & Leisure

How do you spend your weekends/spare time?
Time is spent on exercise, including walking and playing sports, visiting the theatre and going out for dinner. Respondents also like to surf the internet in their spare time.

How important is exercise in your life?
Respondents realise the importance of taking regular exercise but find it hard to find time to do it. Visiting the gym is not as popular as going to a class or taking part in team sports.

What does your home mean to you?
Home is a big part of the singles lives. The regard their homes as their ‘castle’ and value it very highly as it often took a long time to get. Home is where they feel safe and it represents a place they can relax.

What are the best & worst aspects of living alone?
Respondents believe the worst aspects are being lonely but the best are being able to do as they please and having more control over their habitat.

How does living alone affect your work life
Respondents think living alone has a positive impact on their working life because it makes it easier to work extra hours without it having an impact on their relationships.

Tell me about your last holiday…
Singles are embracing online technology and the majority are booking flights over the internet to save money

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