The New Mainstream Podcast

Virtual Reality has been feeling like it is on the cusp of being main stream for several years now. The purchase of Oculus Rift by Facebook for 2 billion dollars jutted virtual reality into the public consciousness. Flash forward two years and the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 brought free virtual reality headsets to those that pre-ordered the phone and now the HTC Vive has launched, making virtual reality a purchase within reach.

But is the interest in virtual reality relegated to gen-pop Techies? ThinkNow Research wanted to know how multicultural consumers feel about virtual reality and what they find interesting about it use.

You can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/total-market-virtual-multicultural-reality-2016.html

Back in March, we started a conversation about the sharing economy. Industry disruptors like Uber and Airbnb have used technology and a non-traditional business model to redefine how consumers purchase goods and services.

The heartbeat of the sharing economy is the consumers themselves, now empowered by a model that allows them to rent services from one another. And while the regulatory uncertainties persist for brands like Uber and Airbnb, “collaborative consumption,” is still booming and shows no sign of slowing down.

As these companies continue to forge new roads for the average consumer, we wanted to better understand what degree of this growing movement impacts multicultural consumers, hopefully shedding light on growth opportunities for these peer to peer brands.

We took a representative sample of U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites, and asked several questions regarding the sharing economy, its major players, and its use among these cohorts.

You can download the report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/sharing-economy-report-2016.html

ast year we presented a series of reports on US Millennials with a focus on the Hispanic segment. An interesting thing happened though as we were comparing Hispanic Millennials to non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, and Asians in wave after wave of research. One group of Millennials stood out like a game of “Which one of these is not like the others?” – Asians.

You can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/hmp-asian-focus-2016.html

By many measures, 2016 was an eventful year, to say the least, for Americans. From one of the most inspiring Olympics on record to a contentious presidential election season, many are exhausted and looking forward to a fresh start in 2017. Using this year of extremes as a backdrop, ThinkNow Research conducted its fourth annual Consumer Sentiment Study across a representative sample of Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and non-Hispanic whites. Below are insights gleaned from this year’s ThinkNow Pulse™ Consumer Sentiment study.

Our snapshot report looks at the top 5 insights uncovered from our ThinkNow Retail : Total Market Holiday Shopping Trends report. The study contents include the following insights from the Asian cohort:

1. Asian-Americans Are Online Shoppers

2. Online Reviews Are Critical

3. Asian-Americans Think Outside The "Friends/Family" Box

4. Black Friday Is Big For Asian-Americans

5. Online Offering Is Critical For Asian-Americans

you can download the full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowretail-asian-holiday-shopping-trends-2016.html

Holiday Shopping season looks to be a bright spot for U.S. retailers, significant lift among Hispanic consumers expected.

All signs point to a strong holiday season so far despite the typical pullback in consumer spending in September and October due to a presidential election. Deloitte expects up to a 4% increase in holiday spending from last year pushing total holiday sales to more than $1 trillion in 2016. The consulting firm also anticipates a 17% to 19% increase in e-commerce sales to more than $96 billion compared with last year.

With almost 40% of the U.S. population comprised of Hispanic, African-American, and Asian consumers, we were curious to learn how each group’s holiday shopping habits are similar and different to each other. We’ve done so in our in-depth research series: ThinkNow Retail™ Total Market Holiday Shopping Trends.

Download Our Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/thinknowretail-hispanic-holiday-shopping-trends-2016.html

African-American Millennials cemented their position as trendsetters in the media and technology space in 2016. But this cohort has been setting the tone for the conversations feeding social media and the web at large with an influence that vastly outweighs its user base for some time now.

We found several opportunities in the technology and media space for companies to focus resources.

Download our full report here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/af-american-millennials-media-habits-report-2016.html

Total Market Consumers Prefer Taste Over Health When It Comes To Fast Food Choices. The fast food industry is projected only to grow about 2% annually over the next five years according to IBIS World. As a result, many top fast food chains have tried to meet the challenge of presenting menu items for price-sensitive customers who want healthy options. However, is that what they really want?

Our report takes a closer look at the preferences among total market consumers eating at quick service restaurants.

Download Our Report Here - http://campaigns.thinknowresearch.com/downloads/fast-food-dining-report-2016.html

Read Our Blog on the Report - http://www.thinknowresearch.com/blog/what-are-consumers-lovin-about-fast-food-maybe-not-what-you-think/