E-Commerce and African-Americans
Two Recent Studies Shatter Stereotypes About Black Online Behavior

By Jamila White, “The E-Commerce Diva”

African Americans spend more time on the Internet than the general market, and Black women Internet users are more heavily influenced by online information about the products they buy than White women Internet users. Surprised? That’s what two newly-released studies of Black online consumer behavior reveal.

For years we’ve been hearing about the Digital Divide – how African Americans are lagging behind in nearly every category when it comes to Internet connection and use.

However, the 2005 AOL African American Cyberstudy, conducted by Atlanta-based IMAGES Market Research, shows that Blacks outpace the general market in Internet use and are more likely to have high-speed connections; and the 2005 NiaOnline Research Monitor: The African-American Household Online study by Nia Enterprises, LLC reveals that African-American women are heavy users of the web when it comes to product research.

Key findings from the AOL study:

• African Americans are connected. Two-thirds of online African American households have a high-speed broadband connection vs. 53% of the general population. Nearly 80% of African Americans have access to the Internet – close to the 88% of the general population. And those African-Americans currently not online are more likely to get connected within the next 6 to 12 months

• African Americans are embracing and integrating the Internet into all aspects of their lifestyle. They report spending more time on the Internet (5 hours a day vs. 2.9 hours a day for the general online population). And they are far more likely to use the Web to access a variety of information: news (68% vs. 56%), entertainment (55% vs. 26%), health related issues (72% vs. 53%), financial questions/needs (60% vs. 40%) and sports (39% vs. 26%)

Key findings from the Nia Online study:

• Black women research products online prior to purchase. 65 percent of African-American women “frequently or almost always” visit a product’s web site when making purchase decisions, compared with 58 percent of White women.

• Black women see the Internet as a no-nonsense tool for gathering information and doing business. Black women were more likely to use email to communicate about work- and career-related activities over recreation and social communication that their White counterparts – due in part because Black women were more likely to access the Internet from work (32% vs. 9%).

"This makes the Internet an especially effective medium for marketers hoping to reach Black families," said Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, founder, president and CEO of Nia Enterprises LLC. "… More Black women are the primary decision-makers in their households than women of other U.S. ethnic groups," McKissack said. "If you want to reach the Black family, you really need to connect with women."

So, what does this mean for online marketers?

Make sure you aren’t excluding African Americans and other people of color from your marketing strategy. Look at all of your marketing materials – web site, brochures, advertisements, etc. – and ensure that the images of people are ethnically diverse and non-stereotypical.

Reach out to the African-American community where they are. If your business falls into a category that ranks high for African-American interest (news, entertainment, health, financial, and sports), try advertising on Black-interest web sites and in other Black media.

© Copyright Jamila White. All rights reserved.

About the Author:
Jamila White, "The E-Commerce Diva™", helps small business owners attract new customers and sell more products on the Web. Her two-CD audio workshop "Attracting Black Customers Online" was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. Subscribe to Jamila's free “Sell More Online” newsletter at http://www.ecommercediva.com/newsletter.html.