James Tenser

Techie Types Go Out to Eat

July 16, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
New research by Technomic has found that consumers in "the gotta have the latest gadget" crowd are more likely eat out than the population as a whole. What are the practical implications for restaurants and specialty food stores knowing that the group of people most open to technology are also quite likely their best customer prospects?      [more...]

Ryan and Jon are on the right track with their comments. I highly doubt that technophiles frequent restaurants because they feature mobile technology. It's far more likely that heavy gadget users are also more mobile, more likely to be single and have greater disposable income than the median consumer.

Reversing the logic, however, does yield an interesting marketing opportunity for some hospitality providers. It suggests certain bars and restaurants may be more successful than others at using mobile channels to reach target customers. Ditto for airlines and hotel chains that cater to the business traveler.

By comparison, your neighborhood grocer may have a much smaller opportunity because its customers are far less self-selected.