• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, May 7, 2013

Analyzing data and cross-channel segments can give search marketers deep insight into their customers, but did you ever think about what type of food a consumer converting in the Financial Services segment might like? It turns out that these consumers prefer regular soda, dietary supplements, and sweet and savory snacks, according to a report scheduled for release this week.

Retail consumers are more likely to eat organic foods and take dietary supplements, and those in the Automotive segment have a preference for vitamins and coffee. That's according to the DataXu Consumer Index, the company's first quarterly consumer behavior benchmark report analyzing online shopping data from hundreds of advertisers and millions of consumers across the automotive, financial services, and retail industries.

The anonymous data comes from DataXu's programmatic marketing platform, which the company says touches every U.S. online consumer multiple times monthly. It takes into consideration occupations, browsed content, and digital device use. The report identifies significant trends and purchase patterns over time.

Consumers looking for a car are more likely also to shop in Media and Entertainment and Health, and those who download information in the Financial Services sector also show interest in Education, as well as Technology and Telecommunications.

It turns out that smartphone users have the highest conversion rate in Financial Services compared with other industries. These consumers primarily use iPhone and Android smartphones to conduct banking transactions and other Financial Services activities. Consumers using tablets are twice as likely to convert in Automotive compared with Financial Services. And PC users were twice as likely to convert in Retail compared with Automotive. 

Automotive consumers conduct most of their conversions on tablets during the evening hours. They spend an even amount of time on PCs, Macs, and smartphones throughout the day. When it comes to Financial Services, Mac and PC use on laptops and desktops is more evenly distributed throughout the day. Retail consumers tend to shop on Macs during mid-day. During rush and evening hours, they make the majority of their Retail conversions on tablets and iPad Mini.