Provocateur:

Experian is offering its new At-Risk audience segments free of charge to essential organizations such as government agencies, healthcare providers, and non-governmental organizations to help them identify those most impacted by COVID-19.  Additionally, the company is providing free access to research results regarding consumer sentiment during the outbreak.

“With so many lives upended and millions across the country struggling to adapt to our new reality, if we can help even one person, we will be proud to have done so,” Genevieve Juillard, Experian’s president of targeting and data quality services, said in a news release. “Experian has an unwavering commitment to help consumers and businesses during this time. We believe data and technology can help address some of the challenges facing our communities and society. The more easily essential organizations can identify those most in need, the more quickly they can be taken care of.”

Experian created At-Risk Audiences, privacy-compliant segments, based on leveraging its data assets to identify groups of individuals that are most likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is offering these segments free of charge to essential organizations to help them find and communicate with at-risk populations, enabling them to provide resources and deliver essential services to those most in need as quickly as possible.

Experian is also providing its clients free access to research insights around the shifting consumer sentiment as a result of COVID-19. Based on permissioned consumer survey data, the dashboard is updated daily and representative of U.S. consumers across all regions and demographics. It provides businesses a deeper understanding of how consumers are being impacted by the pandemic and how that is changing their behaviors across four key industries, including automotive, financial services, healthcare, and retail, as well as their media consumption habits.

The pandemic has and will impact various segments of the population differently—it will vary by age demographic, as well as region. Businesses can leverage the dashboard to gain insight into consumer sentiment across generations and regions to respond to shifts in consumer behavior as it changes. The more businesses can understand how consumers are dealing with the fallout of the outbreak, the better positioned they will be to communicate with them and serve their needs.

Some of the current insights include:

• 64 percent of Americans are concerned about their ability to access food and essentials
• Of the consumers surveyed, only 30 percent believe the current retail situation is going to get worse
• 8 percent of Millennials do not have a financial reserve they can draw from
• Compared to last month, 57 percent of consumers are watching more television and 39 percent are reading more newspapers
• Retail spending on books, video games and music increased 14 percent from last month
• 80 percent of Generation Xers and 75 percent of Baby Boomers are concerned about visiting doctors and would hold off seeking care
• Of those planning to purchase a vehicle, more than half (55 percent) of Americans plan to continue their purchase as planned

“It will be critical for all businesses to understand, in real-time, the challenges that consumers will continue to experience over the coming months,” said Juillard. “COVID-19 has created a fluid situation for many Americans, and the impact and priorities for individuals will shift over time. Our intention, as always, is to help businesses communicate with their customers effectively and address their most pressing needs.”

For more information on the consumer sentiment dashboard, visit www.experian.com/marketing-services/consumer-sentiment-dashboards.