Going Solo by Eric Klinenberg

Author:Eric Klinenberg
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2012-01-24T06:00:00+00:00

WHILE GROUPS LIKE ALTERNATIVES to Marriage Project have struggled to organize singletons as a political bloc, producers of consumer goods and services are finding that they can effectively organize those who shop solo into an emerging market segment. They also have real incentive to do this, since singles (not all of whom live alone) account for more than 35 percent of total consumer spending, or about $1.6 trillion annually.

The Packaged Facts market study “Singles in the U.S.: The New Nuclear Family” compares the lifestyle and consumption patterns of all variety of unmarried adults, including those in Gen X and Gen Y, seniors, childless singles, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and those who live alone. The report notes that while singles are hardly absent in the media and in advertising, they are generally depicted as stereotypes: glamorous young professionals who spend their evenings in clubs and fancy restaurants or, conversely, lonely old people who suffer home alone. These images, Packaged Facts warns, turn off the very consumers that advertisers are trying to attract. “It’s important for marketers to realize that singles are increasingly viewing their unmarried state as a choice, rather than a temporary and undesirable situation,” the study explains.9 The solution? Packaged Facts offers plenty of strategic advice on how to target-market each of the singles market segments, and the $3,500 price tag on its report suggests the value of this information.

A similar study, published in 2008 by Euromonitor International, offers a global guide to the emerging market of singles and singletons, identifying not only their generic tastes and habits but also specific products that appeal to their demographic in different settings. “Single Living: How Atomisation—The Rise of Singles and One-Person Households—Is Affecting Consumer Purchasing Habits” reports that the rise of living alone has generated unprecedented demand for apartments (not houses), compact furniture and appliances (no need for an oversize refrigerator, dishwasher, or coffee machine when you cook alone), one-seat automobiles and motorbikes, and all kinds of personal services. The global “ready meal” market, for instance, does more than $73 billion in business, up nearly 40 percent since 2002. In Sweden, the nation with the greatest proportion of people who live alone, a company called GOOH! has developed a “home meal replacement concept,” offering “fresh, restaurant-quality dishes with the pricing and convenience of fast food . . . which can be reheated on-site or taken home.” In Japan, the market for dried ready meals has expanded rapidly, driven by single women’s demand for simple, healthy nourishment such as dehydrated savory porridge. Throughout the developed world, singletons are proving to be heavy users of mobile media, as well as of cafés, bars, and restaurants. They may not show the signs of their indulgences, however, since they are also more likely to exercise at the gym.10

With marketing analysts tracking their behavior so closely, it’s no surprise that entrepreneurs are developing new businesses that cater to the needs of people who live alone. One of these is Singelringen, which is Swedish for “single ring.” Designed

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