Several of you have asked me why we don’t study politics, Trump, Charlottesville, and the like. Well, we do. A ton, actually. We just don’t publish it. Because no matter how objectively and rigorously we gather our data, we will be accused by one side or the other of having a political bias when our numbers don’t mesh with their pre-existing narratives. Without fail, we get attacked and then we have to play tricks like this.
People don’t want to be educated about socio-political matters today. They only want to be validated. It’s that simple.
So, if nothing else, I promise you a respite from the political maelstrom every Saturday morning. And here are a few things we’re seeing right now.
None of you should have been surprised by Home Depot’s huge earnings report this week. Take a look at the graph below. The gap between those who believe it’s a good time to make major purchases, like home improvement projects, and those who believe it’s a bad time has been widening by the week since last November. Given what we have reported here, over and over again, about growing consumer confidence and who’s driving it, it’s easy to guess that they’re the people who are most likely to walk into Home Depot to buy new tools, materials, or appliances. Ok, so I will tip-toe around politics when it directly impacts the consumer markets.
Nearly 40% of Americans NEVER unplug from their tech devices. No surprise, these numbers are skewed heavily by young people. 46% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z ers say they never unplug for even two hours. We make our kids do it or it would never happen. (Note: This was a reader-submitted topic idea – thanks for the inspiration, David B.!)
More people are now likely to plug into Netflix after their latest acquisition. Admittedly, I had never heard of publishing house, Millarworld, but the cool kids in my office tell me it’s all the rage among comic book and superhero fans. This looks like a brilliant move, especially after Disney’s announced break-up with Netflix. Our data suggest that action movie fans are relative Netflix laggards and this is exactly the kind of content that could win them over. Reed Hastings and company seem to know what they’re doing over there
Meanwhile, smoking weed is still popular. It’s just that consuming marijuana in other forms is becoming even more popular. Yes, this actually has serious business and market implications in 2017 America. Although 47% of pot consumers still prefer old-fashioned joints, bowls, and bongs, a fast-growing 31% prefer edible forms (See: Consumer Packaged Goods) and another 18% prefer vaporizers (See: High-Tech Gadgets). So…wait…what were we just talking about?
Oh yeah…
Doritos. People love Doritos. In fact, the popularity of Doritos has increased by five full percentage points over the past 20 months. There’s your random stat of the week. See for yourself:
Hoping you’re well.
JD
