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If you’ve driven a vehicle in the past few months, then you’ve most likely had to stop by your local gas station. And, if you’ve filled up the tank while you were there, then you’ve probably experienced the sensation of the corners of your mouth forming a smile as the price for a tank of gas of has been lower than usual for quite some time. With that said, has the consistent drop in gas prices done more than just make us smile? Has it enticed consumers to go back to the gas-guzzling, high-powered vehicles of the past? According to a recent Experian Automotive analysis, the answer is no. Despite the drop in gas prices, fuel-efficiency remains top of mind for most consumers. So much in fact, that more than 55 percent of all new vehicle sales through the third quarter of 2014 had four-cylinder engines. The next closest engine type was the six-cylinder, which made up nearly 30 percent of all new sales. What’s intriguing is that this gap has continued to widen since 2008. To download the full report: http://ex.pn/1x0r5q5 Furthermore, vehicles with four-cylinder engines made up 35 percent of all vehicles on the road, compared with six-cylinder engines, which made up 39.2 percent. While the more powerful engine has a larger share of vehicles on the road, the gap between the two has steadily decrease since 2009, when six-cylinder engines made up 41.4 percent, and four-cylinder engines made up only 29.9 percent. Other findings from the report include: • The total number of vehicles on the road grew by 5.8 million from a year ago, mainly due to an increase in new vehicle sales and low scrappage rates • More than 26 percent of all light duty vehicles on the road are model year 2010 or newer • The average age of vehicles on the road (15-year rolling age) is 7.4, down from 7.5 in the third quarter of 2013 • The Southern region saw the highest volume of new and used vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2014, followed by the Midwest, West and Northeast • Entry-level CUVs (cross-over utility vehicles) remained the top vehicle segment among new registrations through Q3 2014, while full-sized pickup trucks reclaimed the second spot after trailing small-economy cars through the first half of the year • Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota were the top three brands for new vehicles sales in the third quarter of 2014 • Ford (20.7 percent), International (17.1 percent) and Freightliner (15.8 percent) have the highest share of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on the road

New research from Experian finds that nearly a third of all Americans use at least one type of smart or connected device; 14 percent of homes are smart homes.  Experian Marketing Services published a new report today that tracks the recent rise and growing interest among consumers for connected devices and smart home products. A complimentary copy of the report, The Internet of Things: Opportunities through the rise in smart devices, can be downloaded here: http://ex.pn/1r0TJVp. The report found that consumer interest in three connected device categories has shown significant growth in recent years, with no signs of stopping. In fact, according to the report, nearly a third of all Americans use at least one type of connected device. Further, at least 14 percent of U.S. households are smart homes and have a connected home device such as connected lights, locks, thermostats, or electrical outlets, among others. Experian Marketing Services predicts that the smart home device category will see the most growth during the 2014 holiday season. Since the beginning of November 2014, interest in leading smart home devices has increased 54 percent.  Percentage of growth in online search data since 2011 Percentage of growth in online search data during 2014 Holiday season Smart watches & fitness trackers 80% 45% Smart home devices 31% 54% Smart television devices 16% 47% Source: Experian Marketing Services  “The rapidly growing trend of the Internet of Things manifested itself during the 2013 holiday season through the popularity of connected fitness trackers, but this year it is all about the emergence of smart home devices,” said John Fetto, senior analyst, marketing and research, Experian Marketing Services. “In fact, as smart home devices graduate from their niche darling status and become adopted and valued by a wider audience, we’re seeing greater recognition of leading category brands like Nest. In return, the growing familiarity with these leading brands is helping to drive awareness for the category overall.” Top 10 hottest smart home device products 4 weeks ending December 6, 2014 Rank Search term Share of top branded search terms 1 Nest thermostat 21% 2 Dropcam 12% 3 ADT Pulse 5% 4 Philips Hue 5% 5 Nest Dropcam 4% 6 Dropcam Pro 2% 7 Wemo 2% 8 Nest Protect 2% 9 Hue lights 2% 10 Drop cam 2% Source: Experian Marketing Services According to Experian Marketing Services, the consumers that are helping to push connected devices into the mainstream are a key segment to engage. Smart or connected device users, versus non-users, are generally younger, college educated and affluent. They are also more likely to be male, racially and ethnically diverse, and have kids at home. Further, users are highly connected, both technologically and socially, to their favorite devices and brands. Overall, they are more than twice as likely than the average U.S. consumer to access social media from different devices, to follow their favorite companies or brands on social media and be connected to the Internet at all times. The report also found that smart device users like to stand out in a crowd, are health conscious, driven to succeed and have a taste for the finer things. “As everyday things get smarter, consumers will grow more reliant on those things to process information and designated tasks autonomously. They will also allow consumers to ‘unglue’ their attention from computer, tablet and smartphone screens,” added Fetto. “While marketers may think there is still plenty of time before they need to address this nascent trend, or feel it won’t fundamentally impact their business, the rapid rate of growth in consumer interest strongly suggests that connected devices will be commonplace before marketers know it.” To download the entire report, please visit: http://ex.pn/1r0TJVp. 

Black Friday has come and gone, and the holiday shopping season is in full swing. This year, retailers and economic experts alike have high hopes for robust spending and a needed economic boost. And so far the results look promising. On Cyber Monday, alone, the top online retail sites registered 242 million visits, followed closely by Black Friday’s 228 million visits. And according to a new survey from Experian Consumer Services, 36 percent of consumers plan to spend more on gifts this year than they did in 2013. At Experian, everything we do is about putting insights into action. This entails formulating and analyzing insights that can help both consumers and businesses alike. We sat down with two of Experian’s leading experts, one from the consumer side of the business and another from our marketing services business, to find out more about the key trends that will define this holiday shopping season. Guy Abramo, President, Experian Consumer Services and Matt Seeley, President, North America, Experian Marketing Services share their thoughts and insights below: Q: What kinds of shopping and spending patterns are you expecting to see this holiday season? Guy: We conduct consumer holiday shopping research to identify how people plan to make their purchases. Respondents report they plan to spend more than last year and fewer are using a budget. At Experian, we want people to better understand credit, so we commission meaningful research, and our findings can help people make more informed credit decisions. Matt: This holiday season, consumer economic sentiment is strong, according to data and insights from Experian’s Consumer Expectation Index (CEI). We’re also seeing consumers doing more of their shopping online, whether on a computer, tablet or right from their phone. This year, marketers are beginning to respond to this more receptive audience by ramping up their cross-channel marketing campaigns – and more importantly, making them personal. Ninety-one percent of global marketers will use email in their 2014 holiday marketing campaigns, and 40 percent of online adults will make a purchase because of a promotional email. But the companies that are really seeing results are those that are using personalization – adjusting messaging based on the customer’s purchases, demographics or preferences. Today’s consumer is more demanding than ever before. They want a consistent experience across channels, whenever and wherever they prefer, tailored to their unique desires. Compared to standard trigger mailings – emails in response to a customer’s actions or based on an event in his or her life – those that use personalization achieve a 147 percent increase in transaction rates. Q: What does this mean for consumers – and retailers – when the lights and tinsel come down in January? Matt: Well, for retailers and marketers it doesn’t have to mean anything different. Personalization is especially important during the holidays as consumers try to cut through an increasing volume of communication, but it’s critical all year round. This holiday season is a great reminder of how important it is to create meaningful connections with customers. Guy: And for consumers, a happy New Year requires smart celebrations in December. People have a tendency to overspend in December, only to feel overwhelmed in January when it’s time to pay their credit cards statements. We want all consumers to live credit confident and that means avoiding the temptation to throw away good spending behaviors, and instead, setting realistic, specific budgets and sticking to them. Q: So why does this data matter and where does Experian fit in? Guy: At Experian, we transform all this information on shopping habits and spending patterns into insights and advice that consumers and businesses can actually use. We provide data, but more importantly, we use this data to help consumers make better credit decisions. We’re helping shoppers protect their credit information, set sensible budgets and avoid potentially detrimental spending decisions that could put a dent in their credit scores. Matt: The holiday season is crunch time for our clients. Not doing well during the holidays could make or break a retailer’s business. That’s where our expertise in data comes in. We work with retailers to draw meaningful insights from their own data and third party data, like data from Experian Marketing Services that provides them with a complete picture of how their customers think, and what they do in a multichannel world during the holiday season.  Further, our technology allows retailers to use that insight in real-time so they can tailor offers and messages in the moment that it matters most. This results in improved connections and engagement throughout the calendar year, and builds critical trust among consumers. Guy: Data is at the core of our business. We’re using that data for good to help Americans live credit confident and move both businesses and individuals forward. This holiday season, consumer confidence is up, and marketers are making meaningful connections with their customers. Additionally, a majority of Americans this year plan to charge their purchases on either a major credit card (48 percent) or a store credit card (22 percent), and another 17 percent plan to open a store credit card to purchase a holiday gift. And yet, only 38 percent plan to make a budget. The credit economy empowers consumers and gives them the means to fully enjoy this season and make meaningful purchases, but it’s important to make smart credit decisions.   From everyone at Experian, we wish you a credit confident holiday season!