New national study by New American Dimensions and the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce identifies important characteristics about the estimated $50 billion African immigrant consumer market in the United States.
May 7, 2009 (Los Angeles, California) – African immigrants are a distinct and multifaceted group that is growing in number in the U.S. These consumers prioritize connections to friends and family in their native countries and cling to native traditions, including food, music, and entertainment. Insights into the African immigrant experience in the U.S. come from an exciting new study by Los Angeles-based multicultural research firm New American Dimensions in conjunction with The African Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Bruce Corrie, The Minneapolis Foundation and Aguilar Productions. Based on focus groups in Los Angeles, New York City and Minneapolis and a survey of 393 African immigrant adults in California, Minnesota, Washington D.C. and New York, this study captures unique insights into this highly educated and successful group. The study is complemented by a video snapshot, which brings cultural insights to life through African immigrant voices.
Highlights of the study, which are available at www.newamericandimensions.com and www.usafricanchamber.org include:
- The African immigrant consumer market in the U.S. is a unique market segment that is largely untapped. Within this market, there is an underserved Islamic market segment with its own distinct perceptions, preferences and needs. Marketers have an opportunity to deliver culturally appropriate products to this sub-segment, especially in the food and beverage and finance categories.
- African immigrants tend to shop for products recommended by family and friends. Supermarkets lead the list of stores patronized by African immigrants. Discount stores and low-end department stores are the top shopping venues for clothes and accessories.
- Most African immigrants have their own checking and savings accounts and about two-thirds have credit cards. They also tend to have auto and medical insurance.
- Email and international calls are heavily used for keeping in touch. Younger Africans are also social networkers.
- African immigrants spend more hours watching English language media than African language media, probably due to availability of in-language options. Younger immigrants are high consumers of English-language movies. Overall, CNN tops the list of favorite English-language TV channels, followed by ABC, Fox and NBC. Yahoo and Facebook top the list of favorite websites.
- Most African immigrants own a personal computer and a DVD player. Almost all Africans interviewed own cell phones.
· African respondents emphasized the need to give back to their community. Most send money to relatives back home on a regular basis.
"There are over 1.4 million Africans living in the U.S. and these consumers possess very high educational attainment and incomes. Additionally, this is a segment with a powerful sense of identity and pride in being African”, said David Morse, President and CEO of New American Dimensions, a firm which provides customized multicultural consumer research.
“USACC is the leading advocate organization for African businesses and entrepreneurs. This is a growing consumer segment within the multicultural market – one that cannot be overlooked”, said Martin Mohammed, President of the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce.
This study was commissioned by Martin Mohammed of the African Chamber of Commerce and led by David Morse and his team at New American Dimensions of Los Angeles and Dr. Bruce Corrie, Dean of the College of Business and Organizational Leadership at Concordia University, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Minneapolis Foundation was the major funder of the study. Minneapolis-based Aguilar Productions is the major promoter of the study.
About New American Dimensions
New American Dimensions (NAD) is a multicultural marketing consulting, research, and trends company based in Los Angeles, California. Its aim is to be nothing less than a rich resource of actionable marketing intelligence for its clients–helping them shape effective strategies leading to greater success by capturing the rapidly expanding markets of U.S. ethnic consumers and emerging youth markets. David Morse, NAD President & CEO, presented highlights of this study on April 28 at Aguilar Productions’ 5th Annual Multicultural Marketing Conference in Minneapolis.
About the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce
The United States African Chamber of Commerce is the leading organization for African Entrepreneurship and exists to promote African Economic Development within the United States and abroad. The organization works toward four primary goals:
- National representation for African immigrants in the U.S.
- Linking the work of African chambers and trade organizations across the United States and creating local access to economic development services for African immigrants
- The development of current and accurate market information on Africans in the United States
- Promoting International Business and Trade with Africa
For more information on the study, to receive a copy of the detailed report, or to arrange an interview, please contact Sharmila Fowler at 630.839.9425, sfowler@newamericandimensions.com or Martin Mohammed at 202.465.0778, martin@usafricanchamber.com.