MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Military service members and veterans are increasingly seeking out military discounts when they shop online and are more likely to become long-term customers of brands that offer them, respondent to a newly released survey conducted by ID.me, the next generation identity platform, concluded.
Military discounts shape the online shopping habits of veterans and active duty service members, who go out of their way to find brands that acknowledge and reward service in the armed forces, according to the ID.me survey, that polled 6,377 military veterans and 2,013 active service members.
“Veterans connect with brands that honor their military service,” said Blake Hall, the founder of ID.me and a former Army Ranger. “Now that online retailers don’t have to worry about non-veterans trying to take advantage of these discounts, more brands should offer veterans’ discounts. These discounts are an important tool for connecting with and keeping customers.”
ID.me's identity platform provides identity proofing, authentication, and group affiliation verification for retail, automotive, telecommunication, government, healthcare, financial services and other organizations.
With Veterans Day approaching, ID.me surveyed nearly 8,500 active and former members of the military about their online shopping habits, and found:
- 95% of those surveyed say they spend time searching for exclusive military discounts before making a purchase online;
- 90% say they will choose to make a purchase with a retailer that offers an exclusive military discount over a retailer that doesn’t, and 96% say they are more likely to be loyal and return to a retailer that offers an exclusive military discount over and over;
- 95% of those surveyed perceive brands who offer military discounts as patriotic and/or caring about veterans;
- 89% feel honored to receive such a discount;
- 97% of respondents said they took advantage of a military discount in the last year, with more than half having redeemed discounts at least once every other month;
- 93% of veterans and 90% of active service members surveyed planned to take advantage of special military discounts this upcoming Veterans Day; and
- 56% say they search for military discounts most or all of the time.
Survey respondents highlighted brands such as Ford and Under Armour, among others, as brands who effectively engage and market to the military community:
- Under Armour founded UA Freedom in 2010 to help raise awareness about the challenges combat veterans face and hosts events to help the military community stay fit. The retailer sells branded UA Freedom gear that athletes can wear to show their support and gratitude to the U.S. military. In addition to these community building activities, Under Armour honors service members and veterans with a 10% discount year-round and has been known to increase further for special occasions such as Veterans Day.
- Ford has saluted U.S. service members ever since Henry T. Ford started hiring disabled military veterans returning from World War I. The Ford Motor Company Fund has provided nearly $11 million to veteran organizations since 1974, and Ford employs nearly 6,000 veterans, as well as hundreds of active military personnel, reservists and guardsmen. Ford further honors military veterans with an exclusive Ford rebate when purchasing new vehicles from the company.
The military community is an important customer segment – often overlooked by marketers. Encompassing active duty service members, reserves, veterans, spouses, and immediate families, they represent 47 million Americans and boast a whopping $1.4 trillion in purchasing power.
"I founded ID.me after observing a Veteran display his DD-214 separation paperwork, which listed all of his sensitive personal information, just to prove his military service to an organization. There had to be a better way," CEO Blake Hall said.
"Seven years later, we have credentialed over half the active duty community and millions of veterans into a secure and privacy-enhancing digital ID that gives our members control over their information. Once a member of the military verifies their military affiliation with ID.me, they never have to do it again across any organization where ID.me is integrated,” Hall said. “We are proud to be able to partner with great brands like Ford and Under Armour in recognizing our military and veterans."
For a comprehensive list of brands offering military discounts this Veterans Day and year-round, visit shop.id.me/military. The survey results infographic can be found at https://go.id.me/2QlyV9j.
About ID.me
ID.me is simplifying how individuals prove and share their identity online. ID.me's next-generation identity platform provides identity proofing, authentication, and group affiliation verification for organization across sectors - retail, automotive, telecommunication, government, healthcare, financial services, and more.
Our technology enables retailers to verify in real-time customer eligibility for exclusive gated discounts – while preventing fraudulent attempts and abuse. We verify the identity and group affiliation of customers against the industry’s most comprehensive and authoritative data sources. Our verification process simplifies the customer experience and increases conversion rates: once a user has verified their identity with ID.me, they never have to re-verify again anywhere that ID.me is integrated.
ID.me’s technology is used by more than 8 million individuals and 200 organizations, including leading brands such as Fanatics, Under Armour, LinkedIn, Lenovo, Ford, and SeaWorld. For more information, visit www.ID.me.
