Retail, economy and the power of the single American

I’ve been sensing an uptick in ads for matchmaking services lately, from lots of satellite radio spots for It’s Just Lunch to the recent free-communication weekend offered by the online site eHarmony.com.

Shopping for a single-person household can be tricky.

That prompted some thought about the single-consumer market in general, for all sorts of goods and services beyond the quest for romance.  In a nation whose politicians and merchants revere “the family,” the solo household has long been overlooked as a target market. 

But demographics are changing and the time might be ripe for a look at how companies and industries you cover — from real estate to restaurants to health care — are tailoring products and services for the one-person home.

So, with National Singles Week starting Sept. 16, why not take a look at the economy of unmarried adults?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s historical housing tables, only 7.7 percent of Americans lived alone in 1940.  In 2010, that figure was 26.7 percent.  This detailed 2010 census report shows that male householders living alone were up 18 percent from 2000 to 2010, while female live-aloners were up 12 percent in the same period.

Solo households are becoming an attractive market for consumer goods and services; check out the following facts from a CNNMoney/Fortune article:

“(Singles) spend more discretionary dollars than their married counterparts. Their average per capita annual expenditure was $34,471 in 2010, according to the federal Consumer Expenditure survey, compared with $28,017 for married individuals without kids and $23,179 per person in the highest-spending families with children.

It’s a simple but powerful equation: Increasing numbers of singletons, combined with high income, equal rising economic clout. Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that consumption by U.S. singles contributes $1.9 trillion to the economy annually.”

Eating a late lunch. Photo of Helga Weber by Helga Weber

Time reports that in many urban areas, childless women under age 30 are outearning men in their peer group. AdWeek has taken note, too; here’s their look at one-person households. Companies from real estate brokers to home improvement stores are recognizing the above and creating marketing pitches geared toward non-coupled people; even diamond titan DeBeers is marketing rings to women who want to treat themselves.  Check with manufacturers or service companies in your region; are they doing anything different to appeal to tap the pocketbooks of singles?

In addition to reflecting singles in advertising, one area that seems fruitful is changes in packaging.  As I poked around, it became evident that goods makers, particularly manufacturers of food and other perishables, are striving to accommodate solos with smaller serving sizes, shelf-stable items and other waste-prevention tactics. 

Check out this industry publication, FoodProductionDaily.com, for example, that describes a two-compartment package for meat; the consumer can open one side while the other side remains sealed to keep the second portion fresh for another day.  And here’s a blog post from the Private Label Marketing Association that echoes other articles on the trend.  If you have food-production companies, or distributors, or grocery chains or any other edibles industries in your area, asking about their marketing-to-singles strategy could produce interesting and informative behind-the scenes features.

Other features on the live-aloner topic could include handyman & concierge services, house-sitting, cruise and travel options for solo tourists, home health care services (some accounts say 45 percent of senior citizens live alone), security and monitoring services catering to solo residents, single living communities and even mobile apps.

And of course, dating services and matchmaking sites are a perennial favorite; buck the Valentine’s Day peg and profile the industry now as hopeful singles cast their nets ahead of the holiday social season where dates are in demand.  There’s a service for every niche, from religion to age range to EcoDaters (wonder how they feel about all of that single-serve packaging) to vegetarian singles to 40PlusGreenSingles to hearing-impaired singles to pet lovers.