Chocolate Brides Just The Facts Women of color generate nearly 1 trillion dollars in consumer spending and another 230 billion as entrepreneurs. More than 600,000 brides of color are married each year. Another reason to tap into the potential of the African American market is the high degree of home ownership (43%) and education level, which links directly to earning potential (23% of African Americans hold a bachelor’s degree) The average cost of a wedding is projected to climb 17.8% from its 2005 mark to $31,400 by 2010. In particular, the African American segment up an increasingly greater percentage of the market and will formulate a formidable buying power that industry cannot ignore. In 2006, at least 27% of weddings in the United States involve couples of mixed or non-white descent Black women internet users are more heavily influenced by online information about the products they buy than white women internet users, suggests a research report based an online survey of over 1,700 women. Nearly 65% of African American respondents to the survey said that frequently or almost always visit the website of a product when deciding to purchase it, compared with 58% of white respondents. 16% of African American respondents said their favorite websites have a major influence on purchase decisions, versus 12% of white respondents.
Sources: The Wedding Report , 2005 ; The Multicultural Economy, 2005 ; America’s Minority Buying Power; Selig Center for Economic Growth, 2005 ; Target Market News, 2003 ; Association of Bridal Consultants 2003 The online habits of women of color according to the 2005 NiaOnline Research Monitor distributed by NiaPulse, the multicultural online research panel created by Nia Enterprises, LLC: