According to one estimate, movers spend approximately $9,000 per move, Hitwise tells us. Those expenses include directly relevant costs like transportation, storage and moving supplies, but it also things like furniture, home renovations and landscaping. Movers are not only a high-​spending segment, they are also in a transitional stage which makes them more open to finding useful services and developing new brand loyalties.

In the Movers Audience Analysis Report, Hitwise provides key behaviors that marketers can anticipate and use to advertise to those planning moves.

"Hitwise estimates that 4.9 million Americans were actively coordinating a move in the first half of 2017, which equates to nearly 10 million people in a year. Women are more likely than men to be in the driver’s seat of a move, and people aged 35 to 44 are the most likely age group to be moving. Those with a college degree and those with household incomes of $100,000+ are also more likely than average to move," John Fetto wrote.

"Whether moving across town or across the country, Hitwise found that cities in the South and West are more likely to be home to movers. Topping the list is Austin, where residents are 67% more likely than average to be moving. Austin has a strong population of college students, which likely drives up this index up."

"Companies with local branches, like retailers, banks or storage facilities, may want to localize marketing efforts to win over people who are moving from, or within, these neighborhoods."

Marketers have enormous opportunities to target adults who are New to the Market. The new AudienceSCAN research revealed social media as an effective way to reach shoppers who are moving. 40% of those who are New to the Market took action after seeing ads on social networks.

"When we break down the types of websites movers visit, it’s no surprise that they’re 2.8 times more likely than average to visit Utility sites, given that most of them will need to open new power and cable contracts. In fact, movers may be more at risk to join the “cord-​cutter” movement, opting to get their video content from streaming sources rather than cable or satellite. In fact, movers are 2.2 times more likely than average to conduct searches that include “watch online.”

"They’re also 2.6 times more likely to visit local Government sites where they can learn more about local services, and over twice as likely to visit Health Insurance sites. Major life events are also strongly tied to home moves: this group is 2.4 times more likely to visit Wedding sites and 2.1 times more likely to visit Baby sites.”

Indeed, the latest AudienceSCAN survey showed 10% of those New to the Market plan to buy baby/​nursery furniture through the next 12 months.

"A new home creates lots of reasons to shop. In fact, movers are more likely to visit every single top 500 online retail site than the average person. Top websites where movers can be found in the highest concentrations include home furnishing sites like West Elm, Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel."

"The most common product searches for movers are not entirely dissimilar from the population at large, although movers are even more likely to search for them. For instance, one in 833 Americans searched for Sonos during the first six months of the year, while one in 323 movers conducted the same search (meaning they are 2.6 times more likely to search for the high-​end speakers). Home goods naturally top this list, but movers are also likely to search for fitness trackers, e‑readers and even engagement rings."

Advertisers can show up in these searches with sponsored placements. The latest AudienceSCAN data shows 64% of those New to the Market took action based on sponsored search results (like on Google, Yahoo or Bing) in the past year.

"Movers are more than three times as likely to search for home-​related searches like “how to remove popcorn ceilings,” “how to clean grout” and “how to paint a room.” They’re also over twice as likely to search for job-​related how-to’s such as “how to negotiate a salary,” “how to accept a job offer” and “how to ask for a raise.”

In fact, the recent AudienceSCAN study found 27% of those New to the Market set personal goals to get new jobs within the next 12 months.

"Marketers attempting to reach movers might add some of these searches to their paid search campaigns. For instance, a real estate company or mortgage lender could target people who search for “how to accept a job offer” with branding campaigns featuring a message such as “You got the job! Let us find your new home!” These types of searches could be less competitive (and less costly) to bid on than more directly-​related real estate searches like “mortgage calculator” or “houses in Dallas.”

"Once the move is complete, movers start getting to know their neighborhood. One common way they do that is by conducting “near me” searches. In fact, movers are 88% more likely than average to conduct a search with the phrase “near me.” Aside from the moving-​related searches (storage units near me, apartments near me, etc.), movers are noticeably more likely to search for food options and food delivery (see numbers in blue)."

Advertisers can be there for these "near me" searches! The latest research from the AudienceSCAN study found 59% of those New to the Market took action after seeing internet banner ads.

"Oftentimes, brands spend a lot of money buying expensive targeted lists in order to reach movers. But by sponsoring online ads for search variations like these, marketers can get a head-​start on the competition and connect with new move-​ins before they even get the key to their mailbox. For instance, Whole Foods could offer searchers for “delivery near me” with $100 in free groceries as a “welcome to the neighborhood” campaign."

AudienceSCAN data is available as part of a subscription to AdMall for Agencies, or with the SalesFuel API. Media companies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.