Before starting the design, it helps to learn more about the habits of the audience you're trying to target.

The more you know about your target audience, the better you can serve them. What are their habits? When and where are they likely to be the most receptive to your marketing message? Is there another consumer segment that would also welcome your product? Do you have the right product but the wrong sales pitch? Are you missing a great opportunity? As projects get underway, many companies conduct focus groups and other studies to gauge consumer response, which is all well and good. But prior to starting a project, it is often helpful to review trends gathered by trade associations, special interest publications and consumer research groups. Here are 25 factoids we dug up on the web. You can draw your own conclusions about the information or consider it just interesting food for thought.

1. About 90% of the products that children buy or request from parents are chosen by brand or packaging.
2. At supermarkets, 66% of all buying decisions are made after the consumer enters the store.
3. When shopping online, more people will abort their transactions because of shipping costs than for any other reason.
4. 16% of callers who hear on-hold messages make a purchase based on what they hear.
5. 88% of callers prefer messages on-hold to silence or the radio.
6. A 26% increase in single-person households in America is projected between 1995 and 2010, compared to overall household growth of 18%.
7. 58% of Americans who live alone are women; half of those are 65 years old and over; 29% are 75 years and older.
8. In a brand loyalty study of 50 products, soft drinks garnered the highest brand loyalty at 59% and bumble gum commanded the last brand loyalty at 18%.
9. 72% of food shoppers ranked "fresh" as the most desirable claim on a product.
10. When put on-hold, 60% of business callers will hang up if they hear only silence; one-third don't call back.
11. At 10 popular online retail sites, repeat customers spent 57% more than one-time customers.
12. On any given day in the United States about one quarter of the adult population visits a fast-food restaurant.
13. One third of all 6 and 7 year-old children in the US have a TV in their bedroom.
14. On average 45% of products sold in Europe are private label, compared to 25% in the U.S.
15. Two-thirds of women shoppers feel distracted when men accompany them to the grocery store.
16. About 40% (or $3 trillion) of consumer purchases in the U.S. are spent on discretionary products and services.
17. Teens, aged 12 to 17, influence on average $58 per week in grocery purchases totaling over $50 billion per year.
18. 93% of Americans snack; 50% do so two or three times a day; 40% at least four times a day; and 10% five or more times a day.
19. 84% of consumers world-wide buy food-to-go somewhere.
20. The number of elderly (65 and older) has jumped 1100% since 1900.
21. Mother's Day ranks second only to Christmas for gift-giving.
22. 72% of teenagers help prepare at least one meal a week. Of that number, 17% fix the complete meal; 20% do just the main dish; and 31% fix side dishes.
23. 7 in 10 shoppers say that purchasing bottled water is the biggest current food trend.
24. More than 70% of U.S. shoppers say that they read the nutritional content label all or most of the time.
25. 6 in 10 U.S. shoppers find it very difficult to change to a less expensive store brand once they find a national brand they like.