Snapchat fanbase mainly women and under 24s

The app company, founded by Evan Spiegel and Jonathan May, allows users to send photos, videos and text messages to their chosen list of recipients but with a time limit on how long they can be viewed for (between one and 10 seconds). The disappearing photo app has become hugely popular with younger consumers, the ultimate app for the instant generation and, according to Bloomberg, it is now in talks with investors including Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group which may value the company at $10bn.

To identify who these people are sending these hundreds of millions of ‘snaps’, CivicScience’s InsightStore tracked Snapchat use between November 2013 and July 2014 in the US and questioned people on their user experience. It found that 14% of US consumers have used Snapchat with 7% saying they love it.

Focusing on those who were obvious fans of the app ( 1,221 of the 18,670 consumers studied) it found that fans are most likely to be 24 years old and under; 69% were women compared with 31% men. Snapchat fans were also 25% more likely than the general population to have household incomes of less that $25K and they are more likely to be still living with their parents.

Social media is a massive influence on this group of people compared with the wider population — they are heavy Instagram users, their choice of movie and TV watching, as well as music choice, is greatly influenced by their friends and social media.

From an advertising and brand perspective the fans are 59% more likely to be influenced by comments or recommendations on social media than by TV or online ads. Among the brands that are most popular among Snapchat users are Urban Outfitters, Hollister, Beats by Dre, H&M and J. Crew.

Given the nature of the app business it is not surprising that Snapchat users are tech-savvy: they are more likely to own a smartphone, tablet and e-reader than the general population.