Carpool(+) Club: 4/12/09

n. A big-spending traveler; a person who travels to shop. [Blend of transient andconsumer.]

Example Citations:

Feeling somewhat abandoned by tight-fisted Australian consumers, Myer's dynamic duo Bill Wavish and Bernie Brooks have gone in search of a far more appealing demographic — the transumers.

For the uninitiated, a transumer is a consumer in transit; somebody who spends up big while waiting around an airport for a connecting flight, or while enjoying a night in a foreign city during a travel stopover. —Rebecca Urban, Two out of three ain't bad but leaves Biota short, The Australian, July 22, 2008

The essential question for Transumers — as they've been dubbed by trend watchers — is why be anywhere when you can be somewhere else?

Also, why bother shopping anywhere but on the way? —Judy Gerstel, 'Transumers' buy on the fly, The Toronto Star, March 3, 2007

Earliest Citation:

The wide acceptance of BA's name will prompt it and other airlines to move on from franchising routes to franchising others parts of their business, such as ground handling services. Harrison predicts that BA will develop a 'transumer' brand, stretching the brand to other forms of transport, such as rail services, or even to other sectors of industry. —"Keeping up appearances," Airline Business, October 1, 1996

Notes:

Another sense of the term "transumer" is being shopped around by social network types, and it seems to refer to a person who uses a social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook to graze information and join groups of like-minded people. Here's a press release that outlines the "six key personalities or types" that apparently make social networks so much fun:

Recent data release by The UK report — MySpace08 identifies the six key personalities or types of social networker; ranging from the business minded, the uber creative to the more traditional user.

—Netrepreneurs — Spearheading the Culturpreneurism movement, they use social networking sites for the sole purpose of generating income.

—Connectors — Revel in passing on links, if they see something you'll like they'll pass it on to you.

—Transumers — Vital part of social networks — the grazers of content and networks rather than creators. They are the people who follow the lead of others and join groups connected to things they like doing, bulking up numbers, buying products and attending events.

—Collaborators — Believe in 'people power' and use social networking sites to create events, ideas and activities by collaborating with other people.

—Scene Breakers — Early adopters who use social networking sites to discover and be part of new and emerging scenes, movements and individuals.

—Essentialists — The vast majority of users use social networking sites to stay in touch with friends and family. —Darain Faraz, "MYSPACE.COM Announces Australia's Top 10 Cyber Celebrities," MediaNet Press Release Wire, April 4, 2008