Working with some of today’s most exciting brands give us a holistic view of their digital transformation projects, from concept to delivery. In supporting both technical experts and marketers, we are given privileged insight into their challenges and goals. We wanted to further understand what consumers are saying and doing with the technologies currently available to them.
“Is Technology Developing Too Fast for Consumers? What does this mean for my business?” is a piece of research we commissioned that uncovers some real frustrations about how devices work and how buying behaviour is transforming the retail landscape.
The buying journey
Of those responding, 87 percent have looked for information about something they wanted to buy in the last 12 months, making researching the most likely online activity for respondents to have done in the last year. Consumers might not only be researching online something that they want to buy, they may also look at products or services before going to make a purchase in store.
Perhaps the most startling finding is how the experience or service available on some devices is still not good enough to allow consumers to feel confident about using another device apart from their PC. Nearly all (97 percent) still use their PCs to buy online and over half (57 percent) of consumers are completely satisfied with their PC or laptop, making these longest serving device the most satisfying in the report. Although this demonstrates that the PC is not dead, it’s predicted it won’t be long before the PC or laptop is no longer the main piece of technology used. A larger screen still plays a part in the decision to use it for so many purchases which is influencing the drive for technology companies to develop tablets and smartphones with bigger screen sizes.
Following the PC or laptop, 76 percent use a tablet when buying items online, followed by 59 percent with a smartphone, 58 percent with wearable tech, 36 percent with a smart TV, 32 percent with an eReader and 28% with a games console.
Post-purchase, even though the majority of respondents have bought something online, it is only 31 percent who have made a recommendation in the last 12 months. The question to ask is are benefits of giving that recommendation clear enough? What’s the value exchange?
But the good news is sharing is much more prolific – about 7 out of every 10 respondents who have shared in the last 12 months say that they share more online now - with smartphone availability and popularity of social media platforms enabling this action.
Frustrations with newer devices
Wearables are now a crucial buying platform, something that marketers and developers are well aware of. Owners are using wearables for the pre-purchase (66 percent), purchase (58 percent) and post-purchase (58 percent) stages, yet they appear to be the most challenging of devices, with 44 percent of consumers becoming irritated with them nearly three times a week, and only 29-37 percent say that wearables are extremely useful. A tiny 4-6 percent of those who don’t currently own a wearable device think it would be extremely useful, suggesting there’s still a long way to convince the mass audience of its appeal and that it’s very much a ‘try before you buy’ purchase.
The wide range of ever-changing devices is exciting and challenging for marketers and this piece of research highlights how the customer and not the technology must be placed at the heart of the digital experiences they create. This should start with the best customer journey possible, the best content for each point in that journey, backed up by the right technology infrastructure to support the execution and the ability to analyse the outcomes and improve the cycle.
By Maria McCann, Senior Marketing Manager at Acquia.
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