The Challenge of Making an Interesting Wireless Device a "Must Have"

Understanding consumers' needs as well as mindsets - then reflecting these in product and service offerings - has always been challenging for the technology industry. The need to introduce new technologies ahead of the competition, and the overall pressure to keep moving forward, can often trump careful consideration of what consumers will actually make room for in their lives. Recent Ipsos Insight research underlines the need to assess not only consumers' interest in new technologies but also what it will take for their interest to translate into actual purchasing behaviors.

Ipsos Insight recently surveyed over 1,000 online adults on their awareness, use, and interest regarding a range of specific "wireless device-application" combinations, focusing primarily on notebook PCs and mobile phones. By design, these wireless device-application combinations emphasized newer and emerging features and options. The research shows that various new and emerging wireless applications have caught the attention of American consumers. However, many consumers will seriously consider these emerging wireless applications only if they are compelling enough to break through device and communications overload, as well as budgetary constraints.

Several Wireless Applications Look Interesting to American Consumers...

Respondents were asked whether they had used each of the applications in the last 30 days, and whether they would seriously consider using each in the future. Their "future consideration" was spread fairly broadly across web connectivity, communications, and content applications, and across the PC and mobile device platforms (see Figure 1).

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Neither the PC nor the mobile phone dominated consideration of these emerging wireless applications. The most popular options were WiFi web surfing on a notebook PC and emailing or instant messaging on a mobile phone. Also, while future consideration was higher than past-30-day use for all of these fairly new or emerging applications, untapped interest was particularly high for GPS applications on mobile devices.

Of these findings, we can note that the range of wireless options being considered suggests sustained interest in multiple devices that connect to the web, and potentially to each other. The notion of many consumers flocking to just one converged device is receding steadily, for two reasons at least. The first is that many devices claiming "all-in-one" benefits have been quite complicated to learn and have not excelled at any of the functions they contained. The second, related reason is that several more focused devices (e.g, Razr, iPod, Blackberry) have proven very successful.

So more and more, it appears that web connectivity and interoperability of specialized devices is what's attractive. That said, experimentation around "sweet-spot" or all-in-one feature combinations - like the iPhone that Apple finally confirmed - will continue. And of course, we'll continue to find distinct segments of consumers who vary in terms of application and platform preferences and combinations.

... But They Must Convince Consumers They Won't Contribute to Technology and Budget Overload

As cool as a device may seem to them, most consumers won't buy it if it's going to add hassle or clutter to their lives, or if it's going to break their budget. When respondents were asked what they see as barriers to considering specific wireless device-application combinations for which they reported low consideration, they tended to mention issues of "overload" and lack of perceived need/desire for the application, concerns about costs (both direct and indirect), and uncertainty about whether the benefits would be worth the learning or behavior change involved (see Figure 2).

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Tech marketers can choose to view this as good news, bad news, or possibly both. Regardless of the specific technology application, we tend to see these barriers time and time again. There is some sequencing involved - only if I perceive enough of a tangible need or benefit do I bother to learn about the costs involved in acquiring that benefit. Likewise, only if I've explored the explicit costs will I bother to assess whether there are any hidden or "hassle" costs I need to factor into my thinking. A reminder for us as marketers and researchers (we all know this, of course) is that much of this "consideration-and-barrier-assessment-dance" is unconscious for most consumers.

Increasingly, we're seeing barriers cluster around "overload" issues more than around what we call "performance uncertainty" concerns. Questions about whether a technology will work as advertised are fading in some contexts - now, it's more about whether a technology will fit into our lives - and potentially make our lives simpler - and whether the value it represents is worth the monetary and learning costs it comes with. A key point for us (and our clients) is that the "moment of truth" about consideration vs. rejection of a new technology device or application may be happening earlier than in the past - given the relentless pressures on consumer attention multiplied by the profusion of new technologies and applications.

Easy Setup and Integration Into Consumers' Lives Remains Key

With consumers indicating they're willing to consider a number of wireless devices in their lives, not just one "all-in-one" device, it's crucial for technology manufacturers to ensure (1) straightforward interoperability of their device with other devices, as well as Internet connectivity, and (2) a minimum of set-up, operational, and "learning" issues. For any trickiness that does remain, setting up solid and responsive customer support services is key. We have to realize that consumers' willingness to adopt a more technology-filled lifestyle comes with an expectation: don't add to my already busy and confusing schedule - subtract from the hassle factor! Technologies that consider this expectation will be better poised to make it past the "worth it" hurdle and into the lives of consumers.