This report examines the UK consumers relationship with technology, covering consumer attitudes, demands and behaviours, and how future technology market trends will impact consumers’ lifestyles. The report also provides an analysis market dynamics, including macro-economic, social and environmental factors impacting the future of tech in the UK.
Key Issues Analysed in this Report:
- The impact of the cost of living on the future of technology
- Analysis of the market background affecting developments of new technologies
- Launch activity and innovation of brands operating in the technology space
- Consumer use of current and emerging technologies
- Consumer attitudes towards future technologies, concern over AI and expectations of future tech developments
UK Consumers and Technology
Consumer confidence continues to be fragile, but it has been trending upwards since late 2022. While some tech products such as smartphones have become near essentials, the adoption of new technologies with high early price points will require strong financial confidence. Longer term, the deflationary nature of technology will feed into higher uptake of more powerful devices opening up possibilities for the category further in the next decade.
Future of Tech – Innovations and Market Trends
The rapid pace of technological evolution can cause consumers to be sceptical or resistant to change. Whilst younger consumers are typically more open to the adoption of new technology, there is concern over the efficacy of new tech and the increasing prominence of AI amongst the general population. This will mean brands using AI will have to prove that the technology can work in the interests of consumers.
Despite this concern, there will be strong long term opportunities for brands to help offer consumers practical and personalised assistance, with AI becoming more contextualised and personal. On device AI will be able to play a role in delivering greater utility in consumers lives’, from managing schedules, productivity and eventually as a useful intelligent assistant.
Purchase the full UK Future of Technology Market Report for further analysis and consumer insights. Readers of this report may also be interested in Mintel’s UK Digital Lives of Consumers Market Report.Â
Technology Market Definitions
For the purposes of this report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
Extended Reality (XR): Extended Reality refers to virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies.
The metaverse: The definition of a metaverse is difficult to pin down and is hotly debated. It is typically regarded as a ‘persistent virtual world’. The ‘persistent’ part is important because it means a virtual space that can be accessed at any time by different people, and one that doesn’t disappear when you stop accessing it as is the case with traditional video games, for example. Metaverses can be accessed via virtual reality, augmented reality and devices such as smartphones and tablets. The ‘metaverse’ is not a single thing; rather, a number of different metaverses exist simultaneously.
Meet The Expert
This report is written by Mintel’s Senior Technology and Leisure Analyst, Joe Birch. Joe has over a decade’s experience in the market research industry as a research analyst and report writer. He joined Mintel in 2019 after a number of years as a research manager at a boutique consultancy, servicing B2B, Financial services and public sector clients.
AI will bring a new era of smart assistants, while driving innovation in markets including gaming, payments, virtual reality, spatial computing and even neurotech.
Joe Birch
Senior Technology and Leisure Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the technology market
- Brands will battle to win the next digital interface
- Neurotechnology and brain machine interfaces will be a key focus area for big tech
- Context is everything – the age of personalised AI will unleash new active digital companions and opportunities for brands
- Market dynamics
- Increase in availability of super fast mobile and broadband networks will continue to rise
- Government legislates to protect online harms and boost AI innovation
- What consumers want and why
- As ultrafast networks grow, so too will the foundation of next generation consumer technologies
- Graph 1: use of and interest in new technologies, 2024
- AI familiarity builds amongst consumers
- Graph 2: knowledge of AI, 2023 and 2024
- Mobile will still be king in ten years, younger consumers expect
- Graph 3: atttitudes towards the future of technology, 2024
- Health is a key area consumers see technology influencing for the better
- Proving AI’s capabilities in real use cases can help build trust and familiarity
- Graph 4: attitudes towards generative AI chatbots, 2024
- AI can drive productivity and creativity gains for consumers
- Launch activity and innovation
- AI’s influence will be felt across hardware and software applications
- Major tech companies refine and expand their AI offerring
- Meta goes earlier and cheaper than Apple in headset battleground
- Neurotech companies develop processes to aid those with disabilities and depression
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Market Dynamics
- Market background
- Increase in availability of super fast, mobile and broadband networks reported in 2023
- Strong ownership and annual releases of major technology products have driven innovation
- Graph 5: household ownership of technology, 2024
- Graph 6: personal ownership of technology, 2024
- Generative AI will play a key role in driving digital experiences including voice control
- Gamers are already seeing potential in the use of AI to drive innovation in the sector
- AI and wireless technologies will drive the smart home environment
- Smartphones push AI capabilities for photos and productivity
- Samsung focuses on AI to enhance user experience on phones
- Game on: the new way to game will be in the cloud
- Meta is banking on the long-term as metaverse hype stalls
- Graph 7: Google searches for the word “metaverse”, 2021-24
- Macro-economic factors
- Consumer sentiment has improved but continues to vary by housing situation
- Graph 8: financial confidence index, 2019-24
- Inflation declines but high prices remain a concern for consumers
- Graph 9: CPI inflation, 2019-24
- Despite the wider trend of rising prices, many technology categories are deflationary
- Graph 10: consumer price change, technology related products, 2018-24
- Regulatory environment
- Online safety bill becomes law
- UK government sets out pro-AI innovation legislation
- Fears over AI’s role in the employment market remain
- A lack of regulation may see a rise in litigation claims
- Automated Vehicles Act becomes law in 2024
- Social and environmental factors
- Mobile speeds and data use continue to rise
- Graph 11: mobile data traffic by technology, 2020-23
- Graph 12: average monthly data volume by mobile user, 2014-22
- Ultra fast networks will become commonplace in the next ten years
- Graph 13: average fixed broadband data use per month in GB, 2013-23
- VR and AR will require greater broadband speeds and data allowances
- VR headsets have not yet achieved widespread adoption with interest still focused on gaming
- AI, UHD content and gaming will further drive data and energy use
- Product durability will be a key selling point in brands sustainable efforts
- Graph 14: consumer expectations of technology brands’ sustainable activities, 2023
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Use of new technologies
- As ultrafast networks grow, so too will the foundation of next generation consumer technologies
- Graph 15: use of and interest in new technologies, 2024
- Significant organic potential in take up of super-fast broadband networks
- New tech adoption will be driven by younger audiences
- Demonstrable upsides of new tech can resonate with older consumers
- Graph 16: interest in specific technologies, by generation, 2024
- Focus on the use case rather than technical details of new technologies to cut through
- Consumers and AI
- AI familiarity builds amongst consumers
- Graph 17: knowledge of AI, 2023 and 2024
- Awareness of AI is particularly strong amongst younger men
- Graph 18: knowledge of AI by age and gender, 2024
- Nearly all consumers have some concerns over AI’s increasing prominence
- Safety and benefits of AI need to be promoted as consumer familiarity grows
- Graph 19: concerns over AI’s impact, 2023 and 2024
- Concern over AI can lead to mistrust in its ability
- Future technology and consumer convenience
- Consumers expect fundamental changes to financial transactions
- Graph 20: attitudes towards the future of technology in the next ten years, 2024
- Consumers are yet to be convinced the driverless car revolution is coming down the road
- Taking the strain: AI can deliver productivity and administrative support
- Graph 21: attitudes towards technology in the next ten years, 2024
- AI will usher in a new age of convenience and utility for consumers
- AI will join the dots to provide guided advice for wellness
- Graph 22: attitudes towards the future of technology, 2024
- Tech to aid convenience will be a value driver for brands
- Attitudes towards the future of technology
- Mobile will still be king in ten years, though wearables will gain more traction
- Graph 23: attitudes towards the future of technology, 2024
- Put usability and convenience at the heart of immersive tech propositions
- Iterative updates to VR/AR headsets will increase their appeal long-term
- The next ten years will see ambient technology develop
- Graph 24: attitudes towards the future of technology, 2024
- Technology will continue to push leisure opportunities
- Brain control – the next touchless interface
- Generative AI
- AI can drive productivity and creativity gains for consumers
- Graph 25: uses of generative AI, 2024
- AI chatbot interest spans multiple categories
- Position AI as an empowering tool for those without the creative technical skills
- There is scepticism across all age groups about the reliability of chatbots
- Proving AI’s capabilities in real use cases can help build trust and familiarity
- Graph 26: attitudes towards generative AI chatbots, 2024
- Dove campaign highlights potential problems in growing use of generative AI
- The age of AI can help breakdown mental health taboos
- Graph 27: attitudes towards AI chatbots, by age and gender, 2024
- Deliver holistic wellness via a super-app
- Graph 28: interest in types of generative AI chatbots for advice, by repertoire of AI chatbots interested in 2024
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- ChatGPT4o model lets people interact with voice, text and image
- Apple announces Apple Intelligence and a Siri makeover
- Apple showcases new functionality at its WWDC in 2024
- Google reaches for the stars with Project Astra
- AI can help preserve and shape the future
- AI hardware looks to screenless future and to replace apps
- AI is being engineered into everyday applications
- Meta goes earlier and cheaper than Apple in headset battleground
- Meta primes its full holographic glasses and neural wristband prototypes
- Apple enters the XR market with Vision Pro
- Apple Vision Pro launches for pre-order in the UK from July 2024
- Apple sees headset as the dawn of spatial computing
- Lightweight headsets can overcome usability issues
- The future of search may have knock on effects for publishers and small businesses
- Google reassuring over ads as AI plays a growing role in online search
- Neurotechnology will aid those with cognitive disabilities
- Neurotech companies develop processes to aid those with disabilities and depression
- Brain chips and neural interfaces will one day unlock the power of thought
- Companionship robots to aid those living with dementia and needing care
- LG hopes to take the weight off household chores with smart agents
- Sensors, clothing and screenless tech will help wearables evolve
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definitions
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
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