2024
9
US Researching and Buying Technology Devices Consumer Report 2024
2025-02-11T16:04:16+00:00
REPF0EEF7CF_4F08_4C3E_8BBA_CDD93F09BEDF
3695
179433
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Report
en_GB
This Report explores consumer behaviors and marketing trends in the US tech industry. With a strong economy and positive consumer sentiment, larger tech purchases are on the rise. The report…
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  6. US Researching and Buying Technology Devices Consumer Report 2024

US Researching and Buying Technology Devices Consumer Report 2024

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This Report explores consumer behaviors and marketing trends in the US tech industry. With a strong economy and positive consumer sentiment, larger tech purchases are on the rise. The report highlights a high level of technical knowledge among consumers, particularly younger men and ethnic minorities, who often rely on user reviews and social media for information. Indeed, ethnicity and culture also shape consumer behavior, with Black and Hispanic Americans actively engaging with tech brands on social media.

Despite the enthusiasm for tech, two-thirds of consumers find tech purchases overwhelming, with smartphones topping their planned purchases. Younger buyers tend to favor online shopping, while older consumers prefer in-store experiences, valuing knowledgeable sales representatives. In fact, 42% of consumers skip research before buying tech products, underlining the importance of clear, effective messaging.

Finally, the Report also delves into strategies used by tech leaders like Apple and Samsung to connect with audiences, the growing impact of social media marketing, and the use of AR, VR, and AI tools to create personalized experiences. It provides detailed insights into generational differences, shopping preferences, research habits, and brand trends, offering a comprehensive view of the ever-evolving tech market.

This report looks at the following areas:

  • Self-reported level of technical knowledge among consumers
  • Range of technical devices purchased in the past 12 months
  • Range of technical devices planned to purchase in the next 12 months
  • Actions taken when planning a tech purchase
  • Resources utilized to learn about tech devices
  • Preferred resources for learning about tech devices
  • Important purchase factors when shopping for tech devices
  • General attitudes and behaviors regarding the tech device purchase journey

Tech-savvy US tech consumers value personalized, innovative buying experiences. Brands using AR/VR, AI, and social platforms excel in engaging and educating them.

Michael Lloy, Research Analyst

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Market predictions
    • What consumers want & why
    • Opportunities
    • Leverage consumer confidence in tech knowledge
    • Direct online sales conversion through tech education
    • Build trust and engagement through user reviews and social media
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Market context
    • US economy defies odds: inflation drops, job market thrives, and growth holds steady
    • Market drivers
    • The US expanded by 3.1% in Q3 2024
    • Graph 1: quarterly real GDP growth, 2021-24
    • Annual inflation slightly rose in November
    • Graph 2: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-24
    • The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, but job creation rebounded after a sharp downturn in October
    • Graph 3: unemployment rate, 2019-2024
    • Consumer sentiment reached an eight-month high
    • Graph 4: consumer sentiment index, 2022-2024
    • Consumers are generally comfortable with their current financial situation
    • Graph 5: current financial situation, 2024
  3. CONSUMER INSIGHTS

    • Consumer fast facts
    • Consumer technological knowledge
    • Eighty percent of consumers consider themselves knowledgeable about technology
    • Graph 6: consumer technical knowledge, 2024
    • Younger men are most likely to consider themselves very knowledgeable
    • Graph 7: “I am very knowledgeable about technology,” by age and gender, 2024
    • Black and Hispanic Americans have significantly more confidence in their technical skills
    • Graph 8: “I am very knowledgeable about technology,” by race, 2024
    • For Hispanic Americans, perception of technical knowledge is highly correlated with income
    • Graph 9: “I am very knowledgeable about technology,” Hispanic consumers by household income, 2024
    • Dads are the tech leaders in their households
    • Graph 10: “I am very knowledgeable about technology,” moms vs dads, 2024
    • Brands have an opportunity to leverage the tech confidence of fathers to shape marketing in a way that better engages and appeals to them
    • A sizeable minority of consumers rely on others to buy their devices for them, but this skews significantly younger
    • Graph 11: “I rely on someone else to purchase my tech devices, or tell me what to buy” (% agree), by age, 2024
    • Positioning tech as a gift in marketing is often a good way to secure sales
    • Leveraging the consumer learning curve
    • Brands have the opportunity convert consumer research into devices directly into online sales
    • Graph 12: “I prefer to buy tech products online,” by age and gender, 2024
    • To drive online purchases among younger consumers, tech brands need to drive traffic to their digital storefronts during the purchase process
    • Tech brands with high consumer trust can leverage it to convert sales
    • Graph 13: “I trust some tech brands enough that I do little or no research prior to purchasing” (% agree), by age, 2024
    • User reviews are the most common method that consumers learn about tech devices, followed by social brand, and retail presence
    • Graph 14: online resources used to learn about technology, 2024
    • When it comes to preferences, users are clearly finding the most value from reviews, demonstrations, and comparisons
    • Graph 15: preferred social media content for learning about technology, 2024
    • Addressing poor reviews in a light-hearted way can help build trust with consumers
    • Younger consumers are driving social media learning
    • Graph 16: online media resources used to learn about technology, by age, 2024
    • Brands can reach younger women via written reviews and recommendations
    • Graph 17: preference to learn about tech via written reviews and recommendations, by age and gender, 2024
    • Younger men are significantly more likely to pay attention to brands on social media
    • Graph 18: learn about tech from brands on social media, by age and gender, 2024
    • Younger men are also more likely to engage with more “technical” media when learning about devices
    • Graph 19: preferred social media content for learning about technology (select), by age and gender, 2024
    • Alienware commonly releases unboxing content for its gaming hardware
    • Men aged 35-54 are more tech research-averse than other demographics
    • Graph 20: “I don’t like doing a lot of research on tech devices prior to buying them” (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Ethnicity and culture plays a part in how consumers learn about technology
    • Graph 21: online media resources used to learn about technology, by race, 2024
    • Black consumers prefer livestreams, VR experiences and other technical content
    • Graph 22: preferred social media content for learning about technology (select), by race, 2024
    • Tech purchases
    • Two-thirds of consumers find buying tech devices overwhelming
    • Graph 23: buying new tech devices is overwhelming at times (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Eight-in-ten consumers are planning to buy a tech device within the next twelve months
    • Graph 24: plan to purchase in the next year, 2024
    • Consumers over age 55 are less likely to be planning a device purchase
    • Graph 25: plans to purchase in the next year, by age, 2024
    • A first look at the Nintendo Switch 2
    • Knowledgeable store reps can help older consumers with their tech purchases
    • Graph 26: “I prefer to buy tech products in-store,” by age and gender, 2024
    • Despite being more likely to buy online than older consumers, younger men are significantly more likely to enjoy the in-store experience
    • Graph 27: “I enjoy the in-store experience when shopping for tech devices” (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Younger men are also most likely to be combing social media for device listings
    • Graph 28: “I follow/set up alerts for online auctions and social media listings for tech devices” (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Black consumers are significantly more interested in purchasing smartphones, gaming consoles and AR/VR devices in the next year
    • Graph 29: plans to purchase in the next year, by race, 2024
    • Black and Hispanic consumers pay particular attention to the online secondary markets
    • Graph 30: “I follow/set up alerts for online auctions and social media listings for tech devices” (% agree), by race, 2024
    • Planning tech purchases
    • Browsing and price-shopping are among the top behaviors consumers engage in when shopping for tech devices
    • Graph 31: activities done when planning a device purchase, 2024
    • Younger consumers – particularly men – are drawn to the latest tech regardless of cost
    • Graph 32: “I buy new tech devices as soon as I can”, by age and gender, 2024
    • Graph 33: “I often spend more than I anticipated on tech devices”, by age and gender, 2024
    • When targeting younger men with these ads for new devices, diversity is important to keep in mind
    • Graph 34: tech budgeting and purchase attitudes, by race, 2024
    • Younger men are also more likely to buy tech products spontaneously if they see a good deal
    • Graph 35: “I tend to buy tech products spontaneously if I run across a good deal” (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Due to a higher propensity to buy new tech, regardless of budget, younger consumers are also more likely to use BNPL programs
    • Graph 36: “I have used a ‘buy now, pay later’ program to purchase tech devices” (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Conversely, older consumers are more likely to plan their device purchases around a sale, and will wait for such an opportunity
    • Graph 37: tech device plans, by age, 2024
    • Brands can find success targeting women for price promotions
    • Graph 38: compare prices when planning a device purchase, by age and gender, 2024
    • Graph 39: wait for a sale or discount when planning a device purchase, by age and gender, 2024
    • Younger consumers are significantly more likely to check social media when planning a tech purchase
    • Graph 40: check social media when planning a social device, by age, 2024
    • Consumers with higher household incomes are more particular around how they spend their money
    • Graph 41: price-related behaviors when planning a device purchase, by household income, 2024
    • Tech purchase factors
    • Nearly two-thirds of consumers consider tech devices as a status symbol, skewing younger
    • Graph 42: tech devices convey status to others (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
    • Consumers have a slight aversion to purchasing used tech devices, and this often translates into a general willingness to purchase older models
    • Graph 43: preference for new and modern tech devices (% agree), 2024
    • When it comes to tech device purchases, the perception of quality is significantly more important than any other factor
    • Graph 44: factors other than price that are important when shopping for devices, 2024
    • Much of what might be considered brand loyalty is driven by trust and comfortability
    • Graph 45: brand loyalty and upgrade attitudes (% agree), 2024
    • Older consumers are significantly more concerned with quality and ease of use, while younger consumers
    • Graph 46: factors other than price that are important when shopping for devices, by age, 2024
    • Younger consumers are significantly more likely to consider the environment when purchasing tech
    • Graph 47: “I try to buy tech brands/devices that are better for the environment” (% agree), by age, 2024
    • Black consumers are significantly more likely to desire the latest device models
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES

    • Launch activity and innovation
    • Brands are leveraging AR and VR devices in their marketing experiences, promoting both non-tech-related products, but also the devices themselves
    • Tech brands are leveraging AI-powered personalization tools to sell devices
    • Community-Driven Forums and Q&A Platforms are excellent resources for consumers to use during the buying process
    • Tech brands can use educational content to build trust and loyalty
    • Virtual events are transforming brand engagement
    • Marketing and advertising
    • Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are the most widely utilized platforms on a daily basis
    • Graph 48: daily social media usage, by age, 2024
    • In social media posts, brands utilize their platform to educate consumers about their products
    • Brands like Apple use launch events to engage consumers, providing info on newly released products
    • Tech tutorials are an important way brands can maintain relationships with consumers
    • Influencer partnerships are a good way to add legitimacy to your brand for large fanbases
  5. APPENDIX

    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations and terms

Why Choose Mintel?

Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.

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