Many consumers face challenges when using smart devices, but brand is key factor in selection
About 83 per cent of consumers report problems when it comes to using smart high tech devices such as smart watches, wearable fitness monitors, and smart home thermostats, according to research from Accenture.
Apple Watch
While 21 per cent of consumers said that smart devices are “too complicated to use,” 19 per cent said “set-up did not proceed properly” with another 19 per cent saying “did not work as advertised.”
The research shows what consumer sentiment is like towards smart devices as Apple unveils its Apple Watch at its “Spring Forward” event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Sami Luukkonen, managing director for Accenture’s electronics and high tech group, said: “For these new connected device categories, high tech companies need to go back to the drawing board and rethink their product development approaches to focus on the entire customer experience,” adding that companies should no longer focus on product feature differentiation but rather holistic, digital experience differentiation.
Respondents to the survey showed modest purchase intentions over the next year across newer high tech device categories, with purchase intent more robust over a longer-term period.
For example, 12 per cent of consumers plan to buy a smart watch within one year, but within five years 41 per cent plan to do so.
The report states that positive feeling about a company’s brand is a key selection criterion when consumers purchase new devices, and is the top criteria when selecting a new smartphone.
The survey, part of Accenture’s “Engaging the Digital Consumer in the New Connected World,” was conducted online from October 2014 to November 2014 with 24,000 consumers in 24 countries.