What Will Wireless Consumers Want Next?
By Joseph B. Porus
Attempting to understand the wireless consumer is a lot like trying to grasp the
workings of the teenage brain. Once you think you have it figured out, the picture changes and new hypotheses are required. The purpose of this article is to provide you with the latest thinking from wireless consumers. Hopefully, it will allow
you to refine your understanding (and associated marketing plans) to capture a larger share of this ever-changing market. All of the data in this article were analyzed by Harris Interactive at CTIA’s request. The survey was conducted online
in January 2006 among more than 1,000 adults over the age of 18 who reside in the U.S.
A Short Celebration…
Before we launch into your ”to do” list and get your blood pressure up – it might be good for all of us to take a collective bow on just how far we have come! Today, 52 percent of wireless users in the U.S. believe that wireless technology has drastically improved their ability to communicate, and 27 percent believe that having a cell phone is a social necessity! Pretty impressive numbers for a relatively new industry! In fact, the only thing more impressive than these present results is the projections for the future. Today, nearly one quarter (22 percent) of wireless users consider wireless to be their primary means of communications; one-third (32 percent) anticipate wireless will dominate their future communications needs. In fact, wireless users believe that the cell phone is moving beyond communication. One in four (26 percent) anticipates that wireless devices will become as much an entertainment device as a communication device! News like this should bring shivers down the spine of marketers in every corner of 3G land. And while you are revising those forecasts, did you realize that one-third (33
percent) of adults who do not yet have cell phones anticipate using wireless service within a year? Certainly the future looks bright with continued growth from new subscribers and inflated ARPUs from entertainment hungry wireless veterans. Now before you print more order forms please consider…
Consumer Signals for Caution…
Consumers might be adopting wireless technology at unparalleled rates, but it’s no
time to rest on our laurels. Customer satisfaction scores indicate relatively “average” marks for telecommunications services. Wireless is in the middle of the telecom pack, with a satisfaction mark of 7.7 percent out of 10. This compares to 8.1 for traditional wired telephone service and 7.1 for upstart VoIP telephony. These results indicate that there is room for improvement and invite companies to
explore what customers are interested in.
