JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, has found although 65 percent of U.S. consumers prefer to carry a single device, 39 percent are willing to carry two devices and 18 percent are willing to carry up to three. Devices that do not fit into this first three device eco system will be left behind. As a result, vendors must be certain their device maps into the consumer “rule of three.” In an effort to focus on this trend and assist businesses in understanding consumer adoption of new mobile platforms, JupiterResearch is expanding its coverage areas to include Mobile Devices – an extension of its long established Personal Technologies research.
The first report “The Mobile Rule of Three – And Why Vendors Must Not Be Mobile Device Number Four” focuses on the array of mobile devices being marketed to U.S. consumers. The report details that although a multitude of products exist, consumers will simply not carry them all.
“Conventional wisdom holds that most consumers prefer to carry only a single device and that wisdom is correct, although it only tells a partial story,” explained Michael Gartenberg, Vice President and lead analyst of the report for JupiterResearch. “Consumers are more than willing to carry more than one device and expressed these preferences even when each of the standalone devices offered a non-compromised experience and the converged devices compromised on key features such as screen size, form factor, and/or battery life.”
Five years ago, mobile devices were easy to classify. Phones were for talking, cameras were for taking pictures, and media players were for listening to music. A new class of converged devices raises the question of consumer preference to carry a single device vs. multiples standalone devices. Despite consumer preference for a single device, consumers are actually willing to carry multiple devices as circumstances dictate. In fact, the curve for what consumers will carry is a not a linear curve downward starting with one as might be expected, but actually a bell curve balanced between one and three devices.
“While it appears that there’s a contradiction in terms of what consumers will carry and what they prefer to carry, we don’t believe the two are at odds with each other. Rather, we are reaching a point where consumers will own and carry multiple devices based on context, always tending to carry the fewest devices possible at any given time but no less than needed and no more than three,” said David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch and lead analyst with the Digital Home team. “By expanding our research offerings, we will be able to provide guidance based directly upon consumer behavior and emerging trends.”
For additional information on this report or JupiterResearch’s Mobile Device research service, visit www.jupiterresearch.com.
About JupiterResearch
JupiterResearch provides unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on their business. The company helps online businesses make critical decisions about technology selection, spending, staffing, and Web site effectiveness; advises consumer-facing companies with online advertising, marketing, and customer service strategies to understand, attract, convert and retain customers; and guides technology vendors and service providers on market opportunity, positioning, product definition, and pricing. JupiterResearch is headquartered in New York City and has offices throughout the US and Europe. For more information, visit www.jupiterresearch.com.
