Understanding the twists and turns consumers take on their path to purchasing electronics is an important step in capturing their attention — and their dollars.
Microsoft (my employer) has a done a great deal of work to understand this journey over the years. And we’ve learned that there are always fresh ways to look at the winding path from first contact to purchase.
In new research that’s especially relevant during this holiday shopping season, we looked at the consumer purchase decision journey for mid-range electronics purchases — things like tablets, smartphones, laptops and TVs.
Here are the questions we were trying to answer:
When on the journey do consumers cross over from cyberspace to the physical world — and vice versa?
Which influencers have the greatest reach and impact on consumers?
Along the journey, where are the pain points? Conversely, which delights along the way resonated most?
And perhaps the biggest question of all: What does a typical purchase path even look like?
We screened a sample of US adults who were technology purchase decision-makers who were looking to purchase a consumer electronics device within the next 30 to 90 days and planning to spend $100 or more.
The study resulted in some important insights. Here’s what we learned:
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