Digital Journal — In the age where gadgets are unveiled every day, and instruction manuals are reaching textbook proportions, it’s not surprising that many people are confused about technology. Add a dose of scepticism, and the average consumer is left to question what exactly a product will do to enhance a digital lifestyle.
According to a recent Canadian survey from PR agency Cohn & Wolfe, more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of respondents couldn’t even guess at the definition of “digital home” and less than one in four believe the tech industry has done an effective job explaining that concept. I don’t blame them.
For the record, Intel defines a “digital home” as a home where every computer and device — from notebook to camera to TV — is wirelessly linked through a PC.
There are many reasons why consumers feel inundated and uneasy about technology. And despite marketing jargon such as “Easy to install!” and “Live wirelessly at home!” education on this issue is in its infancy. Companies can exclamation-mark all they want, but they’re failing to simplify what may be the future of home media.
So, if consumer electronics revenue is truly raking in $5 billion annually in Canada, are consumers simply buying gear without understanding its use? All signs point to “yes.”
The recent survey reveals that half of respondents said they delayed an electronics purchase due to confusion. The majority (66 per cent) also gave manufacturers a mediocre grade in clearly communicating products’ benefits to consumers.
“Manufacturers have the opportunity, and arguably the need, to better educate Canadians about how their products can make consumers’ lives simpler and more entertaining,” says David Morelli, vice-president of technology practice at Cohn & Wolfe.
Even learning how to work an iPod requires simplified instruction, considering how widespread MP3 player use has become. I remember hearing stories about people who didn’t know if they could record voice on their players, or even how to create a simple playlist. I could only tell them to read the manual, but information overload only irritates people.
The Digital Journal staff is the same: As product reviewers, we consider ourselves to be fairly technically inclined, so if we have to refer to a user manual to find the “on” button, we won’t even touch the gadget.
What tech companies need to learn is that products will sell themselves if detail on a product’s structure and ability is comprehensible. Forget the specs inflating most marketing messages — give the consumer strong reasons to invest time and money into a gadget.
Morelli prescribes several strategies all parties can employ to make the consumer electronics game easier. First, he says manufacturers shouldn’t be “rushing to get married with consumers before going through the courtship of educating them about the digital home.” He would like to see companies explain the benefits of a network, for example, before diving into the facts and figures.
Second, retailers can put inquisitive buyers into a home-theatre fantasy by recreating a digital home in store. “They can talk about home theatres all they want but they also need to make a consumer’s light bulb go off,” he says.
Finally, he recommends consumers ask questions to learn what they want about a device’s benefits. “A digital home is getting simpler to implement,” says Morelli, “and all the elements are there.”
Except one: Trust.
According to the survey, more than twice as many Canadians said they’d be more influenced by a journalist’s product review than by an advertisement. What, people don’t trust ads? If journalists act as effective filters, then companies should reconsider publicity campaigns that focus solely on brazen branding rather than media wooing.
If current trends are any indication, the gadgets will continue to flood the market with even more features to cloud core functions. Simplicity may be a pipe dream that consumers fervently desire and companies merely ignore.
