San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 25, 2014 -- Next generation product developers and marketers must not forget the rich experiences people receive from their “old gen” product relationships. Although homes are filling with digital possessions, people still crave the touch, smell and immersive experience they get from their analog predecessor.
“Given that so much in our lives in now available in digital form, MindSwarms wanted to explore those products and objects which people purposefully choose to keep non-digital. The idea was to help better understand consumer preferences when it comes to technology development,” says Ryan Brill, Senior Project Manager at MindSwarms.
Video and detailed report from the study available for free download on the blog.
The study uncovered that people resist the digital form of the things they value most in their lives. Beyond human relationships, those in the study provided a varied list of items that they hope will never become completely digital.
Implications:
- Although few people resist the idea of digital relationships, many express great frustration with the “digitization” of customer service relationships.
- When it comes to people’s crafts, there is often a nostalgia and quality perception associated with the more labor-intensive products/processes of the past.
- Consumers crave product experiences that involve the senses: the smell of a book, the look of the old vinyl record covers and the act of crossing off the days on the paper calendar.
- There is a comfort and safety benefit that comes from the physical versus digital form of some products.
- Companies must continue to balance efficiency with personalization to be perceived as a quality customer service provider.
- Today’s product development teams must be aware of consumers’ evolving perceptions about what defines quality and cognizant that “new” doesn’t always mean better.
- Digital products must continue to create bonds with consumers, even with the absence of some sense experiences available through the more traditional, non-digital versions.
- Further, consumers trust in “virtual” security related products is still shaky and must be a considered messaging point in product communications.
Contact
Kalara Schuster
VP of Sales and Marketing
MindSwarms Inc
kalara(at)mindswarms(dot)com
Kalara Schuster, MindSwarms, http://www.mindswarms.com, +1 (415) 865-0441, [email protected]
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