Releases consumer insights.
GfK has revealed the findings of its first HomeView study on the PC market with the laptop and desktop markets combining to generate over $1.6 billion in revenue and registering year-on-year value growth of 4% for the PC market in 2017. Last week, GfK confirmed the launch of its HomeView service in Australia to provide tactical share information and strategic insights for the technology and consumer durables industries.
What is happening now? Who were the winners and why did consumers choose to buy one PC over another? The recently launched GfK HomeView study aims to answer these questions and more by speaking to a large sample of actual PC buyers, it allows GfK to provide insight into the consumer purchase journey and why they make the decisions they do.
One of the first things to understand is why consumers are entering the market. This will help determine which influences and triggers are important for each consumer.
From the GfK HomeView study, 38% of recent laptop buyers stated that they were looking for an upgrade, while another 32% were after a replacement. Following that, getting an additional PC or buying one as a gift for someone else were the main drivers of purchase for laptop/2-in-1 PCs.
After understanding why consumers are entering the market, we can focus on what has been influencing them, whether that be in-store, online or through word of mouth or traditional media. Online and ins-store influences rank the highest, with staff members being the most influential in-store touchpoint and Google searches ranking highest online.
Lenovo laptop (Photo Credit: Kate Disher-Quill)
What are consumers purchasing? Form factors for PCs are changing. From the GfK HomeView service, 30% of consumers purchased a 2-in-1 PC in quarter 1, 2018. Nearly half of those consumers had changed from a standard laptop to a 2-in-1, while another third of them were from desktops or all-in-one PCs. Attributes like design/style, being innovative and cool/trendy all ranked significantly higher in importance for 2-in-1 buyers.
PCs are used for different tasks. One important usage is for gaming. Gaming consumers skew towards younger males and they purchase much more premium PCs. 57% of consumers who stated they use their PC for gaming at least 20% of the time spent $1300 or more on their new PC, compared to just 35% for non-gamers. The brands purchased and retailers visited also varied, with custom built PCs taking a greater share for gamers.
Looking to the future, the intention to purchase a PC remains high. Smartphones and TVs are the only other digital devices to rank higher for intention to purchase in the next 6 months. The GfK HomeView study remains in field constantly and will be able to track and measure these consumers and how they change over time.
HomeView is available for TV, refrigerator, washing machines, and PCs. For more information, please contact apac@gfk.com.