Almost 3 in 5 “tablet-committed buyers,” defined as consumers committed to buying a tablet but undecided on a brand, end up buying an iPad, according to a Maritz Research survey released in December 2011. Among this group, which Maritz finds accounting for 44% of the tablet market, one-third makes their decision to buy within 2 weeks of entering the market. The Amazon Kindle Fire (45%) dominates the “low-end buyers” segment, defined as consumers who want to spend less than $250 on their purchase, although 16% end up buying an iPad. According to the report, low-end buyers comprise 22% of the tablet market.
iPad Wins Among Newcomers Too
“Newcomers,” defined as consumers who may know a few tablet brands in the market but do not have a familiarity or affinity towards any one in particular, also tend to choose an iPad. Among this group, which makes up 13% share of the market, 58% prefer or buy an iPad, although they take longer to make a decision to buy, with only 28% purchasing within 2 weeks.
Committed Buyers Skew Male
56% of consumers labeled “tablet-committed buyers” are male, with the average age of the group being 38, and the average household income $72,000. By contrast, 60% of “newcomers” are female, with an average age of 46, including 29% over 55. These consumers have an average household income of $70,000. “Low-end buyers” also skew female (54%), with an average age of 41 and an average household income of $62,000.
The remaining market segment, “single-minded buyers,” defined as individuals keen to buy an Apple tablet, make up 21% of the market. During their purchasing process, these consumers are not thinking of competitors, although they are familiar with 1 or 2 other brands. 78% of this group buys an iPad, and 40% purchase within 2 weeks of realizing they need a tablet. This group also skews female (60%), with an average age of 41.
Committed Buyers Most Influenced by Expert Reviews
According to the poll, committed buyers are the most likely of the tablet consumer segments to read expert reviews (59%) when making their purchase decisions, followed by newcomers and low-end buyers (both at 45%) and single-minded buyers (39%). Conversely, single-minded buyers are the most likely to consider family, friend, and co-workers advice (61%), ahead of committed buyers and newcomers (both at 60%), and low-end buyers (47%).
Browsing, E-commerce Lead All Activities
The leading tablet activities are searching the internet and conducting e-commerce, accounting for almost one-quarter of respondents’ tablet usage. In fact, a November Jumptap survey found that 63% of tablet owners have made a purchase using their device.
According to Maritz, other leading tablet activities include entertainment (21%) and communication (18%). Productivity applications, social networking, and location-based services all hover between 10 and 13% of usage.
Meanwhile, 47% of tablet owners see their laptop usage reduced as a result of their device. A significant proportion also say their desktop (38%) and smartphone (23%) usage declines as a result of their tablet ownership.
Other Findings
- 6.2% of respondents purchased a tablet during the past 3 months while 6.8% of consumers intend to purchase a tablet over the next 3 months.
- Price is a more important purchase decision factor to low-end and newcomer consumers, while brand and 3G/4G connectivity are more influential for single-minded buyers.
- 86% of tablet purchases are incremental, rather than as a replacement for an existing device such as a desktop or laptop computer.
About the Data: Maritz Research’s findings result from interviews with 2,485 consumers, including approximately one-third who have completed a tablet purchase in the last three months and two-thirds who plan on making a tablet purchase in the next three months. Respondents were identified from a national consumer research panel. The data was collected during the week prior to Thanksgiving, with approximate field dates of Nov. 15 – Nov. 21, 2011.
