Most college students love the latest electronic gadget
and many will be in the market for something new this holiday season. A new report
on retail technology trends found most buyers like shopping both online and in-store
and aren’t that interested in wearable tech yet.
Purch, an online publishing company, surveyed more than 3,000 “tech
enthusiasts” to track consumer-technology buying trends and identify top
brands. It found that 74% of respondents planned to shop both online and in
stores for their tech purchases, while just 4% said they would limit their
shopping to traditional bricks-and-mortar locations.
Smartphones, laptops, and tablets were the top product
categories. Half of the respondents said they would buy a Samsung product,
followed by Asus (40%), Microsoft (38%), and Apple (28%). Fewer than 10% of the
respondents said they would consider a smartwatch (9%) or fitness device (8%).
The report found that tech consumers relied on product
reviews (86%) and articles by experts (74%) to help them make their buying
decisions. Social media (18%) and advertising (12%) were at the bottom of the
sources list.
“Consumers
value a multichannel shopping environment and they look to product reviews and
expert content to guide their purchase decisions,” said Purch CEO Greg Mason.
“You can’t deny the authority and influences these resources have on technology
enthusiasts in particular.”
