A recent CNET Group Survey of over 3,700 consumers has revealed that 76% of people now wait until an upgrade feels “worth the cost”, before investing. 

The findings suggest that tech companies are having to do more to justify new releases and upgraded products to address user scepticism and ennui toward incremental upgrades.

Consumers priorities appear to be changing.

Substance over Style 

Consumers have become dubious of version releases and small tweaks, and are prioritising value for money ahead of being seen with the most recent innovation. 

As consumers grow cautious about spending, the focus is increasingly shifting towards dependable performance – technology which is “built to last” has overtaken “new and innovative’” releases, the report finds. 

With this in mind, the survey found that 34% of consumers are delaying discretionary purchases and 76% are refusing to upgrade until new features feel worth the cost. 

However, this behaviour does not reflect a reduced reliance on technology, with average screen times reaching a concerning 7.5 hours daily for the British public, according to the survey. 

Despite this reliance on technology, consumers are failing to see the correlation between the cost of an upgrade and its perceived additional value.

When people do decide to upgrade, their motivations tend to be driven by practical improvements.

The number one reason mobile phone users upgraded was for improved battery life (42%), laptop users prioritised battery life and faster processing (72%), whilst TV users prioritised better picture quality (72%) or larger screen size (37%). 

These features represent essential elements of everyday device performance, rather than novel feature upgrades. 

Consumer Driven Market

These changing priorities are reshaping the wider tech market and influencing how consumers approach purchasing decisions; with increased caution. 

Buyers are turning to what they deem as trusted sources of information before committing to high value purchases. 

Technology users (81%) are relying on authentic human reviews, external to the manufacturer and distributor to educate themselves about products, with 72% of consumers reporting they are spending just as much, or more, time researching purchases than they used to. 

Consumers today undertake significant research before committing to a high value purchase, with 1 in 2 incorporating AI for fact finding and analysis. However, 44% said they corroborated AI findings with their own further research probing for reassurance. 

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Consumer scepticism is well grounded. A study by Which? of AI chatbots’ ability to analyse and provide data, including of product reviews, showed that the tools had a tendency to make continual factual errors. Information provided was often incomplete or misleading, therefore consumers should be critical of their findings.  

This cautious approach is influencing where consumers look for value for money. 

Nearly half (48%) will consider used or tried and tested, refurbished tech before purchasing new tech.

With this in mind, tech companies may need to rethink their investments, shifting development to longevity, robustness and reliability, over additional features and value add components.