Support Services Drive Retail and Telecom Purchasing Behaviour of US and UK Consumers

New consumer research results released today by international research organization, Research Now, and Radialpoint, the leading provider of white-label Connected Home support and consumer services, sheds new light on how consumers decide where to spend their consumer electronics dollars.

With Back-to-School (combined college and K-12) consumer electronics (CE) spending reaching $70 billion¹, and 2011 Holiday CE shopping predicted to reach $200 billion², in the US and in the UK, knowledge of consumer purchasing behaviour provides companies with valuable insight as to the factors that attract consumer choice.

“This study proves what our customers today know: that support services can drive market share and consumer brand preference,” said Michael Wexler, Radialpoint’s VP Business Development and Product Strategy. “Today’s savvy consumer wants to make sure they are able to get the most out of their new purchase. Whether that’s set-up, installation, warranty, protection or ongoing management, consumers will choose companies who can support their new technology products and services, end-to-end. Working with Radialpoint, consumer technology brands can build an integrated support experience and dramatically impact their ability to differentiate, add value and drive market share.”

The results of the research strongly indicate that technology brands can drive market share, increase revenue and deliver a strong brand preference as consumer brand selection is strongly influenced by support services. The major findings of the survey include:

• 77% of respondents would be more likely to purchase their consumer electronics or connection services from a company that offers support services, verses one that does not
• 83% of respondents have a very or somewhat favourable opinion of technology brands that offer support services
• 83% of the respondents who intend to purchase a CE product within 6 months, indicate that support services is a determining factor in where they purchase the products

There has long been a belief among consumer technology brands that creating and delivering a support experience for the end-user will translate back to the bottom line. Traditionally companies have approached support as a means to cut costs or improve operational efficiency. These survey results point to a bold new approach for support: as leverage to drive consumer purchase and market share for core business.

“Our customers know how important support services are, and now we are asking businesses to consider how hard their current solution is working for them. This is a strong message to Retailers, PC OEMs, MSO’s and Telco’s, who are figuring out new ways to compete,” concluded Wexler.

About the Research

The research was carried out by Research Now between August 9 and August 12, 2011. The results in this release are from a representative sample of 2000 consumer electronics users in the US and UK aged 18 and above.

About Radialpoint

Radialpoint helps large consumer technology brands realize their share of the growing revenue potential of the Connected Home. Our Connected Home Services solutions generate revenue and deepen customer relationships by simplifying technology and solving end-user frustrations. We bring a partner-led platform-based SaaS solution to market that combines our customers’ assets and 3^rd party services with our strategic and operational expertise to deliver end-to-end, monetized premium services. Some of the world’s most successful service providers, OEM’s and retailers are powered by Radialpoint generating nearly $1B in revenues to date, and growing. Radialpoint is headquartered in Montreal, Canada with offices in the United States and Europe. For more information, visit www.radialpoint.com.

@Radialpoint

¹ National Retail Federation, July 2011 and LE Cost of a Child survey 2011

² National Retail Federation, July 2011, Verdict Research, December 2010