Perhaps one of the best ways to improve a connected device or service would be through customer feedback. But what if customers weren’t telling the manufacturers about the issues with the devices? This is the reality for many, according to a new survey.
The Memfault survey sought to understand consumer spending, use, and experiences with their connected devices such as fitness trackers, media devices, health monitors, GPS, and entertainment devices, just to name a few—not including smartphones. It surveyed 800 users aged 25-55 in the United States.
Here is what it found. One of the more startling statistics is that one in four users would abandon the brand or device rather than complain about slowness, poor battery life, and connectivity loss. Even more, 72% of users are only “somewhat likely” or would not complain to the device manufacturer. Additionally, 44% of users experience crashes, poor performance, and glitches. These glitches include:
- Slow or bad connectivity: 21.5%
- Lost connectivity: 28.7%
- Battery issues: 31%
- Don’t trust the data from their device: 10%
- Bad user interface: 9%
What does this all mean? Nearly half are experiencing issues, but many won’t report the issue, and many will also abandon the device if there is an issue with it. I guess this explains why landfills are filled with these devices that consumers throw away. And it also points out the observability gap. Makes me really wonder if companies seek customer feedback and whether that feedback even matters today?
This information comes at an interesting time. The Deloitte connected consumer survey 2023 identified interesting trends in the market today. Three-quarters of survey respondents believe their connected devices have a positive impact on their lives, enhancing convenience, comfort, enjoyment, and safety.
However, the report also suggests there is a rise of consumer concerns around digital fatigue, well-being, and data privacy and security. According to the connected consumer survey 2023, 41% of consumers revealed they dislike managing their devices, which includes things like updating software, handling security, or fixing problems. Also, 28% said they’re overwhelmed by the devices and subscriptions they need to manage. Naturally, the older generations are feeling more overwhelmed than the younger generations.
Consumers are, thus, trying to balance the right amount of technology in their lives. With 21 average household devices, consumers have begun to feel frustrated by the complexity of managing their digital lives. All in all, the connected consumer survey report suggests consumers have embraced virtual experiences for the long term, but they are also continuing to streamline their household devices and slowing device purchases.
The reality is we have seen a rise in connected devices from manufacturing and healthcare to consumer electronics in the last two decades. It is not nearly the number of devices that were initially predicted back in 2010—but that is another story for my podcast over on Substack.
The truth is the growth of connected devices will only continue if manufacturers are able to continuously monitor and improve the user experience. One of the best ways to do that is through customer feedback. Have you determined if your product is meeting customers’ needs? Are there glitches that are causing customers to abandon ship? Does the product fill a gap in the industry? Perhaps now is the time to begin asking these questions, in order to deliver better products tomorrow.Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #digitaltransformation #green #ecosystem #environmental #circularworld #connecteddevice