According to the Consumer Technology Association, Americans may spend a record $537 billion on consumer technology this year alone. That includes everything from mobile devices to gaming consoles, apps, software, and more — but some of those purchases will likely have a bigger impact on your daily life than others.
Smartphones and other related mobile devices have become essential in so many parts of life, and today, they are staying in people’s hands longer than ever.
“Consumers rely on their phones for their communications, social connections, entertainment, transportation, payments, and so much more,” said Avi Greengart, President and Lead Analyst at Techsponential. “Over just the past five years, consumers are keeping their phones nearly a year longer than they did in the past. They want to know that they’re buying something that can last for four or more years, that the software will get updates, and if they do manage to break the phone, that it can be fixed nearby, properly, and quickly.”
As the lifespan of these devices grows, it’s no surprise consumers have started to approach device shopping more like a long-term investment — assessing the device’s value over time, taking into account the cost of maintenance as well as reliability and customer support in the years to come.
Consumers today are also considering much more than what a mobile device looks like on the store shelf, or a retailer’s website. A Salesforce survey found 80% of customers now say the experience a company provides is just as important as the product or service itself.
As these behavioral shifts unfolded, some mobile device brands have been investing heavily in the development of comprehensive customer experiences for their users that go far beyond the purchase date, to support the full lifecycle of their products.
A good example of this is Samsung Care, Samsung’s customer care service. Samsung has prioritized developing a user-first mobile experience that goes beyond the initial sale and continues the entire customer journey.
This kind of investment is paying off in the eyes of consumers.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is recognized as the nation’s leading authority on customer satisfaction and has been tracking the quality of U.S. products and services as gauged by consumers for more than 25 years. In this year’s ACSI survey, Samsung Care was a top choice for customer satisfaction, service quality, and ease of arranging service.
In a competitive market, mobile brands investing in long-term, comprehensive experiences are finding the widely held notion that what leads to success in business holds true for your smartphone too: it’s not just about selling a product, it’s about building a relationship. For Samsung Care that’s included developing a network of hundreds of mobile service vans and walk-in service locations offering in-person repairs to more than 80% of the U.S. Their customer care offering also includes 860+ repair locations and 2,500 certified technicians completing walk-in repairs within two hours for 90% of customers.
Of course, consumer behaviors and mobile device experiences evolve at a rapid pace, and every change has the potential to make a big impact. But as preferences shift, it’s clear in the world of mobile devices, just like in life, it’s the long-term relationships that really matter.
