Captivate Network Office Pulse: Tech Envy

A Report Presented by Captivate Network

January 2012

 

Executive Summary

The Captivate Office Pulse Survey on Technology Envy sought to understand people’s attitudes toward the latest high tech devices, which are devices people have, which they wish they had, how they feel about devices owned by colleagues, friends and family and where they use their devices themselves. The survey of 580 North American white-collar workers found that 73 percent of people identified their smartphones (43 percent), tablets (15 percent), e-readers (8 percent) and HDTVs (7 percent) as their favorite devices. The research also discovered that 30 percent of people reported being “very envious” of the devices their colleagues brought into the workplace.

 

The Most Envious Person

The Captivate Office Pulse was able to identify the most envious people when it comes to technology in the workplace. Researchers found that 60 percent of those with tech envy are working moms more than 30 years old with annual household incomes of less than $125,000 per year. With 40 percent of respondents reporting they regularly see personal technology is use at the office, it isn’t surprising that tech envy occurs.

 

Word of Mouth is a Critical Component of Device Envy

The research found that people love to see and hear about the latest technology – both at home and in the workplace. In fact, the more times that people were exposed to a device, the more they wanted to hear. Researchers found that e-readers are currently generating the most curiosity.

 

The following table illustrates the attitudes of white-collar workers toward the devices they want and their colleagues have:

 

 

Average number of co-workers seen with each device

Very Envious

Want to Hear More

Smart Phone

3.6

24%

29%

Tablet

2.2

39%

39%

E-reader

2.3

36%

59%

HDTV

1.4

11%

11%

 

Things are similar when it comes to technology owned by friends/family. Twenty six percent responded being envious of others’ devices and 39 percent said they would like to see and hear more. The following table illustrates the attitudes of white-collar workers toward the devices their family/friends have and they want:

 

 

Average number of friends/family seen with each device

Very Envious

Want to Hear More

Smart Phone

3.2

22%

33%

Tablet

1.9

34%

43%

E-reader

1.8

33%

52%

HDTV

2.2

13%

26%

 

As shown above, people are exposed to more technology in the workplace –and reported higher levels – than with friends/family. Regardless of location, many people want to learn more about the devices they see others using.

 

It’s Okay to Share

Not only do people love to see and hear about the latest technology, they are also – for the most part – happy to share what they have, letting colleagues take their various devices for a test-drive:

  • Affluent tablet owners (those making more than $100K per year) are happy to let co-workers play with their device with 42 percent reporting sharing their tablet with five or more of their co-workers as compared to just 15 percent of tablet owners making less $100K annually.
  • Women who say the e-reader is their favorite device tend to keep it to themselves with only 36 percent reporting showing it to three or more colleagues.
  • Older smartphone users (those over 30) are more willing then their younger colleagues to let co-workers play with their phones with 41 percent reporting they have shared their phone with three or more colleagues compared with 39 percent of those under thirty.

 

Attitudes Vary According to Age, Income and Gender

Office Pulse researchers set out to determine the overall popularity of various devices.While smartphones are the most popular devices among all groups, there were differences in device preference based on income, age and gender. Affluents, for example, are most fond of tablets, while women like e-readers far more than men. Here is the breakdown of respondents’ favorite technologies:

 

Here is the breakdown of respondents’ favorite technologies:

 

Device

<$100k

>$100k

18-44

>45

Women

Men

Smartphone

43%

45%

48%

33%

43%

45%

Tablet

12%

21%

14%

16%

15%

15%

E-reader

7%

7%

7%

10%

10%

4%

HDTV

9%

4%

4%

13%

6%

9%

 

When it comes to the devices people want, 54 percent identified the following: tablets (32 percent), smartphones (12 percent), e-readers (6 percent) and HDTVs (4 percent). Here is the breakdown of people’s desired devices by income, age and gender:

 

Device

<$100k

>$100k

18-44

>45

Women

Men

Tablet

30%

31%

32%

31%

32%

31%

Smartphone

11%

16%

11%

13%

11%

13%

E-reader

7%

3%

6%

4%

7%

5%

HDTV

4%

4%

4%

4%

3%

6%

 

Usage and Favorite Brands

While there are many areas of similarity in terms of the devices people have and those they want, there are differences in where people use their devices.

 

People use their smartphones anytime, anywhere

Office Pulse researchers found that people who currently own smartphones consider the devices almost like an extension of themselves. There are really no boundaries as to where and when a smartphone is used.

  • Sixty-two percent of respondents said they use their smartphone for business. All respondents (100 percent) use it seven days a week.
  • Smartphone users are very likely to recommend their devices to others, with 80 percent of users saying they’d recommend it to colleagues and 78 percent saying they’d recommend it to family.
  • Seventy three percent of respondents identified iPhone as their most desired smartphone.

 

Here are the top five places people report using their smartphones:

Location

18-30

30+

Office

97%

91%

Living Room

96%

93%

Bedroom

96%

86%

Kitchen/Dining Room

89%

86%

Commute

85%

83%

 

Tablets are Becoming More Mainstream

Researchers found that tablets are gaining more and more traction. While many affluent users have had their tablets for a long period of time, the technology is now gaining a foothold with less affluent users.

  • Researchers found that 66 percent of affluent users have had their iPads for more than six months, while 36 percent of those making less than $100,000 per year have had their iPads for more than six months. This demonstrates that while affluents may be early adopters, the technology is gaining broader traction.
  • Of those making more than $100,000 per year, 82 percent say they’d recommend an iPad to colleagues, and 90 percent to friends and family.
  • iPad was the preferred brand of 80 percent of respondents who reported wanting a tablet.

 

Here are the top five places people report using their tablets:

Location

<$100k

>$100k

Living Room

82%

90%

Bed Room

85%

90%

Kitchen/Dining Room

56%

76%

Commute

51%

45%

Bathroom

39%

45%

 

E-readers are Female-Friendly Technology

Just as women statistically purchase more paper books than men, they are also more interested in e-readers. And like the tablet, this technology is relatively new and gaining traction.

  • Researchers found that 28 percent of respondents just acquired their e-readers over the holiday season.
  • Owners are slightly more likely to recommend an e-reader to friends and family (85 percent) over colleagues (82 percent).
  • Sixty percent of respondents identified the Kindle as their desired e-reader.

 

Here are the top five places people report using their e-reader:

Location

Women

Men

Bed Room

87%

80%

Living Room

80%

90%

Commute

51%

70%

Office

46%

40%

Kitchen/Dining Room

36%

50%

 

HDTV Users are Brand Loyal

While HDTV has been around for several years, users like to have the latest and greatest technology.

  • More than half (51 percent) of HDTV users acquired their TVs in the past 12 months.
  • HDTV users are slightly more willing to recommend the device to their friends and family (74 percent) than to their colleagues (70 percent), demonstrating that this is a technology more discussed at the home.
  • Samsung is the most desired HDTV brand with 25 percent identifying it as the one they desire.

 

Here are the top five places people report using their HDTV:

Location

18-44

45+

Living Room

83%

74%

Bed Room

33%

38%

Office

11%

9%

Kitchen/Dining Room

17%

9%

 

The Captivate Office Pulse continues to demonstrate the influence co-workers have on each other. People love their technology, they carry devices with them, they talk about and share them, want to learn more about them – and this interest, in many cases, begets even greater interest.

 

Additional Resources

An infographic and an press release of the survey findings are available at officepulse.captivate.com. Captivate Office Pulse can be followed on Twitter as well as on Facebook.

 

About The Captivate Office Pulse

Captivate Office Pulse research is designed to offer an empirical glimpse into the white-collar workplace. The Office Pulse is an ongoing research initiative that offers timely analysis and insights that help a variety of audiences – particularly marketers – make better business decisions. This proprietary panel of upscale professionals in the top markets across North America consists of 4,000+ influential consumers and business decision makers. For more information about the Captivate Office Pulse, visit officepulse.captivate.com.

 

Methodology

The research used to develop this study was based on the responses to an online blind panel between December 2011 and January 2012 by 580 people in 14 major metropolitan centers in the US and Canada. Captivate commissioned MarketTools, the leader in software and services for Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) and Market Research, to build and manage the panel across Captivate’s footprint of 1,000+ class A office buildings. The panel, consisting of 4,000+ white-collar professionals, is the source for workplace behavior and advertising communications measurement for dozens of Fortune 500 companies and their agency partners.

 

About Captivate Network

Captivate Network is the leading digital media company reaching millions of on-the-go business professionals throughout the workday across North America. Captivate cuts through the clutter of information overload to provide viewers with content and product messages that are timely, relevant and empower them to balance the personal and professional demands of the workday. Known for its vast network of nearly 10,000 office elevator displays, Captivate continues to expand the delivery of customized, actionable information to a busy, upscale audience via emerging technology platforms. Founded in 1997, Captivate was acquired by Gannett in 2004. For more information visit: www.captivate.com.