[August 25, 2015]

For US Shoppers, Style Plays a Big Role in Tech Purchases

When it comes to tech shopping, the many US consumers are swayed by looks. A recent GfK study has discovered that 30% of US consumers believe that "the look and style of a product is very important in deciding which to buy."

In anticipation of a number of new tech gadgets launching this summer, GfK has released findings from interviews with over 26,000 Internet users in 22 countries.

Internationally, Turkey, Mexico and Brazil lead the way for concern about "looks appeal," with agreement scores of 49%, 48%, and 45% (respectively). In contrast, Sweden, Belgium, and Germany possess the highest percentage of consumers who reject style as a shopping factor. Sweden leads with 26% firmly disagreeing, followed by Belgium (22%) and Germany (20%).

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Age Affects Attitudes

When it comes to age, US consumers display a clear pattern: As people grow older, concern about tech looks decreases. The 30 to 39 year olds had the highest score, with 42% in agreement that style is a purchase factor. They were closely followed by 15 to 19 year olds, who came in at 41%. With nearly identical scores, the 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 groups charte 15% and 18%, respectively, in agreement, but a notable 21% and 32% in disagreement with the importance of looks and style.

Men and Women Share Sentiments

US men and women, though differing slightly, generally have the same attitudes when it comes to tech style. With 33% of US men and 28% of women, the study confirmed that many US consumers value style when shopping for tech products. Equal proportions of men and women reject this notion, with 14% of both men and women in disagreement.

For more information on GfK's international research into people's online attitudes and behavior, please contact [email protected]

About the study

GfK conducted an online survey (face to face in Ukraine) with over 26,000 consumers aged 15 or older in 22 countries. Fieldwork was carried out in summer 2014. In the countries surveyed online, the data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the online population age 15+ in each market. In Ukraine, where interviews were face to face, the study is representative of the top-tier urban population aged 15+ excluding the lowest SES (News - Alert) levels and was restricted to people who used the Internet within the last 30 days.

The countries included in this press release are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, Ukraine and USA.

About GfK

GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK's long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers' experiences and choices.

For more information, please visit www.gfk.com/us or follow GfK on Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150825005714/en/

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