Kiss Insight

GADGETS A GO-GO 30 January 2012

Here at Kiss Confidential we like to keep on top of things. So, in order to give us a bit of structure we decided that every 3 months we would run a survey for all the Bauer Radio users over the UK, finding out about the most relevant topics to help us plan for the future. On this survey we thought we’d ask Kiss listeners what technologies they own, what they’d like to own and what gadgets they do and don’t like.

Technology is constantly evolving and changing, so keeping up with it can be difficult… and expensive! However, in spite of this, more and more of us are buying laptops, smartphones and tablets. 80% of the British population now uses the internet, 37% of us have smartphones and 1 in 3 access the net using their phones. But just how tech savvy are our Kiss listeners?

Well, it turns out they’re pretty good with their gizmos. 38% of Kiss listeners said they knew a lot about technology and gadgets and a quarter said they were amongst the first of their friends to buy the latest technology. And what do they like the most about it? They’re a sociable bunch, which is why 66% said that the best thing about it is that it allows people to communicate more easily. As avid listeners of Kiss it comes as no surprise that more than half of them said they use technology to watch and share new music and videos.

The celeb factor doesn’t hold much sway with our listeners. Only 14% said they’d be more likely to buy gadgets they’d seen celebrities using or that had been featured in TV shows, films or music videos. Functionality comes before beauty too, as just 17% said they would buy something for how it looks rather than what it does.

So our listeners love technology, but what do they have at the moment and what would they like to own one day?

Trust in established brands is evident amongst Kiss listeners;  Apple is the top technology brand with 74% of our listeners owning an Apple branded device.  The traditional market leaders such as Sky, BT and Virgin are the most popular TV, broadband and phone providers for our listeners and most would stick with them in the future too.

DVD players, HD TVs, MP3 players, digital compact cameras, smartphones and laptops were amongst the most commonly owned items for our listeners. The most sought after item for them is a tablet computer such as an iPad, with 37% saying they’d like to get one. 23% also wanted a kindle to make reading on the move much easier.

A good quality TV viewing experience is important to our listeners, as 70% have a HD TV, 52% have access to HD channels and 32% have a blu ray player.  However, the world of 3D television is something they are still reticent about... or perhaps it’s just a little out of their price range at present. Either way, only 3% own a 3D TV and 18% would like to own one.

A third of Kiss listeners download more music, films and TV than this time last year and they are happy to pay for music downloads rather than download for free. 41% said they had downloaded an entire album in the past year and 47% had downloaded individual tracks. However, they’re less willing to pay for TV shows and films, only around a third had downloaded free TV or films.

When it comes to computers and gaming, 79% of Kiss listeners own a laptop and 43% use it as their most regular way of accessing the internet so it’s not surprising that 15% of our listeners use social networking sites every day.  Multi-tasking is an inevitable part of our daily lives, so we were intrigued to find out how our listeners make the most of their downtime. Are they doing anything else while they sit with their laptops in the living room, bedroom, kitchen and… bathroom? It turns out that 80% simultaneously watch the TV whilst using the internet, and 49% listen to the radio while browsing.

Being the gadget the lovers they are, the iPhone is ranked at number 3 for their gaming devices – 35% of them use their iPhone for playing games when on the go, however laptops still prove pretty popular with half of all listeners playing their games on the personal computers. When it comes to games consoles Nintendo proves the most popular with our audience.  Nearly half own a Wii and around a third have a DS or DSi. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360’s are owned by a quarter of listeners, which explains why the Xbox Kinect is the most sought after gaming item. Kiss listeners who play video games or games on social networking sites, spend on average £18.90 per month on the activity and about a third of video game players never play with three or more people.

Kiss listeners like to keep up to date with the latest phones, with 42% of them planning to change their mobile handset in the next 12 months. However, they also love a bargain so they’re prepared to shop around for the best deal and service – 1 in 8 wish to change their network provider over the coming year while two third’s list cost as their top priority when considering a new contract.

Smartphones allow us to browse, download and buy on the move and it seems these features appeal greatly to our listeners with 34% saying they download an app at least once a week and a further 35% doing so once a month. When it comes to making purchases, 52% have done so in the past 12 months through apps or websites on their phones. Also, 44% know what a QR code is, (see pic) and how to use it.

However, only 1 in 5 people have heard of NFC (Near Field Communication) - contactless payment using your phone.  But, when asked if they would make small payments via their phone, 50% said they would be likely to. As keen socialites, 32% of listeners have ‘checked in’ to places. Half of our listeners are doing so to find out if there are any special deals near them, or whether they can make instant reservations using location-based services. Loyalty schemes and flaunting their social lives to their friends also appeals.

So overall, it seems our Kiss listeners are a busy bunch; they heavily value any gadget they can use whilst on the move. They are more likely than average to own smart phones, laptops and hand-held games consoles. Tablets such as iPads and e-readers like Kindles are the most desired products of our listeners. They like to keep in touch with their friends and share things with them and anything that makes their lives easier, whether it be apps or new innovative services such as NFC, are always welcome. Kiss listeners are very much gadget gurus.

If you'd like to know more, please email navjyot.badwal@bauermedia.co.uk