With the never-ending waves of innovation that constantly flood the world, it is hard to stay on the sidelines and not take advantage of new resources. For example, just consider the fact that there are now over 224 million smartphone owners in the United States alone. The same concept applies to the growing ownership of vehicles, computers, and hundreds of other types of “smart” assets designed to make life easier.
Regardless of this trend, however, there are still a tremendous number of consumers who only consider technological upgrades and smart solutions in situations where they do not have to disrupt their lifestyles. In other words, for every million people that buy some new, state-of-the-art invention, per se, there are hundreds of thousands of buyers who do not do the same. This is because they prefer to stick to their current lifestyle without having to readjust to the latest offspring of scientific advancement that may become obsolete in just a few years.
This concept is one worth exploring as the human psychology that lies behind this issue is quite complex and intriguing. So, what exactly are the reasons why certain consumers buy new technology? Conversely, why do some buyers decline to upgrade to new resolutions?
1. Less Hands-On Work
The first reason why consumers are willing to slowly integrate new assets into their daily lifestyle boils down to the amount of hands-on work this will require or, hopefully, save them. When you think about the benefits of inventions that facilitate automation, the benefits seem pretty straight-forward.
Just consider, for example, the reason why most citizens report their income taxes using financial software over handwritten tax returns. The automated generation and auto-filling of multiple forms help save time and complete the task much faster.
2. Saving Money
Besides higher productivity and efficiency levels, most consumers are willing to integrate advanced solutions to their lifestyles because doing so helps save money. Take vehicle service contracts, for example. Since an average household in the United States spends north of 1.5 percent of its annual income on car repairs, it comes as no surprise that the buyers want better alternatives.
Well, as representatives from Vehicle Protection Specialist, a vehicle service center in Irvine state, service contracts help bring a wide range of costs down while offering unparalleled convenience. This is because car owners will be able to save on pricey repairs and locate nearby service centers without having to do a plethora of research and inquires. Thus, they will be able to use the service contract solution to save both time and money on repairs.
3. Ability to Learn Fast
While the previous two answers discuss why consumers enjoy new assets, it is important to recognize that they may be hesitant to make major changes to their life. In translation, it is unrealistic to expect them to buy things that will be a hassle to integrate into their day-to-day activities.
Think about how millions of investors still refuse to purchase cryptocurrencies. Even though they might benefit from them immensely, using these assets would disrupt their financial activities in a major way. Thus, buyers will not greet all inventions with open arms as they prefer to avoid unnecessary changes.
4. Remaining in Control
The next reason why a lot of individuals are hesitant to make certain upgrades boils down to the human desire to remain in control. To better understand this, think back to the example of relying on financial software to file annual tax returns. Although it is a lot easier to do everything online, many users do not like the fact that their sensitive information will be stored in some online database outside of their control. And the fact that major online websites have a history of issues with malicious hacking does not help their case.
Users who prefer avoiding such risks will simply rely on handwritten forms so that they can remain in complete control of who has access to their private information.
5. Lower Margin of Error
In the end, the final reason why most of us are happy to take advantage of some smart solutions and technology revolves around the reduced margin of error. This is vividly explained by the representatives from the vehicle service center in Irvine mentioned earlier. Namely, drivers who are willing to obtain service contracts for their cars are much less likely to deal with unreliable car repair shops. In translation, the fact that their contract will dictate who they must visit to get their vehicle fixed reduces the margin of error.
The same applies to many other solutions, including those tax software options. Just consider the likelihood of making material mistakes when doing something by hand with a four-function calculator versus when relying on a computer. Odds are, the computer will be incomparably better and bring the risk of erroneous slips down to a minimum.
It is only fair to assume that all of us will continue to rely on upgrades that improve our lifestyles so long as they do not disrupt them.