CE Shoppers Want Premium Services
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 3/26/2007
ARLINGTON, VA. — Today's shoppers are looking for premium services along with their consumer electronics devices in order to create a total home entertainment experience, a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) shows.
The report, "Beyond Delivery and Installation: Premium Services Consumers Want (March 2007)," found that services comprised five the top 10 most popular CE-related purchases, with home network setup cited by consumers as the most important service they buy.
"Consumers clearly understand that getting the most out of their electronics purchase goes beyond delivery and installation — they need premium services to complete the total entertainment experience," said CEA research director Joe Bates. "This presents retailers with a real opportunity to package services at the initial point-of-sale to differentiate themselves and generate more business."
The study, conducted in November/December 2006 and designed and formulated by CEA market research, gauged consumer interest in purchasing the following products and services: acoustic treatment, device controls, entertainment furniture, extended warranties, home device performance calibration, home network setup, home theater, installation assistance, media servers, multiroom A/V systems, performance plans and upgrades, product demonstrations, speakers, system design and consultation, video displays and video games.
The complete study is available free to CEA member companies and may be purchased for $599 at www.ebrain.org.
