New York – Phablets are just fab with U.S. consumers, an Accenture survey shows.
In the U.S., 40 percent of consumers ages 14 and older who plan to buy a smartphone indicated a preference to buy a phablet, which offers a screen size of 5 to 7 inches compared with the screen sizes of conventional smartphones, Accenture said.
Demand for phablets, however, is greater in developing countries, Accenture also found. Of consumers planning to buy a smartphone, 67 percent in India, 66 percent in China and 65 percent in South Africa would prefer to buy a phablet device. In contrast, only 30 percent of German respondents and only 19 percent of Japan respondents prefer a phablet, Accenture said.
“The phablet screen size is hitting a sweet spot for a large percentage of consumers wanting more digitally connected lifestyles,” said David Sovie, managing director of Accenture’s communications, media and technology group.
“Phablet demand in developed countries is significant, yet even bigger business opportunities are coalescing in emerging markets,” Sovie added. “Among those, the most lucrative opportunity will likely be in China because it is one of the world’s largest smartphone markets. Consumer technology companies need to broaden their phablet product development and sales initiatives to target larger regional markets keen to buy phablets.”
In releasing its findings, Accenture said it conducted an online survey of 23,000 consumers in 23 countries. More than 13,000 respondents indicated they plan to buy a smartphone this year.
Surveys were conducted in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the U.S.
