What Flat Panel TV do High-end Consumers Prefer in a Blind Comparison?
By TFCinfo
Jan 3, 2004, 11:38
Austin, TX - TFCinfo, the worldwide leader in AV market research, recently conducted an in-store survey that explored the buying preferences and attitudes towards LCD TVs and Plasma TVs. A few of the key findings are...
Buying intent
TFCinfo found in their in-store survey that pitted large LCD TV's up against plasma displays that 85.6% of high-end shoppers are likely to buy a flat screen TV in the future. The retail battleground has been set for the two competing displays and this study reveals some very interesting and surprising results on the advantages and disadvantages each display type will face.
Knowledge-level of high-end consumers
On one hand, manufacturers seem to be giving these shoppers too much credit as to their knowledge of these technologies.
For example, in this research, TFCinfo addressed the importance of product lifetime. Once the survey had commenced, a TFCinfo manager asked one respondent what they thought of the lifetime of these technologies. The respondent stated, "Well, I heard plasma lasts for like 20,000 hours-what's that&like 5 years?" Manufacturers do not put these specifications, in terms that shoppers can relate to. The average consumer keeps their TV approximately 5 to 7 years; however most do not realize that the lifetime of LCD TV and plasma displays will often exceed this with average viewing. Since so many respondents placed high importance on product lifetime, it would be advantageous for manufacturers of flat screen displays to address this misconception and confusion regarding lifetime of these displays.
Longer Product Life Extremely Important
On the other hand, manufacturers seem to not be giving shoppers enough credit when it comes to making their purchasing decision.
It is known that price is important to shoppers, however these high-end respondents did not place as much importance on price as many would have believed.
Myth: The consumer doesn't care about technology. The cheaper one will win!
Many manufacturers and analysts believe they have the answer to which will win the battle between LCD TV and Plasma. Numerous times TFCinfo has heard "Basically, the consumer does not care about which technology; in the long term, the cheaper technology will win the battle and this will be LCD TV, even for the large screens."
"We have been an opponent of this simplistic view for some time and this research proves with hard data that it will definitely not be as clear-cut as some would assume," stated Paul Martin, President of TFCinfo. "On this level, these shoppers are not as price sensitive as many put them down to be."
Respondents were surveyed on important buying factors, and price did not even make the coveted top five.
Percentages of shoppers who indicated each factor as "Extremely Important"
TFCinfo's "In-Store LCD TV vs. Plasma Study 2003" was aimed at understanding the level of desire, practical uses, and strengths & weaknesses - both real and perceived - of plasma and LCD TV held by A/V enthusiasts and early adopters. This important research looked at two important facets of what respondents perceived vs. what they actually saw when looking at the displays.
Stage 1 Questions - Perceptions
TFCinfo asked 125 respondents which display they felt was superior in various metrics (such as: better picture quality, wider viewing angle, better contrast, and more) before being exposed to the "blind comparison" display area. This allowed TFCinfo to gauge any perceptions that shoppers already had about the two displays.
Stage 2 Questions -Actual
TFCinfo then had shoppers look at a display area that had a large LCD TV and a Plasma display set up side-by-side with the bezel completely covered (the sets were labeled A and B, and the only area visible was the picture viewing area). This allowed TFCinfo to then gather data on the actual advantages and disadvantages seen by shoppers. It also allowed TFCinfo to observe the customer's propensity to switch preferences.
"It was extremely interesting to see the pre-conceived ideas that shoppers had going into this survey," stated Tanya Lippke, manager of Survey Market Research at TFCinfo. "There are definitely some misconceptions that shoppers have about these two technologies, and it will be very important for manufacturers to address some of these issues."
TFCinfo's In Store LCD TV vs. Plasma Study 2003 is now available for purchase. For more information please contact Edith Dow, Office Manager/Sales and Marketing, at (207) 783-1155 eadow@tfcinfo.com. , or Tanya Lippke, Manager of Survey Market Research, at (207) 783-0055 tmlippke@tfcinfo.com.
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