Consumer satisfaction with tablets is highest among those consumers who have mobile data-connected devices on individual data plans, a new J.D. Power study found.
According to the 2015 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study, Volume 2, consumers who purchased devices with mobile data plans reported a satisfaction rating of 833 out of 1,000 compared to a satisfaction rating of 807 among Wi-Fi-connection-only tablets. Further, customers on individual data plans reported higher overall satisfaction (847) than consumers on shared plans (820).
The proportion of tablet customers who purchase a device with a mobile data plan has now reached 31 percent, a 3 percentage point increase over the first iteration of the study released six months ago.
J.D. Power researchers said the difference in satisfaction between Wi-Fi tablets and mobile data-enabled devices could likely be attributed to the reliability of mobile data connections.
“The convenience of being continuously connected is a key driver of satisfaction among tablet owners with data plans,” said J.D. Power senior director and technology, media and telecom practice leader Kirk Parsons. “Wireless providers benefit by leveraging the convenience of being connected nearly anywhere at any time, as customer spending rises when they purchase a data plan-enabled tablet, and customers benefit by having a satisfying tablet experience.”
But satisfaction ratings also varied within the data plan spectrum. The study looked at the differences in consumer satisfaction between those users with shared and individual data plans and found that consumers on shared plans indicated through their cost satisfaction ratings that they felt shared plans, with a score of 809, offered less value than individual plans, which were scored at 846.
Overall, tablet users with a data plan tended to take advantage of their device more than Wi-Fi users, with 17 percent of data plan customers reporting that they watch a full-length movie on their tablet daily, compared to 4 percent of users without data, the study found.
The higher satisfaction of data plan users also correlated to future device purchasing decisions, as the study found that 31 percent of data plan users said they “definitely will” purchase additional devices from their tablet manufacturer verses 18 percent of non-data users who said the same.
Among tablet-makers, Samsung ranked the highest, with a satisfaction score of 827, besting competitors Amazon and Apple, which tied for second place with a score of 825.
The above study was based on the experiences of 2,979 tablet users who have owned their device for less than one year, with answers collected between March and August 2015.
Filed Under: Devices
