What tech would Millennials and teens want to buy next? We asked 1000 13-33-year-olds in our most recent monthly survey…
Millennials’ tech-obsession is well documented, and in fact, technology is one of the things they consider a defining characteristic of their generation. According to a 2015 poll, Millennials are more likely than Xers and Boomers to think tech helps them to learn new skills, has a positive impact on their relationships with friends, and allows them to live life the way they want. More than half of Millennials believe that technology positively effects their happiness, compared to 42% of Xers, and 30% of Boomers. They turn to tech to solve their problems, connect them to friends, fix their boredom, and teach them. Young consumers tech buying habits have even been hurting luxury brands—but to young consumers today technology is not a luxury, it’s an essential.
Brands depend on this massive generation, and their considerable buying power, to drive the sales of the newest gadgets on the market. They’re the early adopters influencing other generations’ tech purchasing and behavior. So what devices and tech items are they eyeing next? In our most recent monthly survey of Millennials and teens, we asked 1000 13-33-year-olds to answer the question, “What is the one tech item you would buy next if you could?”* Here are the top 20 products they named:
Though they tell us their smartphone is the device they couldn’t live without, laptops were technically at the top of their tech wishlist. Their reliance on laptops for school and entertainment viewing may be driving that desire. But don’t think TVs are abandoned: Televisions were second on the list, with many calling out that they wanted an HD TV, 4K TV, or smart TV. We’ve seen that though Millennials and teens’ viewing habits are fractured, the television is still their favorite screen to consume content on. Smartphones ranked at number three on the list, but if we combined the general “smartphone/phone” responses with the many who said would but a new iPhone next if they could, smartphones would be by far the new tech device they’re craving the most.
Smartwatches and Apple watches both made the top ten list, indicating that the generation’s interest in these devices could be on an uptick…if they could afford them. Though cameras are now in nearly all of their pockets in the form of smartphones, cameras tied with tablets for eight place. Interestingly, many respondents said that they don’t need any new tech, a sign that brands might need to innovate even more to get them to add something new to their wishlists.
