Report: The PC Buying Experience, 2011

July 5, 2011 2 Comments

We just published a new Temkin Group report, The PC Buying Experience, 2011.

Do you want to know how consumers chose computers and the difference between Apple buyers and others? Or the differences in channels that they use?

Here’s the executive summary:

Computers have become a standard appliance in most households, but why aren’t they easy to buy? This report analyzes the buying process of 842 US consumers that have recently purchased a computer. Apple is the leader across the buying experience but Dell and HP are not far behind. This report compares the customer satisfaction of the leading computer suppliers in five stages of the consumers buying process. It also examines influences and decision factors on the consumer buying decision by major PC manufacturer. Key findings are that Apple consumers care more about customer service than PC buyers, consumers that buy PCs directly from the manufacturer are more satisfied than those that buy at a retailer and Best Buy employees are more helpful than those at other retailers.

Download report for $195

As you can see from the following graphic (one of the 10 figures in the report), Apple’s largest satisfaction gap with PC makers shows up in customer service and the smallest gaps are with the buying process and with the computer itself.

The report also examines this data by PC brands. That analysis shows that HP and Dell are much more competitive with Apple than are “other” PC makes. HP outpaces Apple when it comes to the process of purchasing the computer and Dell is only one percentage point behind Apple when it comes to the ease of setting up a computer. Buyers of all three brands are equally satisfied with the computer they purchased.

Download report for $195

The bottom line: Apple leads customer service expectations and delivery

P.S. For more information on customer experience ratings of computer companies, see the post: Why Did Apple Do So Poorly? which highlights the results of 10 computer makers in the 2011 Temkin Experience Ratings

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About Bruce Temkin, CCXP
I'm an experience (XM) management catalyst; helping organizations improve results by engaging the hearts and minds of their employees, customers, and partners. I enjoy researching and speaking about these topics. I lead the Qualtrics XM Institute, which is the world's best job. We're igniting a global community of XM Professionals who are inspired and empowered to radically improve the human experience. To achieve this goal, my team focuses on thought leadership, training, and community building. My work is driven by a set of fundamental beliefs: 1) Everything starts and ends with human beings, so you need to understand how people think, feel, and behave; 2) XM is a discipline that needs to be woven throughout an organization's entire operating fabric; and 3) Building the XM discipline requires a combination of culture, competency, and technology.

2 Responses to Report: The PC Buying Experience, 2011

  1. Nit Pick says:
    July 6, 2011 at 9:50 am

    Why the lines between the points in the chart? If you interpolate the satisfaction level for somewhere between “information for selecting the right computer model” and “process of purchasing the computer”, what does this value represent?

    Reply
  2. Ron Michaelowski says:
    July 14, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    This is an awesome article!

    Reply

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