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New products jam the market leaving the buyer in a fix. Before you get comfortable with one version of a product, the next version arrives which leaves the buyer in a state of confusion whether to buy the latest version or wait for another entry.
The craze is never-ending with the introduction of new versions in laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, software and the like in the list. When it comes to people who buy these products, they are either technologically-conscious or tech savvy.
Technologically-conscious people are aware of the newcomers in the market while tech savvy people are crazy about the product and have a strong intention to buy it.
“Initially, people are tech savvy but then they turn technologically-conscious with time,” says V Badrinarayanan, a software engineer of Wipro technologies. He also adds that “technology has now become cheaper and probably the cost factor is what is making people technologically-savvy.”
Being tech savvy is not just using physical gadgets in everyday life. It can even be a service that you might be getting done through an online facility. A lot of websites promise the comfort of easy shopping, paying bills, etc., at the click of a mouse button. Classified in a broad term, when you become too much dependant on any online services, then you have become tech savvy.
Catalogues grow everyday with the introduction of new versions in each kind of product. Generally, people are either brand conscious or product conscious when they buy a new product. When it comes to technology, people are usually brand conscious. Five out of seven people (according to my survey) are brand conscious when it comes to buying new products. “Brand adds value to the product we are purchasing. I would prefer a Nokia mobile phone to a Samsung even though the Samsung might have a few extra features,” says Rajendran, who works for a publishing concern.
This trend can be supported because of the fact that there are actually very few players in the market with a name in their respective fields. “I’ am definitely brand conscious than product conscious because the brand talks about the quality of the product,” says Sharanya Sridharan, a college student.
Many others accept this point of view. Some prefer to be brand conscious as they have in mind the value of resale of the product. “I prefer to go by a brand name than the features because of the resale value,” says Dinesh, a college student.
But in certain cases, people are product conscious when it concerns software. “I would go by the features when it comes to uploading new software in my computer than going by the brand,” says Badrinarayanan. “I would definitely go by the features the product has than by the brand name,” agrees Prasanna. He also adds that “if the branded products are of superior in quality, why would they have service centres? A perfect tech savvy person goes by the product and not by the brand.”
More than the brand and software, most people buy these products keeping in mind the usage of the product, their budget, etc. Only in certain cases, people who are crazy about certain product line, say digital cameras or mobile phones, go in for the product irrespective of the brand or the price tag. Price of the product plays an important role in the consumer buying the new gadget. Most of them stick to their budget and thus become technologically-conscious than being tech savvy.
Computers and technology have been influencing the life of the people to a large extent. Technology has its own negative side which is becoming quite an issue. Each day the medical field is finding a new illness caused by the usage of technology. But with the entire world getting more competitive, it becomes necessary for every person to become aware of the new technology available. People have become broadminded and accept things with the ease and quickness like never before. It’s a thin line between being technologically-conscious and tech savvy. So, what are
you?
Aishwarya Srinivasan
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