NEW YORK, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
Key takeaways
- The average U.S. household now has a total of 25 connected
devices, across 14 different categories (up from 11 in 2019),
including laptops, tablets and smartphones; video streaming devices
and smart TVs; wireless headphones and earbuds; gaming consoles and
smart home devices; and fitness trackers and connected exercise
machines.
- Thirty-one percent of Americans admit to feeling
overwhelmed by the number of devices and subscriptions they
need to manage.
- Sixty-six percent of households have smart home devices;
39% of those smart home device owners paid for increased home
internet speed.
- More than 50% of U.S. adults had virtual doctor visits,
and 82% of those who used virtual doctor visits claimed to be
satisfied with the experience.
- Fifty-eight percent of U.S. households have a smartwatch or
fitness tracker, and 39% of consumers own one personally. Among
device owners, 14% bought their smartwatch or fitness tracker since
the start of the pandemic.
- Seven-in-10 consumers who began smartphone-based retail
behaviors, such as mobile ordering, during the pandemic intend
to continue those behaviors.
- Among respondents planning to switch mobile providers in the
next year, the top reason is to access 5G service.
Why this matters
In March
2020, households became the center of daily American life —
and connectivity took on newfound importance. With work, school,
medical visits, fitness and retail shopping all crowding under one
roof, rapidly shifting needs drove sudden demand for an evolving
suite of connected devices and digital services. The second edition
of "Deloitte's Connectivity & Mobile Trends 2021 Survey," an
online survey of 2,009 U.S. consumers conducted in March 2021, saw households beginning to push the
limits of connectivity. More consumers upgraded their home
broadband, added Wi-Fi extenders, and expanded their mobile data
plans. While connectivity providers and device makers quickly
rallied to keep the nation connected and productive, many consumers
were overwhelmed with managing a wide range of devices, services
and communications suddenly necessary for life at home.
Homework takes on new meaning
Networks, services,
devices and institutions rallied to effectively support the shift
to working and schooling from home. Some had connectivity and
technology issues but for many, human factors posed more of a
challenge.
- At the start of 2021, 55% of U.S. households included someone
working from home and 43% had someone schooling from home. Top
benefits of at-home behaviors were the ability to reduce the
chances of getting COVID-19, closely followed by having no commute
and being more comfortable.
- Twenty-eight percent of home workers and 32% of home schoolers
reported that they struggled to connect to the internet from
certain locations in their home.
- Workers at home cited the inability to meet face-to-face with
colleagues or clients as a top challenge, followed by working
longer hours than they would in-person, and being distracted by
non-work activities. For home schoolers, the top challenge was
getting distracted by non-school online activities, followed by not
being able to meet face-to-face with teachers and classmates, and
doing more schoolwork than if in-person.
Key quote
"The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was like
a time machine that suddenly propelled us tens of years into the
future. It has changed how we interact with our connected devices,
ultimately helping consumers, health care providers, education
professionals, technology innovators and others adapt, innovate and
thrive in our daily lives. Our survey showed that the underlying
technology for these new behaviors was truly tested and, for the
most part, held up under increased connectivity demands. As well as
we have adapted, we hit the limits of what our current technology
can deliver. We are excited to see how faster connections, better
devices, and new apps change how we live, work and play in the
future."
- Paul Silverglate,
vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. technology sector leader
Virtualized health care: a successful beta test
Recent
growth in inexpensive and easy videoconferencing helped medical
organizations overcome distance challenges to deliver much needed
virtual house calls during the pandemic. The pandemic's urgency
also suspended some of the regulatory barriers that made it
difficult for providers to connect virtually with patients. This
was good news for consumers who felt virtual doctor visits helped
them continue to receive care during the pandemic, while minimizing
risk of exposure to themselves and to other patients.
- More than 50% of U.S. respondents had virtual doctor visits,
and 29% of adult respondents assisted someone else in their
household with a virtual visit.
- Eighty-two percent of those respondents using virtual doctor
visits claimed to be satisfied with the experience.
- Among the benefits of attending virtual medical visits, 44%
cited ease in attending appointments, 43% said it reduced their
chances of getting COVID-19, 20% said it was easier to schedule
appointments, and 10% cited ease in sharing medical data with
doctors.
- Sixty-two percent said they are likely to schedule future
virtual appointments after the pandemic ends.
- However, patients missed the human touch and face-to-face
interactions (28%) and were frustrated with medical staff's
inability to directly measure vital statistics (21% overall but
higher among older patients).
Does this mean healthier innovation?
Success with
virtual doctor visits may bode well for future health care
innovation. As wearables advance to record more discrete health,
fitness and wellness data, their ability to support health care
providers will likely grow, along with many users' desire to share
more of this data with their providers.
- Overall, 58% of households have a smartwatch or fitness
tracker, and 39% of consumers own one personally. Among device
owners, 14% bought their smartwatch or fitness tracker since the
start of the pandemic.
- The largest use reported is for health and fitness (55%),
primarily to measure walking steps and athletic performance, track
heart health, and monitor sleep and calories.
- Among those interested in wearables, 39% listed cost as the
primary reason they haven't bought one — considerably larger than
other factors. Yet, more seem to see the value of wearables,
especially for health and fitness — 27% of those who don't have a
smartwatch or fitness tracker in their household are interested in
buying one, up from 24% before COVID-19.
- Sixty percent of users claim to not be particularly concerned
about the privacy of their wearable-generated data.
Key quote
"The pandemic was a giant beta test of
behaviors that broke down barriers, removed distance and
prioritized health and wellness. Our survey revealed that people
are willing to adopt new products and services even while adjusting
to challenging circumstances in trying times. This adaption and
need for inventive technology are placing more pressure on
companies to innovate even faster. As we've seen throughout the
pandemic, this innovation should focus around the essential
elements of daily life to help people thrive in their crowded homes
— underscoring the simple fact that technology and invention,
ideally, is about supporting human needs."
- Jana
Arbanas, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. telecom,
media and entertainment sector leader
Smartphones led to smart behaviors
Both in and out of
the home, smartphones helped people get on with their lives while
mitigating pandemic risks. Users adopted a range of new digital
behaviors, including online mobile payment services, contactless
store payments and shopping and buying online from local providers
who offer home delivery or curbside pickup. These mobile solutions
were available prior to COVID-19, but the pandemic further
highlighted their value.
- Using a mobile app or website to order food from a local
provider grew from 36% to 56% during COVID-19.
- Using a mobile app or website to order a product and then pick
it up at a local store grew from 31% to 51%.
- Contactless payments jumped from 28% to 46% during the
pandemic; using mobile payments to shop on social media grew 28% to
42%.
- Among those who began smartphone-based retail behaviors during
the pandemic, around 70% intend to continue most of those
behaviors.
A true test of connectivity
The survey also revealed
that while connectivity held up remarkably well to the demands of
unexpectedly crowded homes during the pandemic, many households had
reached the limits of broadband, wireless and Wi-Fi networks. And
with reduced movement outside the home during the pandemic, it's
not yet clear how well existing smartphones and mobile connectivity
will serve post-pandemic behaviors.
- Since the pandemic began, 19% of those with home internet had
upgraded to a higher-speed home internet service and 8% switched
providers.
- Those who switched most often cited cost, followed closely by
reliability, inadequate coverage throughout the home, and slow
connectivity.
- Around 70% of consumers said their home Wi-Fi met their needs
for range and speed, but more have tried to fix dropouts and dead
spots by extending their home networks. During the pandemic, 30% of
home internet users purchased Wi-Fi extenders, 19% bought mobile
hotspots, and 14% added mesh Wi-Fi networks.
- Close to 40% of households with mobile data plans made some
change to their mobile data plan since the start of the COVID-19
pandemic. Upgrading to a new phone was the highest driver for this,
followed by switching to an unlimited data plan and adding 5G.
- Sixty-six percent of respondents noted they have had their
smartphone for at least a year, while 31% noted they plan on
upgrading within a year.
- Among respondents planning to switch mobile providers in the
next year, the largest reason is to get 5G service, followed
closely by getting better value for the price.
- Among those who do not yet have 5G mobile coverage, 54% say
they intend to eventually buy a 5G-compatible smartphone and 52%
will sign up for a 5G mobile data plan with their carrier, when 5G
becomes available.
For additional details on the findings, visit here. Connect
with us on: @DeloitteTMT; @PaulSilverglate; @JanaArbanas.
About Deloitte
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