Touch Screen Technology
Young Adults Increasingly Favor Touch Screen Technology
Young Adults Increasingly Favor Touch Screen Technology, According to New Elo TouchSystems in Touch Survey
Nearly 90 Percent of Young Americans Ages 18-34 Believe Touch Screens Will
Become the Standard Service Industry Medium in the Next Few Years
Strong Popularity of Touch Screens Suggests More Businesses Must Adapt by
Integrating the Technology Into Their Service Delivery
FREMONT, Calif., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The vast majority of Americans
ages 18-34 expressed extremely positive attitudes towards touch screens and
expect a substantial increase in their deployment over the next few years,
according to the new Elo TouchSystems In Touch Survey, released today by Elo
TouchSystems and conducted by market research firm Penn, Schoen and Berland.
Notably, nearly nine in 10 respondents (89 percent), expect touch screens to
become the standard way of performing tasks such as checking-in at airports,
buying train tickets and self check-out at the supermarket in the near future.
As younger Americans' opinions often help predict future trends, the survey
results illustrate how their lifestyles are becoming increasingly reliant upon
touch screen technology.
Elo TouchSystems pioneered touch screen technology over 30 years ago,
helping to create an entire industry based on touch and simplifying the
interface between computers and people. Today, Elo is the market leader in
touch screen technology, which has become standard in applications such as
airport check-ins. The survey findings also reveal that the technology is
rapidly expanding into many other industries such as healthcare (signing in at
a hospital or doctor's office), automotive (navigation and stereo systems),
and hotel (self check-in).
The Elo TouchSystems In Touch Survey reveals a significantly high level of
usage among Americans ages 18-34, as well as a high comfort level with public
touch screen use. For example:
-- Eighty-two percent of respondents have used touch screens at the self
check-out of a supermarket or retail store, and seven in 10 respondents
have used them at an ATM.
-- A large majority of respondents (85 percent) feel comfortable using
touch screens in public.
-- Only 19 percent of respondents say they "rarely" or "never" use touch
screens.
Results also revealed that the growing popularity of touch screens comes
from their fundamental utility, convenience and time-saving capabilities:
-- An overwhelming majority, 97 percent of respondents, say touch screen
technology is convenient, and 96 percent say touch screens make their
lives easier.
-- Nine in 10 of those surveyed say touch screens save time.
Mark Mendenhall, President of Elo TouchSystems, said, "It is astonishing
to see touch screen technology generate this level of acceptance across an
entire age group. The strength of these numbers highlights the enormous
impact touch screens are having on how businesses interact with their
customers today."
Data Indicates that the Role of Touch Screens in the Everyday Lives of
Americans Will Become Even More Prominent in the Next Few Years
The survey found that young adults strongly believe touch screen use will
increase rapidly in the coming years:
-- Seven in 10 respondents believe it is "very likely" that touch screens
will become even more commonplace in the near future.
-- Seventy-six percent believe that they will begin using touch screens
more frequently than they ever have.
-- Ninety-nine percent of respondents believe that touch screen technology
will become even more popular over the next few years.
-- Respondents identified a number of potential areas for touch screen
application in the future: self-serve stations at the post office,
library computerized catalogs, video store check-out, home computers,
and household appliances such as dishwashers, stoves and washer/dryers.
The Growing Popularity of Touch Screens Among Young Americans Suggests the
Technology is a Key Tool for Businesses in the Future
According to the survey findings, touch screen technology is rapidly
becoming the most preferred method of service, as opposed to customer service
agents:
-- Although only a relatively small percentage of service transactions are
touch-enabled, almost half (44 percent) of respondents say they prefer
touch screens over customer service agents.
-- When asked to choose between waiting in a short line for a cashier at
the supermarket and using a touch screen self check-out, 83 percent
chose touch screens. Even without a line for the cashier, more than a
third of the respondents (39 percent) chose touch screens.
-- Forty-nine percent of young Americans would rather use a touch screen
at a check-out kiosk in an airport than speak with an airline agent.
-- A large majority of respondents (86 percent) would rather use touch
screens to place orders and pay at fast food restaurants, and 70
percent would rather use touch screens to rent a car.
Mendenhall continued: "Although touch screen technology is currently only
available for a relatively small percentage of service transactions today, it
is amazing that nearly half of the respondents prefer using touch screens over
dealing with a customer service agent. As more and more Americans begin to
embrace touch screen technology, we believe that businesses across a wide
range of industries will begin to integrate this technology wherever they
interact with customers. Indeed, these numbers illustrate that consumers are,
and will be increasingly demanding the convenience that touch screens offer."
Survey Methodology
Between May 10, 2004, and May 16, 2004, Penn, Schoen & Berland conducted
approximately 800 interviews among a nationwide sample of individuals ages 18-
34, who are Internet users. The survey specifically targeted younger
Americans in order to make the study as future-oriented as possible, as this
demographic is the best source for predicting and identifying future trends.
The online survey consisted of a combination of 38 multiple-choice and
open-ended questions about touch screen awareness, touch screen issues, touch
screen prospects, and touch screen usage.
The margin of error for this study is +/- 3.4 percent.
About Penn, Schoen & Berland
Penn, Schoen & Berland (http://www.psbsurveys.com) is an innovative strategic
market research firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Denver.
PSB has conducted strategic research for multinational Fortune 500 companies
and major political campaigns in more than 65 countries around the world.
About Elo TouchSystems
Elo TouchSystems, a unit of Tyco Electronics, is the global leader in
touch technology that develops, manufactures, and markets a complete line of
touch screen and touch monitor products. Elo offers the largest selection of
touch screen technologies, CRT touchmonitors, and LCD touch monitors. Elo
founders invented the touch screen over 30 years ago. Elo supplies touch
screens to a variety of industries, including industrial, medical, POS,
kiosks, retail, hospitality, transportation, office automation, and gaming.
CONTACTS:
Barbara Van-Gennep
(510) 739-4670
[email protected]
SOURCE Elo TouchSystems
Young Adults Increasingly Favor Touch Screen Technology, According to New Elo TouchSystems in Touch Survey
Posted by Craig at June 7, 2004 06:17 PM