The economic downturn and slow consumer spending has been cruel to automakers and retailers. Even manufacturers of the latest, cool technology gadgets have suffered in the malaise.
What? Give up my satellite TV?
But consumer technology may be more recession proof than other industries, according to a survey from Accenture.
Even in a prolonged economic retrenchment only 9.7 percent of consumers would give up their cell phone service. Even less – 9.3 percent – would cancel pay-per-view or on-demand television services.
Other technologies fare even better: only 3.2 percent of people would cut off home Internet access and 2 percent would turn off satellite radio.
“There are bright spots in the (consumer electronics) market,” says Kumu Puri, senior executive in the firm’s communications and high-tech practice. “Consumers value what the industry provides to them.”
Accenture surveyed 3,000 people in the U.S. in December. Here are several other product categories and the percentage of respondents who said they would cancel services:
*Cable or satellite TV: 8.5 percent;
*Local phone services: 8.2 percent
*Long distance phone service: 6.9 percent;
*High-definition cable or satellite: 3.7 percent
*VoIP service: 0.9 percent.
Yes, this is something my family and I talked about. In fact, some in my family finally got a flat screen TV. And we even got better Internet service since we’re doing so much more on the Internet — phone, Skype, entertainment, education, shopping, managing our lives.