How Consumers Adopt Technology Why The S-Curve Rules

The 20,000 Foot View Consumers adopt technology in predictable ways, and even though technology adoption is far faster now than it has ever been, it continues to follow traditional growth patterns. Mobile app stores are enabling technologies to reach global scale and mainstream adoption within their addressable audiences at a far faster rate than ever before. By understanding where new technologies are on their respective growth trajectories, we can better understand how they are likely to impact existing business models and markets. Key Findings

• Humans behave            highly predictable ways when adopting            technologies, and are defined by            of personality types and their            to technology and to risk
• There are            key types of technology adopters:            Early Adopters, Early Followers, Late            Laggards
• Consequently, new            follow remarkably similar patterns of            most often mapping to an            growth pattern
• Consumers are            technology at ever faster rates
• It took            for radio to reach ubiquitous            but just            years for the            and            years for smartphones
• Mobile app            are enabling technologies like messaging            to reach mainstream penetration in            a few years
• Artificial growth            like paid app installs and            price promotions can skew growth,            adoption will drop back down            the incentives stop

Companies mentioned: Apple, HTC, Hulu, Pandora, Shazam, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube