Icons of Trust – Desktop PCs
Branded PCs Are Highly Trustworthy
Desktop PCs are no longer esoteric electronic products that are vended in specialty stores. Today, you find them advertised on television and in daily newspapers — and sold in consumer electronic stores, shopping malls, online, and even large stationery marts.
Nearly one-half of the respondents to the survey said that they owned a PC, but surprisingly 72 per cent of them indicated that the PCs were for individual use rather than for the general household. The “P” in “PC” really does stand for personal. More than 65 per cent of the respondents said that they have been using PCs for more than a year.
Index of Trust
The survey found that the Index of Trust for desktop PCs is influenced to a great degree by credibility (49 per cent), followed by cost of ownership (19 per cent) and awareness (17 per cent). Satisfaction and loyalty (each at 7 per cent) had a lower impact on the overall trust in this category. Both HP/Compaq and assembled PCs were rated equally high by users on the Index of Trust, followed by Dell, Sony and Acer. Overall, amongst the top ten brands, there is a small variation in the degree of trust reposed in them by the respondents. This indicates that while the more technically savvy and advanced users are comfortable with assembled PCs and trust their choice, most other users feel that all branded PCs are quite trustworthy.
Brand Awareness
In general, respondents were aware of almost all popular brands of desktop PCs. HP/Compaq secured highest top-of-mind recall (27 per cent), followed by Dell, HCL and unbranded PCs. While unbranded PCs dominated in pattern of ownership, they were not the top-of-mind recall when it came to comparison with other established PC brands. In overall awareness, HP/Compaq led the field, followed by HCL. Both Sony and Lenovo were tied at third spot. While there were a few Samsung PC owners in our survey, the brand registered low overall awareness amongst the total surveyed population.
Brand Credibility
On the credibility front, HP/Compaq enjoyed the highest level of trust. The brand was closely associated with technology leadership, high quality, durability and ease of use. Dell, assembled PCs and Lenovo/IBM also enjoy a high level of credibility; while HCL, Apple and Sony were rated marginally lower. While Dell machines were viewed as technically good, assembled ones were perceived to be easy-to-use. Respondents also thought Lenovo/IBM machines had many innovative features. Brands like Acer, Wipro, Zenith and LG were ranked from good to average by respondents on various components of credibility.
Brand Satisfaction
When it comes to satisfaction, HP/Compaq scored the highest amongst our respondents. Availability of the brands was rated high, as was the information available about products, and the perceived value for money. Respondents rated assembled PCs on a par with Apple machines when it came to overall satisfaction, though on availability the assembled machines scored over Apple. Following close behind Dell was Lenovo/IBM which was ranked high on availability of information, general availability of products, and value for money. Wipro, Zenith and LG were ranked from moderate to good on the satisfaction front.
Brand Loyalty
Assembled PCs score the highest on all aspects of loyalty. Respondents strongly agreed that they would continue to use the product, would re-purchase a similar product-and even recommend a similar product to others. While HCL, Dell, Lenovo/IBM and HP/Compaq all enjoy equivalent levels of loyalty amongst respondents, none of the brands scored low on this index. This indicates that the user experience with these bands is uniformly high — and positive.
Ownership Cost
Many respondents (64 per cent) said that they were the sole decision makers when it came to specifying and purchasing PCs. Respondents who purchased assembled PCs paid on about Rs 21,000 for their machines, which was about the same amount paid by those who bought Dell machines. While HP/Compaq machines were a little more expensive, respondents seem to have paid the most for Lenovo/IBM, Zenith and Apple machines. However, these higher prices could also be because the respondents may have purchased higher configuration, or newer model machines. Service incidents and costs appeared to be low across all brands. This indicates that in real life, perhaps all brands of PCs were equally reliable in use.