According to a newly released study by the Consumer Technology Association, almost all Canadian households (95 percent) own a TV set, and three-quarters have smartphones, digital cameras, laptops and cordless phones. Those reported results aren’t significantly different to those derived from a CTA survey in the U.S., with this contrast: Canada shows more reliance on landline phones, the “Consumer Technology Ownership and Market Potential Study in Canada” notes.
“It’s unusual to find such high numbers of Western consumers still using landlines, but this trend could change as wireless coverage continues to improve across Canada — especially in rural areas where only 68 percent of households own a smartphone,” Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at CTA, says. “Smartphones are becoming essential to everyday life, and more and more Canadians are discovering the connectivity and efficiency these devices provide. But the biggest growth potential in the Canada consumer market lays in emerging technologies.”
Canadian consumers showed strong interest in emerging technologies, according to the report, but are slower than Americans when it comes to adoption. U.S. households are reportedly more likely to own emerging tech products such as drones or smart home devices. Overall, however, the study found few significant differences between U.S. and Canadian household ownership of consumer tech products.
The surveyed also focused on first-time purchases buyer intent in Canada. Portable wireless speakers were named as the top most-wanted product, with 20 percent of households saying they would consider buying WiFi or Bluetooth-enabled portable speakers within the next year. And 5 percent of Canadian households in the survey say they expect to buy their first headphones, 4K Ultra HD TVs or fitness trackers sometime in the next year.
“With Canadians’ enthusiasm for innovation, especially in emerging categories, we expect technology to have an even more valuable role in consumer’s daily lives over the next several years,” Koenig concludes.
CTA reports that the research is a result of telphone survey questions among a random national sample of 1,001 Canadian adults in July.
