The Consumer Adoption Process

How many times have you turned on the TV and saw customers camped outside a store awaiting the arrival of the latest version of a software application or video game? It is unlikely that you would find any 80-year-old great-grandmothers in the bunch. The reason you won’t is due to a concept called the Consumer Adoption Process.

People differ greatly in their willingness to buy new products or try new concepts. On one extreme, some people are just waiting for the latest computer hardware to hit the store shelves, while on the other extreme; some people are still using the typewriter and couldn’t care less.

Let’s take an example: If the consumers in market is 35-54 years of age, have 2.5 kids and drive an SUV; they are most likely in the Early Majority stage. The more you understand about this group, the more adept you will be in anticipating their needs and developing advertising accordingly.

Listed below are the stages of the consumer adoption process.

  • Innovators: This group is young and educated. They tend to take risks and are hard for marketers to locate.
  • Early Adopters: This is a young and mobile group. They are similar to innovators but not quite as hard to find since they now have a history. They are likely to recommend products to others if they like it.
  • Early Majority: This group is a bit more cautious. Their ability to take risks is limited because of family and career obligations.
  • Late Majority: This group is older than the early majority. This group is good target for referrals and personal endorsements.
  • Laggards: This group is older and less knowledgeable than the others are. They don’t respond to most marketing messages and look to other laggards for guidance. They shouldn’t be discounted, but marketers won’t look to introduce a new innovative product to this group.

Certain demographic groups are overrepresented in the consumption certain goods and services.  Similarly, other groups are underpresented in the consumption of different goods and services. If you get them twisted, the failure of your advertising is almost guaranteed. By the same token, if you get it right, you can print your own money.

In a nutshell, the more you understand the Consumer Adoption concept, the more effective your advertising will be.