Satisfaction among Tablet Owners with Data Plans Outpacing Those with Wi-Fi Only Connections

Samsung Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Tablet Devices

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Oct 29, 2015, 09:00 ET

J.D. Power corporate logo.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The share of customers who purchase tablets with mobile data plans is on the rise due to their ability to stay continuously connected to the Internet, and satisfaction among these customers is higher than those with Wi-Fi only connections, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study^SM—Volume 2 released today.

For information about the 2015 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study—Volume 2, visit
http://www.jdpower.com/resource/jd-power-2013-tablet-customer-satisfaction-study

The study, now in its fourth year, measures customer satisfaction with tablets across five factors (in order of importance): performance (28%); ease of operation (22%); features (22%); styling and design (17%); and cost (11%). Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.

Overall customer satisfaction with mobile data-connected tablets is higher than it is with Wi-Fi only tablets. The gap in satisfaction between owners with data plan-connected tablets and those with Wi-Fi only devices is 26 points (833 vs. 807, respectively), up from 22 points in the 2014 Vol. 2 Study.

According to the 2015 Vol. 2 Study, the proportion of customers who purchase tablets with mobile data plans is 31 percent, a higher share than in any previous J.D. Power study and a 3 percentage point gain from Vol. 1, released six months ago. The increased popularity of subscribing to data plans is attributable to customer interest in staying connected and using a tablet for activities such as browsing the Internet, streaming music and videos, playing games, using apps and communicating on social media sites.

The convenience of being connected to the Internet using a data plan has a positive impact on customer satisfaction because Wi-Fi coverage tends to be spotty when away from the home or business. Customers with data plans can use their tablet to its full potential nearly anytime and anywhere. As such, they use their tablets more frequently for all measured activities in the study, and frequent use is associated with higher levels of satisfaction. For example, 17 percent of customers with data plans watch a full-length movie daily, compared to just 4 percent without data plans. Satisfaction is higher among customers who watch a movie daily than among those who do not (890 vs. 808, respectively).

"The convenience of being continuously connected is a key driver of satisfaction among tablet owners with data plans," said Kirk Parsons, senior director and technology, media & telecom practice leader at J.D. Power. "Wireless providers benefit by leveraging the convenience of being connected nearly anywhere at any time, as customer spending rises when they purchase a data plan-enabled tablet, and customers benefit by having a satisfying tablet experience. When customers are satisfied, they are more likely to recommend their tablet brand to their friends and family."

Study Rankings

Samsung (827) ranks highest in overall satisfaction and performs well in all five factors.
Amazon and Apple (825 in a tie) rank second, with Amazon performing well in the cost factor and Apple performing well in the ease of use and performance factors.

KEY FINDINGS

Overall customer satisfaction with tablet devices is 814, a slight decline of 1 point from 815 in the 2015 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study—Volume 1.
Customers with data plans on their tablet are much more likely to say they "definitely will" purchase additional electronics from their tablet manufacturer than those without data plans (31% vs. 18%, respectively).
Among customers with data plans, overall satisfaction is higher when they are on individual plans (847) than when they are on shared plans (820). There is a 37 point satisfaction gap in the cost factor between tablet owners with a shared data plan and those with an individual plan (809 vs. 846, respectively), indicating that customers do not feel that shared plans provide as much value as individual plans.
The perception of carrier data connection speeds is improving relative to Wi-Fi connection speeds, increasing the appeal of data plans. The share of customers who say their carrier connection speed is faster than their Wi-Fi connection has increased to 20 percent from 16 percent in Vol. 1.
Providing an outstanding tablet data plan experience can generate high levels of advocacy and retention. The study finds that 67 percent of highly satisfied tablet owners with data plans (overall satisfaction scores of 900 or higher) say they "definitely will" recommend their tablet manufacturer, while only 20 percent of indifferent owners (scores from 550 to 750) say they "definitely will" recommend.

The 2015 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study—Volume 2 is based on experiences evaluated by 2,979 tablet owners who have owned their current device for less than one year. The study was fielded between March and August 2015.

Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Scores		J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings™
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)		For Consumers

Samsung	827	5
Amazon	825	5
Apple	825	5
Study Average	814	3
Microsoft	806	3
Dell	783	2
Asus	780	2
Barnes and Noble	759	2

Power Circle Ratings Legend
5 – Among the best
4 – Better than most
3 – About average
2 – The rest

Award-Eligible Tablet Manufacturers Included in the Study

Company Name	U.S. Executive Name	U.S. Company Address
Apple	Tim Cook	Cupertino, Calif.
Amazon	Jeff Bezos	Seattle, Wash.
Asus	Jerry Shen	Fremont, Calif.
Barnes and Noble	Ron Boire	New York, N.Y.
Dell	Michael Dell	Round Rock, Texas
Microsoft	Satya Nadella	Redmond, Wash.
Samsung	Gregory Lee	Ridgefield Park, N.J.