Teens Decide Which Consumer Electronics Make The Grade

New InsightExpress Survey Shows That While Only 30% Will Pay for Devices Themselves, Students Still Hold the Buying Power When Choosing Brands

This fall, back to school shopping for students means more than just school supplies as teens shop for new consumer electronics. According to an online survey of 300 junior and senior high school students conducted online by professional research firm InsightExpress(R), students looking for new electronics say they're the ones in control of the consumer electronics budget and brand buying decisions.

Devices most wanted by teens include MP3 players, cell phones, and digital (still and video) cameras. While students plan to pay for only 30% of electronics purchases themselves, teenagers say they still wield more buying influence than their parents. According to the survey, teens decide which brands to purchase for the following:

Consumer Electronic____Student___Student & Parents____Parents
Device_______________Decides_____Decide___________Decide
--------------------------------------------------------------
MP3________________56%____24%_______14%
Digital Camera________39%____26%_______27%
Digital Video Camera___36%____31%_______22%
Cell Phone___________35%____34%_______22%
Computer____________30%___ 27%_______34%

"Students are more educated not only in terms of what devices they want to own, but also which brands," says Lee Smith, president and COO of InsightExpress. "Teenagers hold a tremendous amount of influence when it comes to the devices they select, and savvy manufacturers will recognize the opportunity this audience represents."

When it comes to learning about new high tech devices, students turn to friends (72%), the Internet (70%), television (70%), magazines (58%), and school (44%).

The online survey of more than 300 students, was conducted in early August 2004. The data has a tolerance of +/-5.6%

Source: InsightExpress