From a channels perspective, the brick-and-mortar retail environment dominates both the PC and accessories markets with Best Buy expanding its reach of US consumers.
In addition, this year's survey shows that PC users have moved en masse toward a Web-centric environment, and cloud-based activities are on the rise. In contrast, productivity-based activities have become a secondary focus among consumers. In this context, manufacturers, vendors and distributors must do a better job understanding segmentation and user behavior in an effort to maximize their competitive position.
The survey also found that U.S. small businesses (less than 100 employees) spent $2.7 billion on "Beyond-the-Box" products, accounting for nearly 24% of their computer shopping budget.
"This research is meant to shed some light on a substantial portion of the personal computing segment, the accessories market, which has not been adequately tracked in the past," said David Daoud, research director, Personal Computing. "With the trend of a multi-PC per user environment, the accessories market will play a growing role in insuring seamless integration of all the devices in businesses and households. The need for solutions to enhance user experience, improve productivity, and secure users' computing environment mean that the accessories market will continue to expand going forward. In its fourth year, this research provides strategic recommendations to manufacturers, distributors, and their partners."
