Adopter Categories Definition & Example Marketing Overview
In terms of external connections, the well-connected received seed from friends outside the village and extension workers. In contrast, participators reported taking part in seed trials, demonstrations, or field days to help farmers. Both participators and the well-connected heard about seed opportunities via the radio. These findings suggest that adopter classes may vary in their type of internal or external network, and different communication channels are needed to reach them. Persons categorized in the early and late majority have many informal social contacts, and adopt innovations once they feel secure that the local network supports the innovation (Ainamo, 2009; Rogers, 2003).
- However, it found that direct word of mouth and example were far more influential than broadcast messages, which were only effective if they reinforced the direct influences.
- Customers who fall into the early majority category make up about 34% of the total.
- Conversely, Jenner took a part in increasing the app’s reach through her social media presence.
- They might buy novel products when businesses only offer the most recent technology or when it is more practical.
- Although sensitive to the audience, more complex measures may allow further insights into the latent, adopter categories.
Only when a technology successfully crosses the chasm can it achieve mainstream adoption. The ability to cross the chasm is considered a key factor in the long-term success of a technology product or company. Help early adopters master new technology by providing training in a variety of formats, such as walkthroughs, written guides, and video training. It’s important to address different learning styles and provide self-paced learning opportunities.
Technology
Innovators will be intrigued by the tool and interested in how it can improve their work. Adopters from this part of the technology adoption curve like going against the grain and trying new things. They’re the first to upgrade their phones or experiment with a tool during beta testing. Because innovators are rarely concerned about failure, they’re very willing to give a new technology a shot. It has altered our lifestyles, preferences, and the way we spend our time and resources. Carr (1999) has defined technology adoption as the ‘stage of selecting a technology for use by an individual or an organization’.
These adopter categories are in some ways related to the ‘Diffusion of the Innovation Theory’ in the year 1962 by sociologist Everett Rogers. So far this has been applied to several different studies, for example, organizational studies, marketing, complexity studies, communications knowledge, etc. Now, this adopter is those people here who are being classified by the product that they choose to explore and start using. Also, the adopter categories refer to the classification of the consumers by the amount of time that is being invested by that particular consumer and the level of willingness with which that customer is trying that product. Various Categories of Adopters are defined in the concept of diffusion of innovation.
Characteristics of Adopter Categories
Let’s look at the diagram to understand how adopters adopt a new product over time. Innovators are those who want to be the first to acquire a new product or service. They are risk-takers, price-insensitive, and are able to cope with a high degree of uncertainty. Innovators are crucial to the success of any new product or service, as they help it to gain market acceptance. In terms of the new product adopter categories, Bob would be considered a(n) ________. Customers
in the mainstream market often want to see functioning products supported by
research, case studies, and alike.
They also execute other factors like price, features, and warranty period. Hence, it is a term referred to the classification of customers based on the products that they buy which have been recently launched in the market. This term is known as the adopter category because here the adopters are being categorized. The adopter categories (or types of adopters) classify consumer demographics based on their willingness to explore or start using a new product or innovation that has been recently launched in the market. Adopter categories can be defined as dividing product adopters on the basis of time and level of willingness with which they tried or will try the product/service.
You would expect the marketing team to identify these people very early during the product development (and not following a launch). Marketing would be expected to gain the interest of these people, involve them in early user trials and generally win their support. By addressing any adopter category’s values, maximum impact is more likely. In Roger’s https://1investing.in/, he acknowledges that not everyone possesses the same motivation to adopt new technologies. They are your most stubborn users — easily frustrated by new technology and quick to give up on a tool that does not immediately make their life easier. While early adopters are trendsetters and tend to be comfortable taking risks, they want to form a solid opinion of technology before they vocally support it.
How can companies use these categories?
According to his research, there are five adopter categories—innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. At this stage of the technology adoption curve, you’ll need extensive research and proof that the new technology is effective. Much like the early majority, the late majority want a data-driven reason to adopt technology. Convincing people in this adopter category requires research and solid proof that the technology is worth their time. For adopters in this category of the technology adoption curve, you’ll need a pragmatic approach. Go to the early majority with evidence of what technology can accomplish.
Behavioral Change Models
An example would be the need to buy a new kind of pesticide to use innovative seeds. Indirect costs may also be social, such as social conflict caused by innovation.[79] Marketers are particularly interested in the diffusion process as it determines the success or failure of a new product. It is quite important for a marketer to understand the diffusion process so as to ensure proper management of the spread of a new product or service. This is done so that the companies can get valuable information regarding the productiveness of the business. Thus, the adopter categories are a general analysis of the various types of customers who profoundly affect the entire marketing system. Analysis of adopter categories is especially useful when a new product launches in the market.
Also by categorizing these adopters, it becomes easy for the marketing managers to analyze how there are fundamental changes in the behavior observed. These behaviors are based on the fact that how the customers approach products, what they think about them and how much are they willing to buy them. This segment of the demographics is leading the market today and has covered almost one-third of the entire market. Over time they have built their impression of an average social status and are far from being the opinion leaders. The people belonging to this adopter category are generally those who tend to adopt a newly launched product or any new idea that is flowing into the market soon.
According to Statista, the global shipment of personal computers was approximately 302 million units in 2020. Use your innovators and early adopters to show how the tool or software serves your organization. Late majority adopters appreciate seeing how technology relates to their jobs specifically, so turn your early users within the company into vocal supporters adopter categories of new technology. To motivate the early majority, show how the new technology solves a problem. To win over the early majority, you need to demonstrate what problem the technology solves and how it does so. Remember, this adopter category responds to data-driven arguments, so show these users how your solution has solved a similar problem in the past.
Popular case studies
The late majority is amongst the adopter categories that follow after the early majority. Laggards accept an innovation only if they are surrounded by peers who have already adopted it and like it (Rogers, 2003). Essentially, laggards adopt once the innovation is no longer innovative (Ainamo, 2009). Due to their lack of interest in and resistance to change, laggards and late majority persons know less about the effects of the innovations than those in the other categories (Ainamo, 2009).
The descriptive profile of laggards can be seen a negative; this may be due to a general tendency toward a pro-innovation bias (Rogers, 2003). This course is presented by Alan Dix, a former professor at Lancaster University in the UK and a world-renowned authority in Human-Computer Interaction. Alan is also the author the university-level textbook “Human-Computer Interaction.” It is a short course designed to help you master the concepts and practice of designing for adoption and appropriation. It contains all the basics to get you started on this path and the practical tips to implement the ideas. Alan blends theory and practice to ensure you get to grips with these essential design processes.