Consumers willing to pay for responsible manufacturing

• CNN survey: 65% of global consumers are willing to pay more for electronics products that have been responsibly produced
• 61% of respondents use social media to connect to their favorite consumer electronics brands.

TWO-THIRDS (65%) of global consumers say they are willing to pay more for electronic products that have been responsibly produced, according to CNN International's Consumer Connect - Consumer Electronics 2012 survey.

A quarter (26%) of respondents said that they cared about responsible manufacturing but were not willing to pay more for it, while 9% said that the way in which products were produced was not a concern at all.

The study also revealed that 61% of respondents use social media to connect to their favorite consumer electronics brands.

The survey, which saw the participation of more than 2,300 CNN consumers from 70 countries around the world, also looked at consumers' current ownership and future purchasing plans for electronics products.

Laptop and smartphones were the most frequently owned products (88% and 67% respectively), and were also the most likely to be purchased or replaced (72% and 73% respectively).

While 66% of respondents currently own a compact digital camera, a smaller percentage (46%) planned to purchase or replace this product.

In contrast, 42% of respondents currently own a tablet computer and 54% plan to purchase or replace the product.

The survey also found that smart TVs and connected TV sets are out-pacing streaming media boxes as a means of viewing Internet content on TV, with both higher ownership (16% versus 12%) and purchase intent (38% versus 27%).  

"Not surprisingly, there is still very strong demand from consumers for new electronics products," said vice president of CNN Advertising Sales Asia Pacific, William Hsu.

"This survey demonstrates that there is a clear opportunity for brands to connect with consumers and convert these purchasing plans into sales."

When asked what influenced their electronics purchasing decisions, durability (86%), price (85%) and functionality (83%) were the three most important factors in the decision making process.

Three quarters of the respondents surveyed said that a product's design and appearance (77%), use of the latest technology (75%) and brand name (74%) were important factors, while 40% of respondents said they considered the product's country of origin an important factor. 

"Interestingly, we found only minor differences between Asia, EMEA and the U.S., demonstrating the globalized nature of electronics brands,” said Hsu.

Additionally, the survey found that consumers are divided as to the right form factor for smartphones and tablet computers.

While 40% agree that "something in-between a smartphone and a tablet computer would cover all my mobile needs," a similar proportion (44%) claim that "smartphones are big enough already" and that "having a separate smartphone and tablet makes more sense to me."