• by Aaron Baar , April 25, 2013

Consider the tablet something of a “gateway electronic device.” People like them more when they’re shared and are more predisposed to buy other products from the same when they’re highly satisfied. 

According to the J.D Power and Associates’ Tablet Satisfaction Study, 94% of highly satisfied tablet owners say they are likely to purchase other consumer electronics from the same manufacturer. The study also found that more than half (51%) of tablet owners share their devices with at least one other person, and that those who share them have higher satisfaction levels than those whose tablets are only used by one person (852 vs. 824 on a 1,000-point scale). 

“Having the experience [of sharing] with their household, they [all] get to use the device and get familiar with them. Once it comes time to upgrade, it all feeds into that experience.” Kirk Parsons, senior director of telecommunications services at J.D. Power, tells Marketing Daily. “If they’ve had a good experience, they’re more likely to consider an additional product.”

Despite declining purchase intent for a new tablet (27% of current tablet owners said they were likely to buy a new tablet within the next 12 months -- down from 37% last year, which Parson says is attributable to market saturation), 41% of tablet owners who share their device among four people said they “definitely will” purchase their next tablet from their current manufacturer, compared with 28% similar purchase intent from those who don’t share the device. 

Not surprisingly, a lot of the sharing happens between adults and children. According to the survey, nearly half of tablet owners (46%) share the device with their kids. Among them, 30% have downloaded education apps, compared with 16% who do not share the device with kids. (Comparatively, 20% of tablet owners are using their devices for business purposes, though only 31% of employers contribute either wholly or partially to a tablet purchase.)

Apple ranked the highest in overall owner satisfaction, with a score of 836, followed by Amazon at 829 and Samsung at 822.