• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 5, 2014

According to The Kids & Family Center of Excellence within Ipsos MediaCT, families with kids under 18 years old are poised to continue their quest for connection and convenience, evidenced by their strong intent to purchase a variety of new tech devices, including wearable technology, over the next twelve months.

Although Millennials are stereotypically associated with a penchant for technology, families with kids and teens have emerged as the technophiles to reckon with, says the report. Parents with kids 17 and under were significantly more likely to be aware of and interested in these new tech devices than folks without those influencers at home. Most importantly to marketers, says the report, parents also expressed significantly higher levels of likelihood to purchase.

From standard family electronic fare such as laptops, tablets and smartphones to newer devices such as wearable technology, 4K TV, and 3D-printers, families are leading the charge toward the acquisition of the newest gadgets. One-in-five parents of kids/teens indicated they were likely to purchase wearable technology in the next 12 months as compared to one-in-ten respondents without kids.

Donna Sabino, SVP at the Ipsos Media CT Kids & Family Center of Excellence, says “… it makes sense that these consumers would be among the first to gravitate towards next-gen technology solutions… to help manage and enjoy their increasingly busy lives… “

Additionally, twice as many parents of kids/teens reported being likely to purchase a 3D printer in the next year compared to non-parents. “… parents (who) understand how quickly technology changes… (are) willing to make investments to keep up-to-date… (as the) cost of the devices is amortized over all the family members who will use them, which can help sway parents…” observes Sabino.

In terms of brand preference, parents of kids/teens were significantly more likely than non-parents to be considering the purchase of wearable technology from brands such as Apple, Samsung, Google/Android, Sony and Nike.

Sabino also points out that the presence of a young person in the household impacts not only device purchase at the category level but in terms of brand selection as well.

For more from Ipsos, please visit here.