Quration 26: The Cult of Convenience
Do you have AirPods? I use mine most days, and have always liked them. But today, I love them, I love the Apple store, and I love being an Apple consumer. What pushed me from like to love? Convenience.
I like my AirPods because they’re small enough to fit in my front jeans pocket, unobtrusive enough to not bother my ears when I’m wearing them, and advanced enough to deliver decent quality audio. Is it the best audio? I don’t know. Does it bother me that when I’m on a call the microphone picks up every single ambient noise? A little. Does it stop me liking them? No. Because they are the most convenient earphones / headset I have ever used.
Earlier this week, I was helping my son, Tim, prep for his first week of college. I thought that meant new clothes and shoes. He thought it meant fixing his AirPods so they stopped squeaking every now and then. The process of fixing the AirPods was a masterclass in convenience and service. The experience provides a useful template for assessing the likely success of other consumer propositions.
Before the store
When Tim asked to get his AirPods repaired, I pulled out my phone, searched for an Apple store near my location, and picked a service time on the following day that would allow us to go straight from the gym and pick up some lunch after the Apple appointment. Super convenient.
En route to the appointment the next day, I noticed Tim gouging at his Airpods in a last-minute attempt to clean off 18-months of gunk. The result: slightly less disgusting AirPods with two broken ear tips. Any hope of an easy repair was obviously dashed.
In the store
On arrival to the store, we were greeted by an Apple team member who promptly gave us an ETA on when we’d be served. Only minutes later and a no-fuss team member had heard our story, completed an automated test, and was replacing the damaged AirPods with a brand new set. Tim and I didn’t dare look at one another. We barely breathed. Neither one of us wanted to do anything that might break the spell and interrupt the miracle we were witnessing.
Yes, AirPods come with a two-year warranty. Yes, there was a fault in the device that warranted a replacement. But how many times have you had a similar issue, only to be pilloried for what feels like hours until a manager’s manager grudgingly hands over an in-store credit voucher?
After the store
Exhaling in astonishment as we left the store, we couldn’t stop grinning. That experience pushed me from liking Apple products to loving them. Why would I ever buy another brand and risk missing out on that convenient service?
Sure, it was only new AirPods, but it felt like so much more. We were braced for battle. Prepared for disappointment. But the outcome was the best we could have hoped for and the effort required was close to zero. That is precisely the type of convenience that humans are wired to want. Maximum return with zero effort. It’s in our DNA.
And the winner is …
Most of our decisions are influenced by convenience. As consumers, we’re generally swayed by service, price, and the quality of the product. But, more often than not, convenience streaks ahead as the primary influence. That’s probably true for the rest of our lives as well.
We shouldn’t feel too bad about it. Humans are designed to look for shortcuts. Every day we operate with dozens of cognitive biases that make our lives easier. We favour simple options. We reduce details to key elements. We prefer the immediate, relatable thing in front of us over the delayed and distant. We presume we know what others are thinking. We default to convenience.
Convenience as a predictor of success
These days, when I assess the likelihood of a new technology player being successful, I begin and end with considering convenience. There is always an exception to the rule, but generally speaking, if you are looking for a mass market victor then convenience will ultimately divide the sheep from the goats.
For example, how might we assess the Electric Vehicle (EV) market and its competitors? Obviously, Tesla is the front-runner. The vehicle is sublime, its effective use of energy leads the pack, and the likelihood of Tesla winning the technology race is very high. Meanwhile, there are a countless competitors.
Among them is Lucid, a company that is backed by Saudi billions and run by a CEO, Peter Rawlinson, who was the chief engineer behind the breakthrough Tesla model S. How do they intend to compete? Luxury, efficiency, and eventually on price.
Also competing for gold is the Chinese upstart, Nio. Their competitive proposition is a battery-as-a-service program. Rather than waiting hours for a recharge, Nio swaps your depleted battery for a fully charged one. In minutes. Soon it will take less than 3 minutes for a swap. That sounds bloody convenient.
Lucid’s cars will set new benchmarks of luxury, and I will likely buy shares. But if I could only pick one, I would put my money on Nio. As long as the business fundamentals are in place, I’m betting on people’s preference for convenience.
I’m long lazy people.
Other convenient tech
Boom Supersonic is all about glamour, referencing the heyday of the Concorde, and promising super-fast, super-luxurious travel. I guess saving time is super-convenient. But I hope they don’t expect time-saving to replace other basic conveniences. Easy purchase, easy-on, comfortable seats, comfortable amenities, entertainment options, easy-off. Most people would prefer 8 hours of convenience than 5 hours of inconvenience.
Levels is a product/service that tracks your blood glucose in real time. You attach a tiny probe into your arm and then “Levels gives you biometric feedback through a Continuous Glucose Monitor to show how your body reacts to food and exercise.”
The benefits of getting real-time feedback on your personal glycemic response to different foods and exercise is profound. If it deliver just half of the insights it promises, Levels will be a game-changer for metabolic health.
The problem with these types of services is the Sisyphean task of tracking, counting, assessing, adjusting. Having an ever-present probe and AI tracking app is incredibly convenient, and will keep this service ahead of the pack.
Peleton, the home-exercise (mostly cycling) revolution, continues to boom and cannot keep up with demand. Convenience.
Doordash, and every other food delivery service, has seen huge spikes in consumer demand, prompting unprecedented growth in driver employment and dark kitchen development. Convenient access to food.
You get the point.
For our ancestors, risk and reward was self-evident. In today’s overfed, middle income suburbia, convenience is the ultimate reward and the risk of losing it is what we fear the most.
If you want to understand what sways consumer behaviour, start by looking at convenience. Same goes for most aspects of our everyday lives. Convenience is king, and we are its loyal subjects.
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