More psychology of technology:

Mainstream consumers are still relatively uncomfortable with technology:

• Technology goes out of date too quickly.
• Which means: “The model I buy today, after a long shopping process, may be ‘old version’ tomorrow.”
• “What if I make the wrong choice?”
• “What’s my recourse if this device malfunctions 30 days after I buy it?”
• And before the sale “Why do I need this?”
• “Why are they trying to sell me an Android smart phone with scary images of a freaking robot all the time?”
• “What happens if the maker of my favorite smart phone basically dies and then gets acquired by a huge PC maker, which itself is not a good marketer?”

Technology is stressful.

It takes investment and commitment — emotional and financial. Not to mention the time commitment and the learning commitment. And the opportunity cost commitment. “If I buy this HDTV, I’m missing out on that HDTV.”

Which is why technology manufacturers must be soothers. Your customers are pretty anxious.

Buying a $200 pair of jeans comes with none of the anxieties of buying a $200 smart phone. Jeans are easy. Smart phones connect you to your loved ones, and smart phones can let you down.

You must be the balm for consumers’ past and expected “bad tech relationships.”

How do you do this?

Through excellent marketing before the sale, and, indeed, after the sale.

You must educate consumers and comfort them. You must let them know you are available to them if they need you.

Dell’s famous three-year warranties are an excellent example of this.

Comfort consumers. Soothe them. Calm them.

There’s a lot of psychology in technology.