• by Aaron Baar , December 15, 2016

Forget the bigger screens and more memory. The thing that is really intriguing consumers about their next phone is the possibility of wireless charging. 

According to a survey on behalf of the Wireless Power Consortium, nearly 90% of consumers who have not yet tried wireless charging are intrigued by its possibilities. Just over three-quarters said they would use wireless charging if it were built into their smartphones.

“It’s surprising how much folks like wireless charging,” John Perzow, vice president of market development for WPC, tells Marketing Daily. “It seems like it would be a nice convenience, but they really like it a lot.”

According to the survey of more than 2,000 consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, 75% say they have smartphone “battery anxiety” at least once a week (36% said they experience it once a day). Nearly 70% of those consumers believed having access to a wireless charging accessory — such as placement in cars, stores and public areas — would reduce their anxiety levels. 

“If wireless charging is dispersed along your daily journey, on your nightstand, in your car, or at work, to keep your battery topped up, that is how [adoption] works,” Perzow says. “That is what people discover on their own, that they can keep their battery charged all day.”

Among respondents who had used wireless charging, 90% said it was appealing. Nearly half of them (49%) purchased more than one wireless charging product after using wireless charging accessories (15% had purchased three or more).

While wireless charging adoption rates are growing as expected, there’s an opportunity to accelerate its use, Perzow says. While electronics salespeople and representatives are well-versed in wireless charging, there still needs to be more consumer engagement. 

“There’s an organic approach that’s happening now,” he says. “It [will take] more phones with wireless charging built in or direct-to-consumer methods would really accelerate the rate of adoption.”