PRESS RELEASE
Lack of Personal Storage Forcing Consumers to Delete a Lifetime of Valuable Memories
Research launched today by WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company, reveals that over half (56%) of UK consumers have been forced to delete content from a technology device, due to capacity issues, and then have regretted doing so. Post Deletion Stress Disorder (PDSD) - which refers to consumers that delete content on impulse to make room for more pictures, videos and selfies – is only set to continue as consumer’s digital consumption habits start to exceed device storage capabilities.
The research study1, which was conducted with 1,000 UK consumers found that 7% are running out of storage on their mobile daily, 16% are reaching ‘full memory’ at least weekly and 1 in 3 (31%) run out of storage capacity at leastmonthly.
Why? Because when given a choice, consumers generally prefer to own content outright, rather than rent it. As a result storage allocations on devices are being pushed with 77% downloading an app to a mobile device at least monthly, and around one third (33%) downloading a feature film to a mobile device this often. Photographs were found to take up the most storage capacity across a range of consumer devices, (29% within smartphones), while 44% admit they ‘don’t know’ what content is taking up storage capacity on their devices.
Over two fifths (44%) of those involved in the survey admitted to trying to manage on just 64GB of device storage. And despite 31% saying their device reaches full capacity at some point only a third (33%) of those with personal storage/back up technology, have invested in an external hard drive, connected via a cable. What’s more just 2% of those surveyed are using a paid cloud storage solution, and less than a fifth (16%) are taking advantage of a free cloud storage service.
“Running out of storage space isn’t the greatest challenge threatening mankind at the moment, but it’s certainly an annoyance for a great many consumers,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of Content Solutions at WD. “Our findings clearly show that currently consumers are sacrificing precious memories and valuable content to make more space on their devices.”
“Clearly, attitudes towards storage purchasing have not yet caught up with appetites for digital content,” Welsh added. “As consumers continue to be lead more digital lifestyles and are forced to choose between which files to keep or delete, we believe consumers will look for external storage solutions that bring more value with features that help them store, share and backup their digital content from mobile devices and computers.”
1 This research study was conducted in July and August 2015, by market research provider Vanson Bourne. The sample included 1,000 UK respondents, 2,000 US respondents, 1,000 German respondents and 1,000 French respondents - that own/have access to at least a smartphone and a laptop/desktop PC. The findings detailed in this press release detail the UK research findings only.
