Congrats, You Have Reached Your Destination!

The type of customers associated with the use of GPS would be that of undershot consumers.  Consumers of GPS units are often frustrated with the limitations of many online mapping services.  The inability to track the movement of its users and provide real-time updates is a major reason why many consumers purchase GPS units or insist on their vehicles having a GPS navigation system.  Also while reading through several customer reviews of many mapping websites, I noticed a lot of negative feedback that discussed the limitations of online navigation resources.  One example of a common consumer review dealt with the inaccuracy in timing certain routes.  Many websites don’t account for things like construction and traffic accurately which in turn add more time to different routes taken.  GPS units in contrast constantly update the estimated time of arrival making them more accurate.

Another signal of change that suggests consumers are undershot buyers is the willingness of many people to pay high prices for GPS units and navigation systems.  Despite individual units costing between $200 and $500 and in-car navigation systems adding thousands to the retail price of cars, sales have continually increased since GPS navigation systems hit the market.  Undershot consumers continue to insist that vehicles being bought have a GPS navigation systems installed.  Also because of the increase in demand for such systems, GPS systems are even becoming standard features on many brands of newer vehicles.

GPS producers are able to increase their customer base by creating products that are reliable and able to perform functions that are most valuable to the consumer.  Considering that many GPS units are touchscreen and fairly intuitive, their ease of use is another aspect that attracts undershot consumers.