How often have you searched for a solution to charge your phone?
A recent survey by LG of thousands of people found “Low Battery Anxiety,” a term they used to explain the behavior of people who change their everyday lives to accommodate their dying battery. The survey found that 9 out of 10 people “felt panic” when their phone battery drops to 20% or lower.
More data has emerged that suggests the fear of being without a fully charged mobile phone is a growing problem. This type of anxiety even has a name – nomophobia (NO MObile PHone phoBIA).
We once lived happy, productive lives without smartphones – but we now live in a digital world. Every day people rely on their phones for important documents, information, and even access to work, events, restaurants, and other facilities.
Five symptoms of low battery anxiety determined by LG
- Asking a total stranger to charge their smartphone
- Arguing with a significant other or romantic interest because of unanswered calls or texts
- Ordering something at a bar or restaurant just to use their power outlet
- Secretly ‘borrowing’ someone else’s charger
- Owning three or more smartphone charging cables
We conducted our survey.
We asked users: “Do you worry about your phone dying when you are out and about?”
Answers to choose from: Somewhat worried, Worried, and Stressed.
The most interesting insight is the difference between female and male responses.
-Responded Stressed: 59% female, 36% Male, 5% Nonbinary
-Stressed and Worried replies make up 51% of responses from Females while only 40% from Males.
Females are more worried about their phones dying.
This comment from one of our female users explains why:
“Thought of being without a phone after 6 pm is horrifying. What if I’m in an emergency and need to call an Uber to leave?”
Why should businesses care?Anxiety and discomfort go hand in hand, so it makes sense that companies should try to reduce stress for customers and employees wherever possible, ensuring they have a positive experience and are productive.
What impact could low battery anxiety have on customer experience?
A customer struggling to relax because they are worried if they have enough power left in their phone to navigate unlikely to enjoy their experience, and may even remember their journey (and your company) negatively.
A dead cell phone battery at an entertainment venue could potentially ruin the entire experience:
- Paperless ticketing
- Taking photos and recording videos
- Posting to social media
- Texting and calling
- Paying for merchandise, food & drink(Apple Pay, Venmo etc.)
- Accessing ride share Uber & Lyft