Differences in Navigation User Preferences and Behavior Between Europe and the US Impose Targeted Approaches

Navigation devices are used differently in the US and Europe, according to a recent online survey conducted by ABI Research in both regions. The survey included responses from 766 navigation users in the US, and 255 users in the UK, Germany, and France.

“When we compare navigation usage in the US and Europe, we find significant differences in form factor and brand preferences, features, services and average session duration,” says ABI Research practice director Dominique Bonte. “These are most pronounced in France and Germany, with the UK resembling the US more closely.”

The most important regional differences observed:

More respondents in Germany and France report the use of in-dash navigation systems, compared to those in the US; at the same time a significantly higher percent (82%) of US respondents use PNDs. The same trend is reflected in future purchase intentions.

Navigation is used more frequently but for shorter sessions in the US reflecting differences in automotive usage.

While local search, weather and networking are more popular LBS applications in the US, gaming and geo-tagging are preferred by more European respondents.

While Garmin and TomTom lead the US and European markets respectively, regional players such as Magellan (US) and Medion and Navigon (Europe) remain important.

Lane and junction mapping features as well as traffic information are far more popular in Europe due to a more complex and congested road infrastructure.
These results, says Bonte, suggest that "PND vendors with global ambitions should carry wide product portfolios to cater for these regional differences." Aborted attempts by both Magellan (Europe) and Navigon (US) to expand into new territories serve as strong reminders. The global expansion strategy of Mitac based on the acquisition of regional brands such as Navman and Magellan further illustrates this paradigm.