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Consumer drones are still seen by many as sort of futuristic. But the Consumer Electronics Association estimates that drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), could reach 1 million flights per day in the U.S. within the next 20 years. Currently, there are a few different reasons why consumers might be interested in drones. But regulatory agencies still might need to do some work to catch up to the growing popularity. So how many consumers are interested in having their own drones? And what might convince them to make those purchases? We asked 1,000 respondents their thoughts on consumer drones and the growing market for that technology.
Consumer Drones
In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, just 6% of respondents said that they currently own a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle. MK and Phantom were two of the most popular brands among those drone owners. And although the sample of drone owners is still small, it seems that flying for fun is a major purchase factor for them at this point.
Future Users
Overall, just 26% of those who don’t currently own drones said that they are generally interested in them. 67% of overall respondents said that they are generally interested in technology. And 36% are generally interested in aviation. Of those who are interested in technology, 38% said that they are interested in drones. And of those who are interested in aviation, 54% are interested in drones. More specifically, 18% of respondents said that they are at least somewhat likely to purchase a drone within the next five years. But even though not many plan to actually purchase drones, 59% think it’s at least somewhat likely that consumer drones will gain popularity in the next five years.
Flying Regulations
In general, 52% of respondents feel that consumer drones have many different uses. But just 47% feel that consumers should be allowed to use drones, and 51% think businesses should be allowed to use them. In addition, 70% think that there should be strict regulations regarding consumer use of drones or unmanned aircraft systems.
Key Takeaways
The market for consumer drones does seem to be likely to grow in the next few years. Even though just a small percentage of overall consumers have plans to buy drones, it’s more than the number of current owners. And a few niche groups, like those interested in technology and aviation, are even more likely to be interested in drones. So for drone companies, targeting tech enthusiasts means potentially reaching a fairly large audience who are somewhat likely to be interested in drones. And targeting aviation enthusiasts means reaching out to a smaller group who is even more likely to have an interest in drones. You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: DJI Phantom Drone by Maurizio Pesce under CC BY 2.0What do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.
Results were collected on July 26 via AYTM’s online survey panel.
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