of other people are already doing so. Both groups are primarily interested in
what the product can do for them, unwilling to invest significant time or effort
in getting it to work, and intolerant of flaws. Different individuals can be in
different groups for different types of product. A consumer could be an early
adopter of video game consoles, but a late majority customer for microwave
ovens.
Figure 4.4: The diffusion of innovations according to Everett Rogers. The blue
line represents the successive groups adopting the technology, the yellow line
the market share (Image: Tungsten, via Wikicommons).
Geoffrey Moore identified a ‘chasm’ between the early adopter and early
majority market (which he called visionaries and pragmatists). These groups
have different needs and different buying habits. Mainstream customers don’t
buy products for the same reasons as early adopters. They don’t perceive early
adopters as having the same needs as themselves. Mainstream customers may
be aware that early adopters are using the product. But this will not convince
them to try it out themselves unless they see it as meeting their own, different,
needs. So products can be successful with an early market, yet fail t o find a
mainstream audience.