AMD recently commissioned a research study with Zogby International to help us better understand consumers’ purchasing habits and challenges when buying a new computer.

If you’re super busy, I’ll give you the bottom line: While 30% of Consumers in North America love the PC purchasing process, the majority find purchasing a PC “as exciting as buying a new microwave.”

I was stunned when I read this finding. I think it’s way more fun to buy a microwave.

The PC aisle in any given store in North America can be depressing. Rarely is there anything interesting running on the screens. Many stores don’t have Internet access. And unlike a lot of shops around the world, there’s no point of purchase material (flyers, banners, monitor toppers) to help you make the right PC choice.

Contrast this to China, where buying a PC is like visiting some  high tech outdoor bazaar.  Dozens of PC shops right next door to each other. People hawking their specials to get you to come in and buy. Tons of merchandizing material stuck on – or hanging from – every surface available. Your senses are assaulted from all angles. It’s nothing if not fun.

Just look at this photo from a China PC mall and compare it to the one below from a store in the U.S. Where would you rather buy a PC?

This merchandizing does more than just make the purchasing process more interesting. It can also help make it easier by describing what you can do with the computer.  In the study, 23% of consumers found the PC purchasing process confusing, with almost 70% of that number saying it was “understanding the technology” that made it confusing. Well, if you don’t have any supporting material there’s only so much wrist pad and logo stickers can communicate.

Confusion with PC technology is a key reason we developed VISION Technology from AMD.

VISION simplifies the buying process at the point of sale by focusing on what people want to do with their PC (Internet, video, games), not the technology inside it. No one knows the technology inside their TV, camera or MP3 player, and they don’t need to know to get what they want. Buying a PC should be no different.

Of course, not everyone buys at a store. 35% of respondents said they buy PCs online because they can customize, and also because it’s easier to research. But online research can help even if you end up going to a store to buy. So if you’re looking for a new PC this holiday season, this online tool is a good place to start.

And if you’re looking for a new microwave, may I suggest my current favorite from Kenmore. It’s a microwave with a built in pizza oven.  Yep – a pizza oven. Now that’s fun.

Leslie Sobon is corporate vice president, product marketing at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only.  Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.