Paper Sample on Mobile Phone Consumers

Introduction

The focus of this section is about data analysis, presentation, and interpretation of the results of the current research. The demographic findings will be presented first by the findings aimed at assessing the effects of branding on the consumer purchase behaviour in the mobile phone sector. The data will then be analysed using various arithmetic functions such as mean, mode, and median for quantitative analysis.

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Response Rate

There were 80 participants who took part in the study. A mixed-method design was used for this research. Therefore, both qualitative and quantitative aspects were utilized. The sample population was set at 100 participants, however, only 80 participants were given the questionnaire and interview as planned. A smaller number would have narrowed the scope of the study. Systematic random sampling was used for this research (A, O'Cass and H, Frost, 2002).. First, the sample population was put in groups according to race, religion, level of writing, ethnicity, and level of education. From each group, 18 participants were picked randomly to avoid selection bias. The reason why this method was chosen is to avoid omission of people in the marginalized group, and if one person from the sample study was unavailable; they could be easily replaced with another one (Charles et. al, 2008).

The researcher distributed 80 questionnaires and 70 were filled and returned which represented 87.5% return rate.

From the good number of the response rate, it is fair to assert that the data collection process was conducted in a free and fair number (Chelsea, 2014). The completion rate also indicates the willingness of the participants to contribute in the research. The impressive response rate also served as a motivation to the research team. The response rate is past the threshold and ergo, the data from the research population can be used as an accurate representation of the entire population.

General Information

Demographics is imperative in observing and evaluating trends within a population. In most research studies, one is bound to deal with different groups of participants in terms of gender, race, religion, and region (Carl, 1959). Therefore, it was considered necessary to establish the demographic data of the respondents. The information included gender, nationality, and age bracket. In most cases, the demographic data are overlooked in research but this should not be the case. The demographic data is very significant in comparison and determining trends of the participants based on different categories (Atkin, 1978). For instance, the preference of females on phone brands might not be similar to that of the males.

Gender of the Respondent

The data was collected from the sample size in the form of the answers of the respondents about the questions that were asked through the questionnaire. The data collected included questionnaires from both females and males (Blythe, 2008). The main reason why the above approach was used was attributed to the diversity which can be seen in the sector through the use of sampling techniques. In addition, the sample was selected using the random sampling technique basis instead of using a systematic approach because it can create several problems, which may make the sample not be a true representative of the populations selected by the researcher.

On gender representation of the participants, 60% accounted for females whereas 40% accounted for males. The difference in percentages can be attributed to the fact that females are generally easier to approach and tend to be very accommodating (Cresswell, 2003). The research team asserted that most females were willing to answer the questionnaires without a lot of convincing unlike their male counterparts who proved to be a little inquisitive. The male participants needed to understand why the research was being conducted, who was heading the research, what was in for them and so forth. Some would even decline halfway when they got a phone call or felt like they needed to be somewhere (Cochran, 1977). On the other hand, most females were very cooperative with minimal efforts. Once the researchers politely asked them to participate in the research, they would gladly accept unless they had other pressing commitments and matters to attend to.

Age Bracket

The number of participants were divided based on age. It is very important to ascertain the different ages of the phone consumers and to evaluate the various consumer’s needs (Corner and Wickle, 2008) . For classification purposes, the participants were divided into five groups each with 10 years bracket. To ascertain the different ages of the consumers, the following groups were used.

It is evident that most of the phone consumer are the youngsters and the graph slants with increasing age (Dorsch et. al, 2000). Therefore, it is safe to assume that phone usage decreases with age and that can evidenced in the pie chart below. The difference in participants can be attributed to the free time that each participant has. In most cases, the young adults have a lot of time on their hands. Therefore, they would not mind to spend some of that time into the research. Similarly, most people in the age group between 20-30 years are likely to be outside on a normal day. As a person’s age progresses, the harder it is to find them outside. Above 30 years, people tend to have a lot of commitments and thus, can be found in offices, restaurants, or at their residential homes.

Finally, most people above 35 years have their minds too occupied that they would be less interested to participate in a research (Das, 2012). The above age group are rarely interested in electronics let alone the phone brands. Above 50 years, phones are primarily gadgets used to communicate, sending and receiving messages only. Therefore, any other function, specification, and feature is viewed as a less important detail. People above the age pf 61 are rarely outside. Most of them are in palliative care and elderly homes (Dziwornu, 2013). Likewise, some have terminal diseases and it would be very unethical to bother such a group with a phone brand questionnaire.

Phone Purchase Behavior

The next question was about phone purchase behaviour. From the responses, a couple of external factors influence the phone purchasing behaviour of a client (Engel & Blackwell, 1982). Therefore, it is evident that the phone purchasing behaviour is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The first part required the respondents to state whether if they planned to buy a particular brand of a phone, but after keen research, they realized there is another phone with the same price and better features (Evans et. al, 2006). Would they switch to the new brand or would still choose the preferred brand? From the analysis of the findings, 40% of the participants stated that they would choose the preferred brand whereas 60% of the participants stated that they would switch to a new brand (Kavitha, 2012).

The phone market is very competitive. Each minute, the phone companies are coming with better and more advanced features in mobile phones making it hard for consumers to choose. Even the renown phone brands are not assured of the top position and large client base like they used to. Gone are the days when a person would either choose between Samsung and iPhone (Kim, 2015). The variety and affordability has put the founding fathers of phones on their toes. They know that they are no longer the client’s favourites and have to put in some skin in the game to reclaim their past glory. Only 40% of the participants asserted that they are loyal to their phone brands. On proper evaluation, you might find that this is the older generation that has not used any other type of phone to experience or comment about its efficiency (Kotler, 2004).

However, the current generation are well versed in the features and are not likely to go for a phone because of its brand. It is for that reason that they go to the phone shop with a very open mind (Hassan et. al, 2012). They are not fixated on one phone brand and they know the right features that they are seeking in phones. Therefore, a phone offering all their desired features is likely to catch their attention regardless of the brand. Monopoly in phone market has changed significantly and no company can boast of sure clients anymore (Hausman, 2000).

Switching to the New Brand Compared to the Preferred Brand

There are several reasons why brand switching happens. However, it is important to understand that brand switching is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Brand switching is the phenomenon where a company loses a client to a competitor Jennifer, 1997). In brand switching, a client voluntarily chooses another brand over the preferred traditional one. From, the figure 4.4, it is evident that most participants would deliberately switch to a new brand offered in the market.

The next part required the respondents to state whether if they had a plan of buying a phone and there exist various brands with different features, would they choose the brand over features (Mack and Sharples, 2009). From the responses, 75% of the participants stated “Yes” while 25% stated “No”. One of the most important factors, which influence customer choice, is quality. Hence, a brand with successful features indicates that it will deliver exceptional customer satisfaction. Most respondents believe that brands with quality features make them to identify with the brand (Malasi, 2012).

Conclusion

Most companies introduce new features in order to make their brands unique to have an upper hand in the competitive market. Moreover, consumers are always looking for a unique product in the market. Consumers want manufacturing companies to give them a run for their money. Thus, to increase sales, manufacturing companies have to ensure that they come up with very unique products; ones that connot be found in the market (Schiffman et. al, 2012). A common saying goes that new brooms sweep clean and for that reason, clients want to experience something that they have not experienced before.