MBA404 Consumer Behaviour: Perception about Phone 7.10

You will be given an opportunity to critically analyse and understand the driving forces of perception, attitudes, motivation, group and individual differences, culture, family and lifestyle that influence consumer behaviour and consequently consumers’ purchasing decisions. You are required to create a survey via Survey Monkey – a free online instrument. The survey must comprise a minimum of 10 questions.

Answer:

This was a survey which was conducted for purposes of finding out some of the factors that motivates customers into buying the products of Apple. Specifically, the focus of this survey was iPhone 7.10. IPhone is an example of a smartphone that is designed and developed by Apple Inc. It is important to note that Apple is a very successful company and it controls approximately 60% of the smartphone market in America. The company normally targets young people and high earners, since their products are heavily differentiated and are of high quality; hence, very expensive.  The segmentation strategy that is adopted by Apple Inc. is based on geographic, behavioral, demographic and psychographic. The result of the survey indicates that iPhone 7.10 is one of the most popular iPhones, and a number of factors influence the popularity of the smartphone. The focus of the survey was on how perception, attitude, group and individual differences affect the popularity of iPhone 7.10. Other elements that the survey focused on include family, lifestyle, culture and motivation.

From the results of the survey, about 10/15 respondents agreed with the fact that perception is one of the factors which was responsible for making them to purchase the iPhone 7.10. These people argued that iPhone 7 is perceived to be an elegant phone, and it is a symbol of status and good social standing. On this note, some of these respondents argued that their purchase of this phone was aimed at improving their social standing and status within the society. It is important to denote that this perception falls under the psychographic segmentation strategy that is adopted by Apple Inc. Under this strategy, the company manufactures products that appeals to the middle and upper social class; hence the perception that Apple 7.10 is used by people belonging to the identified social class. One of the theoretical frameworks that can be used to explain this behavior by customers is the reasoned action theory that was developed by Martin Fishbein. According to this theoretical framework, customers will purchase a product with the intention of achieving a particular outcome. The outcome under this case is to purchase of Apple 7.10 for purpose of improving the social standing of the users.

Moreover, Thorstein Veblen in his theory of social psychology denotes that human beings are social creatures, and their needs and aspirations are influenced by the kind of groups that they involve in (Solomon 2014). Furthermore, Veblen believed that the members of these groups are influenced by leisure, and the desire of prestige as opposed to satisfying their basic needs. On this note, this theory can be used for purposes of explaining the desire of people to buy Apple 7.10 based on the level of prestige it will give to the owner. It will make the person to feel socially acceptable, within his social class; hence, the demand of this type of smartphone. Furthermore, it is important to assert that family is also a social unit, and it has the capability of influencing the purchasing behavior of a consumer. This was widely seen in the survey, where 13 out of 15 respondents argued that one of the reasons that influenced them to purchase Apple 7.10 is because most members of the family are using products that are developed by Apple. This is an aspect of loyalty, and it is an indication that the behavioral segmentation strategy adapted by Apple Inc is working. One of these strategies is developing advertisement campaigns that appeal to the loyalty of its customers.           

Another important factor that influenced the popularity of iPhone 7.10 based from the results of the survey is the attitude that customers had towards the iPhone. For instance, about 12 of the survey respondents denoted that iPhone is the best smartphone gadget in the market, and that is the reason they were purchasing the product (Solomon 2014). Furthermore, some of the reasons that they were giving in justification of the high quality of the iPhone 7.10 is the attractive and easy to use interface. Furthermore, these users were attracted with the camera design of Apple 7.10, and the capability of the gadget to resist water. It is these factors that helped to create a positive attitude towards the use of the iPhone 7.10. On this note, it is possible to use the reasoned action theory for purposes of explaining the consumer attitude towards the iPhone 7.10. This is because the consumers are seeking to use the phone based on its capability to give them a good user experience, because of its well-designed camera and the easy to use interface.

 Additionally, it is possible to use the psychoanalytic theory developed by Sigmund Freud to explain the attitude that customers have towards the Apple 7.10 smartphone. According to this theory, people would respond to symbolic elements of a product, just in the same manner that they will respond to its economic and functional advantages. On this note, the positive attitude towards iPhone 7.10 emanates because of its physical characteristics such as an easy to use interface and a well-designed camera. Furthermore, when it came to groups and differences, women provided a more positive review of the product when compared to men (Kardes, Cronley and Cline, 2014). For instance, during this survey, 8 women provided a positive review of the product, when compared to 4 men. On the other hand, only 1 woman provided a negative review of the product, while 3 men were not happy with the quality and functionality of the product.

According to the psychoanalytic theory, advertisements that appeal to the emotions of customer’s feelings, hopes and aspirations are always effective and efficient in convincing customers to buy into the product (Kardes, Cronley and Cline, 2014). Obviously, women normally respond to emotions more frequently when compared to men, and the design of Apple 7.10 was structured in a manner that it was elegant and attractive to the eye; hence, making women to appeal to its beauty. In fact, majority of women denoted that it is they loved the design and attractiveness of iPhone 7.10 and it is one of the reasons that motivated them to purchase the product.      

The survey also included elements of culture and motivation. Out of the people who filled the survey, 10/15 believed that the popular culture was one of the factors that made them buy the iPhone 7.10. Most people denoted that the iPhones are popular and fashionable; hence the need to purchase it (Mullen and Johnson 2013). This is an aspect of popular culture that played a role in the sale and purchase of iPhone 7.10. On motivation, the users of the iPhone 7.10 denoted that their main motivation of buying the product is because of the functionality of gadget. The smartphone enabled them to make and receive calls, use the internet, stream movies, etc. 15 of the respondents agreed with this assertion, and explained that these capabilities of the iPhone 7.10 was a motivator to them. According to the Maslow’s theory of motivation, achieving a sense of love and belonginess is one of the factors that motivate an individual. This includes building of friendship and attachments. Efficient and effective communication is one of the methods used for purposes of creating strong social relationships.     

Finally, there are a number of factors that were responsible for making iPhone 7.1o popular with the customers who filled the survey. One of the reasons is for prestige. This involved a situation whereby a person bought the product because it is expensive, and a symbol of higher social class. Other reasons include benefitting from the features of the iPhone, its good design and physical characteristics, etc. 

Survey Questions

1. What is your perception about the Phone 7.10 and how did it influence your decision to purchase the smartphone?
2. What is your attitude towards iPhone 7.10 and did this attitude influence your decision to purchase the gadget?
3. What features of the iPhone are attractive to you? Kindly state your gender.
4. Is iPhone 7.10 part of the popular culture, and did this aspect influence your decision to purchase the smartphone?
5. Are your family member’s users of the iPhone models of smartphones?  
6. Did the decision by the members of your family to use the iPhone 7.10 influence 6your decision to purchase the smartphone?  
7. What are the motivating factors for the use of smartphones?
8. Did these motivating factors influence your decision to purchase the iPhone 7.10?
9. Do you believe iPhone series is a representation of a high social class?
10. Did this believe affect your decision to purchase the iPhone 7.10.

Reference List

Kardes, F., Cronley, M. and Cline, T., 2014. Consumer behavior. Cengage Learning.

Mullen, B. and Johnson, C., 2013. The psychology of consumer behavior. Psychology Press.  

Solomon, M.R., 2014. Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being (Vol. 10). Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.