Consumer Behavior on Apple iPhone 5s (Research Paper Sample)

Consumer Behavior on Apple iPhone 5s Name Institution Product Background Apple has grabbed a lot of attention in the media with its unprecedented launch of the latest two iPhones, the high-end iPhone 5s and the budget 5c. Before the rollout, there were numerous questions of their possible success but the official launch dispelled all the doubts. In fact, the first few days after the launch were a surprise. The iPhone 5 has fulfilled its promise as a great technological innovation after its predecessor 4s. The iPhone 5s has come with prices starting from $199 on its wireless model to $649 (Majumdar, 2013). iPhone 5s present the user with a lot of technological power. The device is purposely imagined, precision crafted and meticulously considered. To me, it is not just a product of technologically possible but also a useful product of innovation. The iPhone is actually beyond consumers’ expectations. It comes in 64-bit architecture, a pioneer cell phone product. It has a fingerprint censor and a dual LED flash. The iPhone is merely 7.6 millimeter in thickness and weighs 112 grams with extra ordinary power (Sonny, 2013). iPhone 5s: A7 and M7 puts desktop processing power in users palm. The processor works through new image processor, which is fast and efficient. It is visual effect are supported by OpenGL ES 3.0, which were only possible in computers. The M7 coprocessor offloads A7 by collecting data from the gyroscope, accelerometer and compass. As a result, many apps do not engage A7 processor chip. Since M7 uses less power, the battery life of the iPhone is spared. 5s camera stands out with a larger sensor and widened pixels. It has 8MP sensor with aperture of ƒ/2.2. The 64-bit architecture and A7 chip are built upon iOS 7. This is a familiar and much loved operating system. It is a genius work of simplicity (Sonny, 2013). Introduction My dream phone has ever been iPhone 5S champagne color. The launch of the phone was a remarkable technological step in my world of iPhone. Partly my love for iPhone 5S was because of my early experience with iPhone 4. I possessed an old iPhone 4, which was slow in RAM, full of cracks at the back and blurred screen following many instances it has fell. I have heard of iPhone 5S and come across it in the internet, I wanted badly to own the iPhone. iPhone 5S is bigger and have a better screen than 5S. I admired its camera and LTE internet. As a girl who loves photography and documenting her life every day, an iPhone with a perfect camera is essential for me. The most challenge I had in buying iPhone 5S champagne was financial constraint. The phone was simply beyond my reach. Luckily, I received a flyer from my mobile my mobile company-Bell advertising a new "trade-in" program. Through the program, a candidate could get a variety of smartphone at a much lower price, at the same time; one could choose a new monthly plan for two years. By using this program, I only had to spend CA$280 on an iPhone 5S. I ran to the Apple store the next day to purchase the phone, however, with disappointment, the champange color was sold out and they had no clue when exactly would it be restocked. I called every apple store continuously across the month. When I was almost giving up, I received a phone call from apple store York Dale, notifying me of their champagne color restocked. I rushed to the store and collected my phone. I had a fulfilling moments with my phone. I took so many pictures with it, browsed and enjoyed numerous applications. My phone only lasted for a while. I soon lost it in bar. I feel a big vacuum without my phone. I loved its speed, slimness, numerous applications and the fact that I was at the top of technological world. I still hold high 5S despite my misfortune. I share my purchase experience of iPhone 5S with two interviews among randomly selected iPhone 5S. The two sample population also bought 5S phone but in different type periods and modes of acquisitions. A questionnaire was used to collect this data. From the study, I learned that there are many factors, which drive people towards the purchase of iPhone 5S. Study Method This study is based on literature analysis of iPhone marketing and consumer behavior. Primarily, the study focuses upon iPhone 5s. Theoretical framework has been gathered from journals, books, articles, websites and other different online publications. A systematic literature analysis has been employed to come up with the most relevant and up-to-date information. Additionally, a qualitative research has also been employed to determine different views of iPhone 5s consumers. Two interviews were undertaken through administration of questionnaires. The sample population was randomly collected among iPhone 5s users. Study Limitations There are many factors, which influence consumption of iPhones. However, due to time and resource constraints, limited sample size was selected. It is only assumed that the small population will effectively represent the entire iPhone 5s consumers. On the other hand, the geographical coverage was small as compared to the iPhone world market. Finally, there is limited data on iPhone 5s consumptions owing to its recent launch. Study Significance The Smartphone market is rapidly widening and understanding factors influencing consumer behavior is crucial for both the consumers and developers a like. The study is significant to many smartphone manufactures in developing their marketing mix and strategies (Davis, 2014). On the other hand, this study is vital for market researchers and students who are interested in exploring the iPhone market. Consumer Behavior Consumer behavior is the study of buyers’ decision-making process. According to Kotler (2008) “Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals or groups buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas or experience to satisfy their needs or wants” (Kotler et al, 2008, p. 224). To the marketers, this is a response. Marketers heavily research what consumers buy, when, why and the quantity bought. However, they cannot get the answers with maximum accuracy since “the answers are often locked within the consumer’s head” (Kotler et al. 2008, p 265). In all products including the iPhones, the buying process involves five stages. First, the buyer determines his/her current state and where he/she is supposed to be and realizes there is a need. At times, a need is triggered by external stimuli. In such cases, a buyers searches information from family, advertisement, friends or mass media. After receiving enough information, he/she evaluates the available options. He/she finally makes purchase to the most appropriate product. The buyer then evaluates the product and the marketer based on his/her satisfaction (Kotler et al., 2008, p 268). The diagram below shows buyers’ decision process. Figure 1.
Consumer Behavior Models There are four basic marketing stimuli, which include product, price, place and promotion (Aaker, 1997). The stumuli are also influence by external factors such as political, cultural, economic and technological. The latter significantly affect the smartphone market. These factors interact in buyers mind for them to come up with observable responses such as product choice, dealer choice, brand choice, purchase amount and purchase timing (Kotler et al, 2008). The figure below shows buyers stimulus response to products. Figure 2. Buyers stimulus response to products.
Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior There are numerous factors influencing buyers behavior on products such as iPhones. Among the factors are: Human man being is a social being and isocial elemenst such as the family, groups, roles and status have a lot of impact on their behavior (Lamb, Joseph & McDaniel, 2010). Personal characteristics such as the stage of life-cycle, age occupation, economic environment, lifestyle, self-concept and personality affect buyers decision processs (Management Study Guide, 2014). Uses of iPhone 5s iPhone 5s is built on advanced operating system with more computing capacity than most smartphones. Apart from the normal cell phone uses undertaken by featured phones, the iPhone has perfect third-party applications. It provides computer experience in emailing, browsing, navigation, taking notes, listening music, social media, weather forecast, reading news, finance, games, calendar, health and fitness (Davis, 2014). The phone is useful in making regular calls, browsing, emails, online shopping, social media, navigation and common and many computer features. The graph below illustrates average major activities of iPhones in a day. Graph 1: Average iPhone activity in a day.
The study Result All the participants agreed that their decision to have iPhone 5s is both want and need. From the records its evident that the participants feel the price impact of the iPhone. However, their reason for purchase significantly varies. On my side, I buy expensive phones because of their features. One responded stated that the phones are durable and reliable while another pointed out high flexibility and wide usage, as a main factor in iphone purchase. One agreed that social characteristics played no role on their purchasing decisions. They purchased from their own decisions. This also applied to me, I simply checked the features in the internet and made my decision. One respondent cited a friends influence in his decision making. All the repondent used all the features iPhone 5 offered such as emailing, browsing, navigation, taking notes, listening music, social media, weather forecast, reading news, finance, games, calendar, health and fitness. On the time consumed using iPhone, it is not easy for me to indicate the exact time since I use the phone intermitently. One responded shared similar opinion with me while the other cited between 3-5 hours. iPhones are portable devices used everywhere by users. All the participants agreed ...