This document discusses a study that aimed to determine the factors influencing youth brand choice for mobile phone purchases. The study surveyed 110 students from two universities in Peshawar, Pakistan using a questionnaire. The findings showed that quality, brand image, and recommendations from family and friends were the key variables influencing youth mobile phone brand choice in Peshawar.
This document discusses a study that aimed to determine the factors influencing youth brand choice for mobile phone purchases. The study surveyed 110 students from two universities in Peshawar, Pakistan using a questionnaire. The findings showed that quality, brand image, and recommendations from family and friends were the key variables influencing youth mobile phone brand choice in Peshawar.
This document discusses a study that aimed to determine the factors influencing youth brand choice for mobile phone purchases. The study surveyed 110 students from two universities in Peshawar, Pakistan using a questionnaire. The findings showed that quality, brand image, and recommendations from family and friends were the key variables influencing youth mobile phone brand choice in Peshawar.
This document discusses a study that aimed to determine the factors influencing youth brand choice for mobile phone purchases. The study surveyed 110 students from two universities in Peshawar, Pakistan using a questionnaire. The findings showed that quality, brand image, and recommendations from family and friends were the key variables influencing youth mobile phone brand choice in Peshawar.
technology oriented and an active segment of society in the usage of digital technology and transforming of applications. There can be seen an increased use of mobile phones among young consumers world wide. Because of their fast adoption curve and orientation towards technology and innovative feature, this age group has become an area of significant interest to the marketers. This study intends to determine all those factors which affect the youths brand choice for purchase of mobile phones. The data of the study was collected from the private university students of City University and Sarhad University, Peshawar. The study uses a self administered questionnaire, which was distributed randomly among 110 students, to measure their brand choice criteria. The responses were measured by using descriptive statistics, regression and coefficient analysis. The findings of the study show that Quality, brand image and recommendations by family and friends are the key variables that influence the brand choice of youths for mobile handset purchase in Peshawar Pakistan.
Keywords: brand choice, youths, mobile phones, brand image, price and features.
INVESTIGATING THE FACTORS AFFECTING YOUTH BRAND CHOICE FOR MOBILE PHONES PURCHASE A STUDY OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES STUDENTS OF PESHAWAR
Shahzad KHAN City University of Science and I-T, Peshawar, Pakistan e-mail: shahzadkhan.lecturer@gmail.com
Sobia ROHI City University of Science and I-T, Peshawar, Pakistan e-mail: sobiaroohi@yahoo.com
Management & Marketing Challenges for the Knowledge Society (2013) Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 369-384 Management & Marketing
370 1. Introduction
In todays fiercely competitive world, it is very important for the marketers to discover and figure out the aspects that are essential to deal with the competitors, changing customer tastes and preferences. The intense competition in terms of product similarity and increased number of competing brands in the market have led the marketers to consider and study the factors that are influential in consumers brand choice decisions and behaviors (Das, 2012). For marketers, youth market is one of the most appealing and attractive market, as they believe to earn a huge return on their investments by targeting this age group. Youths, nowadays, are considered to have more pull/[power] in their key family decisions and purchases. Hence, a major center of firms marketing actions is towards these young consumers and they concentrate much on the factors underlying the buying behavior and brand choice. Investigating the factors that influence brand choice can be an interesting topic for the researchers to study as they can examine the key elements that are vital in choosing a particular brand over the others. This research paper attempts to analyze the determinants of brand choice in the context of young consumers market. The research is conducted under the background of mobile phones market. The reason behind choosing the mobile phone market with respect to focus on youths in determining brand choice is twofold: firstly, mobile phones are widely used by youths all over the world and this market in the recent years has become more and more competitive. Thus, it is necessary for the marketers to understand their brand preference criteria before spending large sums of money on this age bracket; secondly, youths play a crucial and influencing role in mobile brand choice. Marketers target them not only as they will represent adult consumers of tomorrow but also because they dominate a large and remarkable portion of their parents income.
2. Literature review
2.1. Brand and brand choice
The brand, in simple words, refers to a name, design, symbol or any feature that differentiates one sellers product and services from that of other sellers. It can be used as a strong strategic weapon and as an ideal differentiator to build a lifetime image in customers minds. According to Phillips (1988), brand as a whole can be termed as a trademark that conveys a promise. This promise includes symbolic and functional features which are linked by the market to a brand. Brand in its totality is the sum of all marketing mix elements, (Keller, 2002, p. 20). Kapferer (1997) describes the brand as a symbol, a sign which is external to the product. Kapferer maintained that its function is to reveal the hidden attributes of the product that are hard to be reached and contacted. Brand forms a strategic position Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
371 and particular associations in the consumers mind. Therefore, for consumers, brand is actually a promise of some specific level of execution of product and service (Chimbozand and Mutandwa, 2007). Brand choice actually indicates the consumers selective choice of particular brand i.e. it shows the preference or demand of a specific brand over the competitors brand. Karjaluoto et al. (2005) conducted a research study on mobile industry in Finland to examine the consumers choice. In this research they studied different aspects and factors that have an influence over new mobile purchase intentions and also those factors which affect mobile phone change among the consumers in Finland. The study revealed that although mobile phone choice is based on personal feelings, opinions and tastes (subjective choice), there are also some other general factors which appear to have an influence on choice. The most prominent factors that influence brand choice when changing the mobile phones are: technical problems, price, innovative services, brand, reliability, basic properties, and design and outside influence. Liu (2002) carried out a research in the Philippines about the choices between mobile brands. The study showed that mobile brand choices were largely influenced by the new technological features such as SMS-options and capacity of memory, much more than the size. The fact behind this finding can be that all the competing brands have almost same size phones, which are small enough. So the trend will not actually be directed towards smaller sized phones but rather towards better capacity and large screen phones.
2.2. Factors affecting brand choice
According to Mokhlis and Yaakoop (2012) there are countless factors that influence the way a consumer perceives a particular brand and prefers it over the others. Meyer and Kahn (1991) describe that the extensive attention has been paid to understanding the relative influence of the factors which affects the choice of consumers between various substitute brands of products and services that are purchased frequently. Rogers (1995), Tornatzky and Katherine (1982), Mason (1990) and Charlotte (1999) in their studies observed that various factors influence the consumers when they are making a choice among alternate brands. These factors consist of price, perciever risk, compatibility, triablity, relative advantage, complexity, image and observability. In this research article, the influence of following factors on brand choice has been measured: price, quality, features, family and friends recommendations, brand image, innovative features, promotion effectiveness, celebrity endorsement, user friendliness, stylish appearance, post-purchase services. The price has a vital role in consumers purchase decision or in other words, we can say that most of consumer buying behavior and choices are determined by price. It can act as a dominant and, in fact, the most important factor affecting the decision making and purchase process. For youths, price can be a key factor of attraction. When selecting out of varying mobile phone models, consumers usually Management & Marketing
372 prefer such brands with which they have familiarity. Price of the mobile phone has been identified as a key factor in the choice of mobile phones, especially among the young consumers. The products price may vary based on economic conditions and perceptions of the consumers. It may affect the brands perceived value. Price is used by many of the consumers as an indication of the brands quality which is a vital factor in the purchase decision (Nilson, 1998; Kotler and Amstrong, 1989). How a consumer perceives the quality of a brand is a crucial factor that affects the brand choice. Product quality frames the products ability to carry out its functions. According to Sardars (2012) research study, Indian people give much higher value to brands. In India, a brand is due to quality because the unbranded products have huge varying quality. Consumer surveys often show that quality is one of the most important decision factor for the consumers, if not the most important. He also explored that the aesthetic appeal of a product, which also symbolizes packaging and the product quality, is the main differentiating feature of the successful brands. The mobile phone features are basically the set of competencies, services and applications that are offered to the users. These can be Bluetooth, camera, dual SIM, video-recorder, MP3 player, memory card reader, WiFi connectivity and so on and they vary from brand to brand. Isiklar and Buyukozkan (2007) carried out a study on users preferences by evaluating the mobile phone options. Different mobile features namely physical features, functionality, technical characteristics, brand choice and customer excitement, were compared as a multi-criteria approach for decision making. The results showed that functionality was the most dominant factor among all three phones under consideration while the customer excitement and the basic requirements were found to be least influencing factors. The results of the study of Mack and Sharples (2009) also pointed out the significance of features in predicting mobile phone choice. Their experimentation indicated that usability is an important element in choice of a mobile phone but not as much as the users believed it would be. In reality, other such attributes especially features, visuality and cost might be of top priority when making a product choice (Nowlis and Simonson, 1996). Another research study conducted by Han et al. (2004) on 65 design features for 50 different mobiles. Regression models were developed by them to relate the design features with satisfaction and luxuriousness, attractiveness and harmoniousness. It was found that various design features have a contribution as size and weight of the phone, its material, color, shape of buttons and interface features (Vu, 2012). Friend and family recommendations are becoming an increasingly significant factor influencing the consumer brand choice and purchase decision. According to Schiffman and Kanuk (1997), friends options and preferences are an important influential factor in determining the products or brands selection, especially for a single individual who lives alone. Asch (1973) and Venkatesen (1973) found that peers, who are present at the time of purchase, play a crucial role in choosing a specific brand, especially with concern to product and rational impacts. Brand image generally describes the set or bundle of beliefs which a customer holds regarding a particular brand. It conveys the overall image or impression of a Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
373 brand in customers mind that is created from different sources. Brand image actually reflects the overall brand content which includes brand name, reputation, functionality and overall value. The study by Kohli et al. (2005) on new brand names evaluation explained that as compared to non-meaningful names, the meaningful brand names are more favorably evaluated. Today, innovation has become one of the most fundamental ways to differentiate a firms product from that of the competitors. It allows the company to constantly improve and update its products to meet the varying needs and demands of the customers. Hence, innovativeness is a key part of the firms success that not only ensures the survival of the firm in such an advanced and competitive environment but it also makes it possible for the company to position itself against its competitors. As stated by Saaksjarvi (2003), such technological innovations as cellular phone and digital televisions have gained the interests of marketing researchers as a concern to their process of adoption. The research findings of Liu (2002), Karjaluoto et al. (2005) and Mack and Sharples (2009) suggest that in students choice process of mobile phones, the innovative features of products are most significant. This can possibly be related to the fact that mobile phones are now widely accepted as an important element of fashion accessories, particularly among the youths. Thus, innovation in features and designs of mobile phones has become a priority in consumers mobile phones choice. Promotion is a way of communicating the information, regarding a product, between the buyer and seller so as to establish the brand profile and brand values (McCarthy and Pereault, 1984).Various promotional tools like advertising, word-of- mouth, publicity, sales promotion etc., can be used by a company to create and strengthen its brand position in the customers mind. A company uses such brand promotion techniques as a constant reminder to tell their customers about their special brand offerings and for establishing long term and stronger identity. Effective promotion not only gives identification to the brand and the company, but also facilities in building loyal customers through brand familiarity and awareness. Erdem and Keane (1996) highlighted the influence of user experience and advertising content on the brand choice, especially when the consumers are forward-looking. In recent years, celebrity endorsement has become much more common and is used as a part of a companys marketing strategy for their brand communication by resorting to different celebrities who play the role of presenters of a particular brand or in other words, act as a spokesperson for a specific brand. Celebrities, because of their special characteristics such as personality, good looks, special skills and classy lifestyles have a leading role in publics decision making. Smita (2006) in her research study examined the significance of celebrities in advertisement and came up with the conclusion that in order to add glamour and excitement to their brands, advertisers use celebrity endorsers. Various studies have indicated that using celebrity endorsers generates a more positive response and higher purchase intentions than non-celebrity endorsers (Byrne et al., 2003). The study of Agarwal and Kamakura (1995) showed that celebrity endorsement is used in about 20% of the advertisements as a Management & Marketing
374 promotional strategy. According to McCracken (1989), a celebrity provides a kind of cultural meaning and the association of it later transfers on to the brand. In turn, customers perceptions and opinions regarding an advertised brand are thus improved. The term user friendliness (usability) stands for easy to use and understand. In other words, it basically refers to a device or any software that is easy to use (posing no difficulty) and the person using or operating it will not find it hard to learn how to use it. In recent years, as the markets are becoming saturated with the competing brands, companies find it beneficial to develop such products that are user- friendly. Consumers usually seem to prefer such software and devices which they can operate easily without facing any problem. Similarly, in the mobile phone industry a high focus is paid in developing such phones which the users can easily operate and whose operations can be learned with no trouble. According to Jordan (1998), Demir and Heklert (2008), usability appears as the influential factor regarding whether people build a negative or positive belief about a product. The eye catching display of stylish and uniquely designed mobile phones has a great appeal to young consumers. Having stylish mobile phones has become a fashion statement and status symbol for youths and teenagers. The decision making of youths regarding the brand choice of mobile phones can also be seen to be largely influenced by the stylish outlook mobiles. Yun et al. (2003) by means of look-and- feel consumer survey explored 50 distinct mobile phones. All the 78 participants assessed the mobile phones design based on a scale of perceived image/impression attributes including attractiveness, texture, luxuriousness, colorfulness, rigidity, simplicity, harmoniousness, delicacy, salience and overall satisfaction. The image/ impression qualities of the products were found to be closely related to human-product interface measurements along with overall product shape. Post-purchase services, also known as after-sale services, mean any assistance which the seller provides to a buyer after a particular product is sold. It is a viable and important means of building brand loyalty through customer satisfaction and generating repeated customer purchase behavior. It basically involves the warranty or guarantee package offered to the customers based on the periodic or required maintenance or repair of the equipment (product) by its manufacturer during the time period of warranty. According to Wilson et al. (1999) after-sale services may include six activities namely: routine maintenance, installation, parts supply, training, emergency repair and software services. Marketers have found that after-sale services are one of the way through which they can enhance the customer perception about product quality Levitt (1983).
3. Theoretical framework
In this research study, two variables have been discussed, i.e., dependent and independent variables. Brand choice of youths shows dependency upon many independent variables namely, price, quality, features, family and friends Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
375 recommendations, brand image, innovative features, promotion effectiveness, celebrity endorsement, user-friendliness, stylish appearance and after-sale services. The Figure 1 below presents the theoretical framework of this study, that is, the interrelationship between the dependent and independent variables is shown below.
Figure 1. Theoretical framework of the study
4. Research methodology
4.1. Research instrument, sample, data collection, and method
A self-administered questionnaire was designed and used in the study as a data collection tool to assess the factors which influence youths brand choice of mobile phones. Responses were measured on a five point Likert scale with values Independent variables Dependent Variable
376 ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Some other questions were also included to determine the frequencies of preferred brand and features in mobile phones. In order to evaluate the factors affecting youths brand choice, the questionnaire survey was conducted, during the month of May-Aug 2012, among the students of private universities (City University and Sarhad University) of Peshawar, KPK. The respondents were targeted on the basis of convenience through non- probability sampling. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed, 76 were received back, out of which 70 were usable while the rest were discarded due to incomplete response. The collected data is analyzed based on the ANOVA, Correlation and Regression analyses by using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics (descriptive and frequency tables) and the pie chart is also used to analyze the responses.
4.2. Research hypotheses
On the basis of the dependent and independent variables, following hypotheses have been developed, which are aimed to be tested in this research study: H1: Price is positively related to the brand choice of the youths. H2: The perceived quality of a brand is related positively to the choice of a brand. H3: There is a significant positive relationship between features of a product and brand choice. H4: Youths brand choice is positively influenced by family and friends recommendations. H5: Brand image has a positive impact on brand choice. H6: Brand choice depends on innovative features of the products. H7: Brand choice is influenced positively by the promotional tools. H8: Brand choice is related positively to the celebrity endorsement used for the brand. H9: User friendliness is also positively related to a brand choice. H10: Stylish appearance is an important factor in brand choice of young consumers. H11: After-sale services have a positive impact on youths brand choice.
5. Results and analysis
As the study focuses on determining the brand choice criteria of youths, the research data was collected from the students lying within the age range of 18-35 years. The general demographic profile of the respondents reveals that both males and females were the respondents of the study. According to the data, about 74% of the respondents were males while the rest of 26% were females. The above mentioned description stands for the socio-demographic profile of the respondents. Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
377 Table 1 Price range of respondents current mobile phones What is the approximate price range your current mobile lies between? Pakistani rupees Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent 2000-5000 16 22.9 25.0 25.0 6000-10,000 16 22.9 25.0 50.0 11,000-15,000 15 21.4 23.4 73.4 16,000-20,000 6 8.6 9.4 82.8 Above 20,000 11 15.7 17.2 100.0 Valid Total 64 91.4 100.0 Missing System 6 8.6 Total 70 100.0
When measuring the importance of price in the choice of a brand, the demographic profile showed that the highest percentage (22.9 %) of mobile purchase of respondents was between the ranges 2000-5000 and 6000-10,000 levels to which a price is influential in selecting a brand. 21.4% of respondents had mobile brands within the range of 11,000-15,000. While 8.6 % participants in the study owned mobile within the range of 16,000-20,000. Those having the mobile phone above 20,000 were 15.7 %. The following results were obtained, based on the responses gathered for the research study. Table 2 Results of current mobile brands of respondents Which mobile brand do you own presently? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Nokia 49 70.0 70.0 70.0 Sony Ericsson 1 1.4 1.4 71.4 Samsung 11 15.7 15.7 87.1 Others 9 12.9 12.9 100.0 Valid Total 70 100.0 100.0
When respondents were asked about the brand of mobile phone, which they owned at that time, their responses indicate that Nokia is used by the majority of consumers with a 70.0% usage rate. Samsung with 15.7% is at the second number in terms of its usage among youths. Other mobile phones received a weight age of 12.9% while 1.4% respondents mark Sony Ericsson as their currently owned mobile phone. Table 3 shows the respondents choice criteria about the preferred brand of mobiles. Results reveal that the brand ratings of Nokia exceeded all other mobile brands with 52.9% preference level. Management & Marketing
378 Table 3 Responses about the best mobile brand Choose the brand which is best from the following brands Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Nokia 37 52.9 52.9 52.9 Samsung 7 10.0 10.0 62.9 LG 1 1.4 1.4 64.3 I-Phone 16 22.9 22.9 87.1 HTC 3 4.3 4.3 91.4 Blackberry 3 4.3 4.3 95.7 Others 3 4.3 4.3 100.0 Valid Total 70 100.0 100.0
I-Phone with its 22.9% was selected as the second most preferred brand. Samsung, with 10.0%, is at the third number in the order of preference level. HTC, Blackberry and other brands received a weight age of 4.3% in terms of best brand selection while LG received 1.4%.
Figure 2. Pie-chart showing percentages of mobile brand with highest innovation
The Pie-chart above shows the participants response regarding the mobile brand having more innovative applications. Again the results show that Nokia out- rated other brands in its innovative features. Samsung is the second most popular mobile brand in terms of innovation. Others (like HTC, I-Phone, LG etc.) cover the third major portion in Pie-chart concerning innovative features. Motorola is at fourth number whereas Sony Ericsson seems the least in terms of innovative applications as compared to other brands. Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
379 Table 4 indicates that among the promotional tools used, catchy and attractive ads (advertising) with its 28.6% rating seems to be the most influential tool that drives the brand choice of mobile phones among young consumers. Other tools of promotion (24.3 %) seem to be second most effective in promoting the brand. Sales promotion (20.0%) is the third most prominent factor in influencing brand choice of youths. Word of mouth is a significant promotional factor up to 18.6 % while celebrity endorsement with 8.6 % appears to be less effective promotional tool for brand choice of young consumers.
Table 4 Results of most influential promotional tool Which promotional factor influences you the most in brand selection?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Word of mouth 13 18.6 18.6 18.6 Catchy and attractive ads 20 28.6 28.6 47.1 Sales promotion 14 20.0 20.0 67.1 Celebrity endorsement 6 8.6 8.6 75.7 Others 17 24.3 24.3 100.0 Valid Total 70 100.0 100.0
Table 5 below shows frequencies of the importance of the functions of a mobile phone over its stylish looks. Table 5 Frequency table showing significance of functionality over style of mobile How much important is functionality to you over the style of a particular brand? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Highly Unimportant 2 2.9 2.9 2.9 Unimportant 5 7.1 7.1 10.0 Neutral 19 27.1 27.1 37.1 Important 29 41.4 41.4 78.6 Highly Important 15 21.4 21.4 100.0 Valid Total 70 100.0 100.0
41.4% of respondents marked functionality as an important factor over the style of branded mobile. 27.1% had a neutral response. 21.4% marked functionality as a highly important element. 7.1 % think it as an unimportant aspect while 2.9% consider it as a highly unimportant factor in brand choice. The respondents were asked to mark the mobile features according to their importance to them. A five point Likert scale was provided ranging from highly important 1 highly unimportant 5. The descriptive statistics in the Table 6 above Management & Marketing
380 tells that camera (with a mean = 1.5571) is the most important factor which young consumers look for when choosing a particular mobile brand. Wi-Fi (mean = 1.7429) was the second most important while Bluetooth (mean = 1.7714) was selected as the third important factor during choice of a mobile brand. The fourth important feature according to the youths in mobile brand choice is its shape/size/weight (1.9000). Brand image (1.9429) was marked by the respondents as a fifth major worthy factor. Video recorder with a mean of 2.0000 as the sixth most notable feature affecting mobile brand selection. MP3 player (mean = 2.1429), touch screen (mean = 2.2571), FM radio (mean = 2.4429) and dual-SIM (mean = 2.5571) seem to be less significant features when selecting a mobile brand. Table 6 Descriptive Statistics for Features in mobile phones: Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Camera 70 1.00 5.00 1.5571 .89501 Bluetooth 70 1.00 5.00 1.7714 .95054 MP3 player 70 1.00 5.00 2.1429 1.15828 Dual sim 70 1.00 5.00 2.5571 1.19947 Wi-Fi 70 1.00 5.00 1.7429 1.05893 FM Radio 70 1.00 5.00 2.4429 1.08529 Brand image 70 1.00 5.00 1.9429 1.04792 shape/ size /weight 70 1.00 5.00 1.9000 1.02363 Video recorder 70 1.00 5.00 2.0000 1.09014 Touch screen 70 1.00 5.00 2.2571 1.36929 Valid N (list wise) 70
The adjusted R-square in the Table 7 shows that the dependent variable (brand choice) is affected by 71.2 % by the independent variables (price, quality, brand image, promotion effectiveness, family and friends recommendations, celebrity endorsement, innovative features, stylish appearance, user-friendliness and post- purchase services). This tells us that all these independent variables are responsible for affecting the brand choice of the youths. Table 7 Adjusted R-square Model Summary Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .874 a .763 .712 .3 a. Predictors: (Constant), PPSERVICES, USERFREINDLY, PRICE, CELEBRITYENDORSMENT, QUALITY, FFRECOMENDATIIONS, INNOVATIVEFEATURES, PROMOTIONEFFECTIVNESS, STYLISHAPPERANCE, BRANDIMAGE Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase
381 Table 8 below reveals that the overall model was also significant, tested with the help of ANOVA. Table 8 ANOVA ANOVA b Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 4.494 10 .449 3.730 .001 a
Residual 6.386 53 .120 1 Total 10.881 63 a. Predictors: (Constant), PPSERVICES, USERFREINDLY, PRICE, CELEBRITYENDORSMENT, QUALITY, FFRECOMENDATIIONS, INNOVATIVEFEATURES, PROMOTIONEFFECTIVNESS, STYLISHAPPERANCE, BRANDIMAGE b. Dependent Variable: BRANDCHOICE
The ANOVA table is showing the level of significance. It is clear from this table that all factors namely: post-purchase services, user friendly, price, celebrity endorsement, quality, family and friends recommendation, innovative features, promotion effectiveness, stylish appearance and brand image are related to brand choice and the relationship between them is significant as compared to alpha value of 0.05. Table 9 shows the coefficients of all the independent variables included in the model along with their respective P-values. It can be noted that all the factors are positively significant. The comparative figures of brand choice and the factors affecting the brand choice of youths in mobile phones can be seen under the unstandadrized coefficients, showing that all these sub-factors are positively influencing the youths brand choice. The table clearly shows that each and every factor is statistically significant. It is obvious from the values of standardized coefficients that quality is the most important and influential factor in brand choice with standardized coefficient of 0.378. The second dominant factor in order of its importance is brand image with the standardized coefficient value of 0.339.While the third important variable is family and friends recommendation with a standardized coefficient of 0.181. Thus, the three main influential factors in the youths brand choice are quality, brand image and family and friends recommendations. Other factors seem to have a weak influence, yet hold a positive relationship with brand choice, like innovative features ( = 0.178), stylish appearance ( = 0.172), promotion effectiveness ( = 0.163), user-friendliness ( = 0.133), celebrity endorsement ( = 0.039), post-purchase services ( = 0.030) and price being least influential having = 0.009. As the table displays the positive values and all the sub-factors are significant at 0.05, it is concluded that the entire list of hypothesis is valid and endorsed.
This research paper assessed the factors influencing the youths brand choice under the context of mobile phone industry. It can be seen that youths Brand choice is driven by a number of factors like price, quality, family and friends recommendations, brand image, celebrity endorsement, promotion effectiveness, features, user-friendliness, stylish appearance, innovative features and post-purchase services. In the light of the findings of the study, the brand choice of youths appears to be influenced largely by the quality, brand image and recommendations by family and friends. Marketers need to consider and prioritize these three main factors, especially when targeting the younger consumers. However, other variables should be focused on as well since those also have a positive significant relation to brand choice.
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About the authors
Shahzad KHAN is currently working as a Lecturer at City University of Science and Information Technology at Peshawar Pakistan. He has an MBA and MS Management Science with specialization in marketing from The Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar, Pakistan. He is currently pursuing his PhD at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He has authored more than 40 International publications and has a teaching experience of more than four years.
Sobia ROHI is an MS research scholar at City University of Science and Information Technology Peshawar, Pakistan. She has done her BBA at Preston University, Peshawar, Pakistan.