Customers' Brand Preference On Mobile Phones: A Study of Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet
Customers' Brand Preference On Mobile Phones: A Study of Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet
PHONES
A Study of Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet
Project Report
Submitted By :
Madhav Chalise
BBS 8th Semester
Exam Roll No : 67742269
Regd. No. 2013-67-2-1001-0072
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DECLARATION
I hereby, declare that the work presented in this project report entitled
‘Customers Brand Preference on Mobile Phones on Surkhet’ in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the award of ‘Bachelor's Degree’ of Mid-Western University,
Birendranagar Surkhet, is an authentic record of my own research work carried out
under the supervision of Mr. Dinesh Kumar Pant.
I also declare that work embodied in the present research report is my original
work and has not submitted by me for any other degree in any university.
…..…......
……
Madhav Chalise
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RECOMMENDATION
I am pleased to certify that Mr. Madhav Chalise has completed his project report
entitled ‘Customers Brand Preference on Mobile Phones" as a partial fulfillment
of the requirement for Bachelors in Business Studies (BBS) degree under our
supervision following the respective guidelines for paper documentation.
…………………
(Internal Supervisor)
ii
CERTIFICATE OF ACCEPTANCE
Date :2076/09/06
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Madhav Chalise
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RECOMMENDATION.................................................................................................ii
CERTIFICATE OF ACCEPTANCE............................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................v
CHAPTER I..................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1
1.1 Background..............................................................................................................1
1.1 Consumer brand preference:.................................................................................5
1.2 Objectives.................................................................................................................6
1.3 Research Question of the Study...............................................................................6
1.4 Scope of the study....................................................................................................6
1.5 Conceptual framework of the study.........................................................................7
1.6 Methodology...........................................................................................................9
1.6.1 Research Design.................................................................................................10
1.6.2 Sampling Design.................................................................................................10
1.6.4 Data Collection....................................................................................................11
1.6.5 Data collection Strategy......................................................................................11
1.6.6 Data Collection Instrument/Source.....................................................................11
1.6.7 Questionnaire Development................................................................................11
1.6.8 Questionnaire Administrative.............................................................................12
1.6.9 Data Analysis Tools............................................................................................12
1.7 Organization of the Study......................................................................................12
1.8 Limitations of the study.........................................................................................13
CHAPTER II..............................................................................................................14
DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND FINDINGS.....................................14
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................14
2.1.1 Gender status of the respondents.........................................................................14
2.1.2 Caste of the respondents......................................................................................15
2.1.3 Religion of the respondents.................................................................................16
2.1.4 Age of the respondents........................................................................................17
2.1.5 Marital status of the respondents.........................................................................18
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2.1.6 Education of the respondents..............................................................................19
2.1.7 Occupation of the respondents............................................................................20
2.1.8 Monthly income of the respondents....................................................................21
2.1.9 Brand of the phone using....................................................................................22
2.1.10 Price as decider of purchasing the phone..........................................................24
2.1.11 Price the main reason behind choosing the phone............................................24
2.1.12 Price of phone decides the use of brand............................................................25
2.1.13 Phones should be available with more features in low price............................25
2.1.14 Decision of switching mobile can be affected by the price..............................26
2.1.15 Switching phone with more reputed brand.......................................................27
2.1.16 Brand successful than others.............................................................................28
2.1.17 Brand plays vital role in choosing a brand of phones.......................................28
2.1.18 Decision affected by durability of the brand.....................................................29
2.1.19 Companies do not take durability very seriously..............................................30
2.1.20 Durable and Original parts are determinants of brand selection.......................31
2.1.21 Features of phone affecting the switching behavior.........................................32
2.1.22 Aware of all features of the phone....................................................................32
2.1.23 Features are the main reason behind customers choice of phone.....................33
2.1.24 Buying phones with accessibility of service center..........................................34
2.1.25 Service center and parts decide the purchasing of the mobile phone................35
2.1.26 Only buying the phones with availability of service center..............................35
2.1.27 Availability of different accessories are more favorite.....................................36
2.2 Findings of the study..............................................................................................37
CHAPTER III.............................................................................................................43
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION................................43
3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................43
3.2 Summary................................................................................................................43
3.3 Conclusion..............................................................................................................44
3.4 Recommendation....................................................................................................45
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................46
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Mobile phones aren't just a rich person's fashion today. It is transforming the way
thousands of people do business in a country where even landline phones were a
luxury a decade ago. As an essential element of daily life, the purchase of a mobile
phone is an important decision with a variety of mobile phone brands available to
choose from. Each mobile phone manufacturer consistently updates their offerings
with the latest technological updates and many customers have a preferred brand that
suits them or a brand they have become familiar with. Across the globe, even people
with low incomes are now adopting cellular phones as tools for enhancing their
business.
According to Oxford English Dictionary one of the earliest uses of word "mobile"
was in association with the Latin phrase "mobile vulgus", i.e. excitable crowd.
Today's mobile phones live up to these origins. Cell phone technology introduces new
senses of speed and connectivity to social life. If the fixed line telephone has brought
communication links into the workplace and homes, the "mobile" puts them straight
into the hands of numbers and varieties of individuals.
1
devices. In the drive to produce a more efficient mobile telephone system, researchers
W. Rae Young and Douglas Ring of Bell Labs developed the idea of cellular
telephony, in which geographical areas are divided into a mesh of cells, each with its
own cell tower. This allowed a far more efficient use of the radio spectrum and the
"cell" phones needed less power to send and receive a signal. The first installation was
in 1969 on the Amtrak Metroliner that traveled between New York City and
Washington. Four years later Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first cellular call
from a prototype handheld cell phone.
The world's first commercial automated cellular network was launched in Japan
by NTT in 1979, initially in the metropolitan area of Tokyo. On 6 March 1983,
the DynaTAc mobile phone launched on the first US 1G network by Ameritech. In
1991, the second generation (2G) cellular technology was launched in Finland
by Radiolinja on the GSM standard and ten years later, in 2001, the third generation
(3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on the WCDMA Standard.
The history of mobile phone usage in Nepal dates back to 1999 when NTC started
providing GSM mobile service from May 1999. Mobile phones have emerged as an
important means for communication in Nepal. Its role has been significant in the
development of various industries of Nepal. Mobile phones were considered as means
of pleasure and luxury some years back, but today it has become the need of almost
all people in Nepal for business purposes, convenience as well as for maintaining
one's status in the society. At the beginning when NTC started its GSM mobile
service with post paid service then there were very few mobile phone users that also
within Kathmandu valley only. Later NTC started pre paid service and distributed
more than one lakh sim cards. It also improved its network services throughout the
country which increased the mobile users in Nepal. Queue were started to be seen
outside Nepal telecom's offices for sim card which showed the mobile phone
popularity across Nepal. With evolution of other mobile telecommunication service
providers like NCELL and UTL, today, almost every adult in Nepal possess a mobile
phone of and each individual's mobile phone varies in model and brand from the
other's.
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Different Brands of mobile Phones available in Surkhet
There are many brands of cell phones available in market of Surkhet. So far, as
contemporary brands of cell phones or mobile phones is concerned in Nepalese
market Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Huawei, iPhone and so on are seen to exist in the
competitive market. Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Huawei and iPhone have secured
prominent position in the Surkhet market. With the strong presence of these brands,
many other brands which also exist in the market are facing hard times and the brand
war among these leading mobile brands has provided the Surkhet market with better
mobile sets and variety of features.
Samsung
Samsung offers a wide selection of powerful and stylish internet-ready Smartphones,
which include Android, Bada and Windows mobile devices. It has increased its
market share in Nepalese market due to its affordable range of prices and and android
applications. It is mostly popular among the youngsters of Nepal.
Oppo
OPPO Electronics Corp. a Chinese electronics manufacturer, was globally registered
in 2001 and founded in 2004 and is based in Guangdong province, China. Its major
product lines include smartphones, MP3 players, portable media players, LCD-TVs,
and DVD/Blu-ray players. OPPO entered the MP3 market in 2005, Mp4 market in
2006 and mobile phone market in 2008. It has its presence in over 20 countries.
OPPO is dedicated to delivering customers with the most extraordinary mobile
experience through meticulous designs and smart technology. Due to the flexible
price and expanded features, OPPO mobile phone are dominating the mobile phone
uses in Nepal.
VIVO
Vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd., known as Vivo, is a Chinese technology
company owned by BBK Electronics that designs and manufactures smartphones,
smartphone accessories, software, and online services, which are then sold in India.
The company develops software for its phones, distributed through its Vivo App
Store, with iManager included in their proprietary, Android-based operating
system, Funtouch OS. VIVO is dedicated to delivering customers with the most
extraordinary mobile experience through meticulous designs and smart technology.
3
Due to the flexible price and expanded features, OPPO mobile phone are dominating
the mobile phone uses in Nepal.
Huawei
The Chinese telecommunications company has been manufacturing mobile phones
since 1997. It is also the largest telecom infrastructure maker in the world. The
company also makes Android smartphones and tablets. Recently it has stepped into
the smartwatch market with an Android Wear based device. It is another one of the
big smartphone manufacturers from China. It also has price of the phone low and the
services provided within the phone are more. It has thus threatened established brands
sales such as that of Samsung, VIVO and Oppo in Nepali market as well as
worldwide.
In present context, mobile phone has a huge impact in lives of people daily. In our
country the mobile phone industry is still in its growth stage, as compared to the
industrially advanced countries. It is for the fact that the economy of our country has
been in the developing stage. Now-a-days, the customers are more dynamic. Their
taste, needs and preference are changing with the advancement in technology and
communication with the outside world.
With the increase in mobile phone brands in the market, lots of mobile dealers are
cropping up old established brands and new brand of mobiles are entering the market.
With the increase in competition locally as well as from global dealers, Nepalese
mobile phone dealers are coming up with new and promotional campaigns and
schemes to attract the customers.
This research is guided towards determining the preferences of various mobile phone
brands by Nepalese customers. The major problems identified regarding the mobile
phone brands is to determine the most preferred brand and to identify the attributes
which are significant in preference of a specific brand. This research aims at
determining how the promotion campaigns of mobile phones have made consumers
aware about the different brands of mobile phones. Understanding the type of mobile
phone a buyer prefers is a major concern for marketers. This research will help in
determining the choice of mobile phone consumer prefers according to their age,
income level and educational background inside as well as outside Birendranagar,
4
Surkhet and thus selling the brands accordingly which would also help to reduce the
risk of the marketer.
There are some strategies, which are frequently used by companies to de-
motivate the switching behavior of consumers. The promotion function of marketing
mix covers not only about advertising and communications, but also involves the
sales promotions, an important and commonly used marketing tool, which also have
an objective to keep the company’s customers in relation with company. In other
words, the marketing efforts, like sales promotions, advertising and brand loyalty are
also other influencing factors, which de- motivate the consumer switching behavior.
The companies are not only focusing towards selling just products, but also focusing
to build long term relationships with their customers. The marketers believe that
ensuring loyalty and reducing churn are two options, which not only develops
good relationships with customers but also reduce the switching behavior of
customers (Marshal et al., 2011, p871).
To check the brand preference of customers, there are also other factors,
other than price, benefits etc. The consumer’s emotional intelligence, relationship
status and personality factors also play an important role in affecting the consumer
switching behavior. By focusing on relationship status factor, the researchers state
that when the companies build strong relationships with customers, then this level of
relationship de- motivates the consumers from switching brands, even in case of
service failure. One model presented by, which surrounds the two important factors,
price and promotional coupons. According to this model, there are two influencing
factors (variables), which cause the consumer behavior towards switching, (a) Brand
Loyalty Propensity, (b) unobserved heterogeneity. According to this model, the use of
promotions and price cuts demotivates the consumer intentions from switching
towards other brands. Furthermore, the research study by (Chiu et al., 2005, p1681) is
5
suggesting that companies can motivate the consumer behavior through enhancing
their loyalty through using relationship marketing.
1.2 Objectives
The main objective of this study is to understand the mobile brand preference and the
various factors affecting the choice of brand. The objectives of the study are as
follows:
To determine the effect of product features and after sale service of mobile
phones on brand preference of customer.
5. How far the product features and after sale service has an impact on customers
brand preference?
6
Findings of the study will help marketers understand brand preference
practices in mobile phone market. It will give information about level of
customer involvement in brand searching, analyzing attributes and brand
choice for the high involvement product mobile phones. It will also help to
develop the profile of specific customer of brands.
It will be useful in creating most favourable brand by knowing the buyer
perception and response. Marketers can trace out important reasons for brand
preference and can focus according to choice, perception and preference of
buyers.
Deeper understanding of brand preference of customers can help managers to
design marketing strategy that will concentrate on customers.
It will be a valuable reference for scholars and researchers to conduct further
similar research.
Independent Variables
Social Factors
Price Dependent Variable
Brand
Brand Preference of Mobile phones
Durability
Product Features
After Sales
As seen on the conceptual framework above, there are different variables that affect
the customers preference of brand selection in response to mobile phones in Surkhet.
Social Factors : The facts and experiences that influence individuals' personality,
attitudes and lifestyle. The marketing department of a business needs to take into
7
account the various social factors characteristic of the consumer groups it is targeting
to help increase a product's appeal to those potential buyers. Every consumer is an
individual, but still belong to a group. The group to which a consumer belongs is
called a membership group. This is a direct and simple classification. The second
group type is a reference group. The reference group influences the self-image of
consumers and consumers’ behavior. The reference group provides some points of
comparison to consumers about their behavior, lifestyle or habits. Usually there are
many smaller reference groups, which are formed by family, close friends, neighbors,
work group or other people that consumers associate with. The groups to which a
consumer does not belong yet can also influence. These aspirational groups are
groups where a consumer aspires to belong and wants to be part in the future.
(Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 164; Khan 2006, p. 58.)
Price : The amount of money expected, required, or given in payment for something
is called price. Consumers spend money for certain product and services. Customers
tend to find the product with low price and high quality. First of all, more price
sensitive buyers actually need lower price change to change their purchase decision.
Also, if the consumer has a strong preference towards one of the products, the bigger
reduction or increase is required to induce him/her to choose the less preferred option.
No regularity has been noticed between the initial price of the product and the
percentage price decrease/increase that motivates the consumers to verify their
shopping basket. Moreover, people are significantly more sensitive to price increase
than to the analogous reduction, what should be considered in all managerial
decisions concerning pricing strategy.
8
Durability : Durability means assurance or probability that an equipment, machine,
or material will have a relatively long continuous useful life, without requiring an
inordinate degree of maintenance. Customers intend to buy a product that is more
durable and has less maintenance expenses. Thus this aspect also plays a great role in
brand preference among the customers.
Product Features : Product features are characteristics of your product that describe
its appearance, components, and capabilities. A product feature is a slice of business
functionality that has a corresponding benefit or set of benefits for that product's end
user. To offer maximum value, product features must be prioritized effectively.
Features should be added based on quantifiable ways that they will add value for the
product’s end users. Product features should also be prioritized based on how well
they achieve business objectives.
After sales : After sales service refers to various processes which make sure
customers are satisfied with the products and services of the organization. The needs
and demands of the customers must be fulfilled for them to spread a positive word of
mouth. In the current scenario, positive word of mouth plays an important role in
promoting brands products and services. After sales service makes sure products and
services meet or surpass the expectations of the customers. After sales service
includes various activities to find out whether the customer is happy with the products
or not? After sales service is a crucial aspect of sales management and must not be
ignored.
1.6 Methodology
Research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advanced Learner's Dictionary of
Current English has given the meaning of research as "a careful investigation or
inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge [ CITATION
CRK90 \l 1033 ].
Methodology includes the detail of research methodology that has been used in this
project report. It is concerned with formulating the plans and procedures,
measurement instrument development, methods for data collection, analysis and
interpretation. It deals with justification the methodology used for finding solutions to
the research problems. The strategy of sampling design (i.e. universe of population,
9
sampling frame, and sample selection technique and sample size) has also been
discussed in this chapter. It also describes the methods gathering the data,
characteristics of data and statistical tools to be used to analyze the data.
The term universe refers to the total of items or units in any field of inquire.
Universe of the study were costumer of Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet. 85
customers who use mobile phones in Birendranagar Municipality, were selected as
sample. A general rule of the thumb is always used the largest sample possible. The
larger sample the more representative it is going to be smaller samples produce less
accurate results because they are likely to be less representative of the population
[ CITATION Lob98 \l 1033 ].
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1.6.4 Data Collection
The study was based on primary data. The collection of data was done on the
basis of different factor found in most of the samples of the population. The total
samples were classified on the basis of different attributes and consumer habits.
Primary source
11
information of respondents, 8 background related questions and 19 subject related
questions were included in this study.
This chapter deals with the research methodology which includes research
design population and sample, sources of data, data collection techniques, data
analysis tools and limitation of the methodology.
This chapter explains about the presentation and analysis of the data with
findings of the study. It will be suggestive to the all concern in accordance of analysis
12
and interpretation of data which deals with summary, conclusions and
recommendation.
i. This study is for partial fulfillment of Bachelor in Business studies course of Mid-
Western University(MU). So , it may not be useful for other aspects.
iii. Population of the study are the general people who use mobile phones.
iv. The study is based on the customer response of mobile phone on brand selection
only, so the result can't be generalized on other aspects.
vi. Only the customers were selected for the study who use mobile phones in regular
basis.
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CHAPTER II
Table 1 shows that 52.94 percent of the respondents belonged to the male and 47.06
percent of the respondents belonged to female. Majority of the respondents were
found to be male.
14
40 Male
45 Female
Table 2 shows that 37.65 percent of the respondents belonged to the Brahmin and
49.41 percent of the respondents belonged to Chhetri. 3.53 percent of the respondents
belonged to Janajati and 9.41 percent of the respondents belonged to the dalit caste.
Majority of the respondents were found to be belonging to the Chhetri caste.
15
8
3
32
Brahmin
Chhetri
Janajati
Dalit
42
Table 3 shows that all the respondents were belonging to the Hindu religion. No
respondents were found to be belonging to other religion than Hindu religion.
16
option were used. The following table shows the detail information of the respondents
based on their age.
Table 4 shows that 22.71 percent of the respondents belonged to the age group 15-24,
23.53 percent of the respondents were from age group 25-34, 35.29 percent of the
respondents were from the age group 35-44 and remaining 16.47 percent of the
respondents were from the age group 45 and above. Majority of the respondents were
found to be belonging to the age group 35-42. The above data can be shown in the
figure below.
14
21
15-24
25-34
35-44
45 and above
30
20
17
were used. The following table shows the detail information of the respondents based
on their marital status.
Table 5 shows that 62.35 percent of the respondents were married and 37.65 percent
of the respondents were unmarried. This shows that majority of the respondents were
married. The marital status of the respondents can be shown in the figure below.
60
53
50
40
32
30
20
10
0
Married Unmarried
18
10+2 17 20.00
Bachelors 27 31.76
Above Bachelors 23 27.06
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 6 shows that 21.18 percent of the respondents were educated upto SLC, 20
percent of the respondents were educated upto 10+2 level, 31.76 percent of the
respondents were educated upto the bachelors and 27.06 percent of the respondents
were educated above bachelors level. This shows that majority of the respondents
were educated upto the Bachelors level. The education status of the respondents can
be shown in the figure below.
Table 7 shows that 45.88 percent of the respondents were involved in employment,
35.29 percent of the respondents were students, 8.24 percent of the students were
involved in agriculture, 8.24 percent of the respondents were involved in business and
no respondents were found to be involved in other occupation. This shows that
majority of the respondents were involved in employment sector. The occupation
status of the respondents is shown in the figure below.
19
45
40 39
35
30
30
25
20
15
10 9
7
5
0
Employment Student Agriculture Business
Table 8 shows that 52.94 percent of the respondents have monthly income upto 20
thousand, 25.88 percent of the respondents have monthly income between 20 to 30
thousand, 8.24 percent of the respondents have monthly income of 30 to 40 thousand
rupees and same respondents have monthly income of upto 40 to 50 thousand and
2.71 percent of the respondents have monthly income above 50 thousand rupees. This
20
shows that majority of the respondents have monthly income upto Rs 20 thousands.
This data can be shown in the figure below.
50 45
45
40
35
30
25 22
20
15
10 7 7
4
5
0
21
Table 9 Brand of the phone using
Variable Frequency Percentage
Samsung 33 38.82
VIVO 12 12.12
Oppo 11 12.94
Huawei 16 18.82
Apple 7 8.24
Others 6 7.06
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 9 shows that 38.82 percent of the respondents were using Samsung phones,
12.12 percent of the respondents were using VIVO phones, 12.94 percent of the
respondents were using Oppo phones, 18.82 percent of the respondents were using
Huawei phones, 8.24 percent of the respondents were using Apple and 7.06 percent
of the respondents were using other brand of phones. This shows that majority of the
respondents were using Samsung brand of phones. This data can be shown in the
figure below.
35 33
30
25
20
16
15
12 11
10
7 6
5
0
Samsung VIVO Oppo Huawei Apple Others
22
price being decider, yes and no options were used. The following table shows the
respondents view about price being a decider to purchase the phone.
Table 10 shows that 72.12 percent of the respondents said that price was the decider
to the purchase of the phone, 9.41 percent of the respondents said that the price was
not the decider of purchasing the phone whereas 16.47 percent of the respondents said
that price was somehow a decider for respondents to buy a phone. It shows that
majority of the respondents said that the price was a decider for purchasing a phone.
Table 11 shows that 83.53 percent of the respondents said that the price was the main
reason behind them choosing the phone whereas 16.47 percent of the respondents
said that it was not the main reason for choosing the phone. It shows that majority of
the respondents didn't choose their brand of phone for the price rather than other
features.
23
2.1.12 Price of phone decides the use of brand
This question was design to find out the respondent's level of agree for the statement
that price of phone decides the use of the brand. To collect the information from the
respondents on view as price being decider, strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree
and strongly disagree options were used. The following table shows the respondents
view about price being a decider to purchase the phone.
Table 12 shows that 21.18 percent of the respondents were strongly agree that price
of phone decides the use of the brand, 62.35 percent of the respondents were agree
that price is the decider of the phone, similarly, 10.59 percent of the respondents were
neutral about the statement, 2.71 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18
respondent were strongly disagree with the statement that price of phone decides the
use of the brand. It shows that majority of the respondents agree that price of phone
decides the use of the brand.
Table 13 shows that 49.41 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that phones should be available with more features in low price, 21.18
percent of the respondents were agree, 17.65 percent of the respondents were neutral
to the statement, 10.59 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18 percent of
the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority
of the respondents were neutral about the statement that phones should be available
with more features in low price.
25
Table 14 Decision of switching mobile can be affected by the price
Variable Frequency Percentage
Strongly Agree 22 25.88
Agree 18 21.18
Neutral 7 8.24
Disagree 37 43.53
Strongly Disagree 1 1.18
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 14 shows that 25.88 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that they decision of switching brand can be affected by the price, 21.18
percent of the respondents were agree, 8.24 percent of the respondents were neutral to
the statement, 43.53 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18 percent of the
respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of
the respondents were disagreed about the statement that decision of switching phones
can be affected by the price of the phone.
Table 15 shows that 78.82 percent of the respondents said yes upon asked about
switching phone with more reputed brand whereas 21.18 percent of the respondents
said they would not switch phones with more reputed brand. This shows that majority
of the respondents would change the brand of phones with more reputed brands.
26
2.1.16 Brand successful than others
This question was design to find out if the customers feeling about their brand being
successful than others. To collect the information from the respondents on view on
the statement, strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree options
were used were used. The following table shows the respondents view about their
brand being successful than others.
Table 16 shows that 40.00 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that respondents thought that their brands was successful than others, 36.47
percent of the respondents were agree, 17.65 percent of the respondents were neutral
to the statement, 2.71 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18 percent of
the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority
of the respondents were strongly agreed about the statement their brand of phone is
successful than others.
27
Strongly Disagree 3 3.53
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 17 shows that 32.94 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that respondents thought that brand plays vital role in choosing brand of
phone, 45.88 percent of the respondents were agree, 11.76 percent of the respondents
were neutral to the statement, 5.88 percent of the respondents were disagree and
3.53 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows
that majority of the respondents were neutral about the statement their brand plays
vital role in choosing brand of phone.
28
Table 18 Decision of choosing brand affected by the durability
Variable Frequency Percentage
Mostly Affected 50 58.82
Moderate Affected 26 30.59
No Affect 9 10.59
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 18 shows that 58.82 percent of the respondents said that their decision of
choosing brand was mostly affected by the durability of the brand, 30.59 percent of
the respondents were moderately affected by durability while choosing the brand of
phones whereas 10.59 percent of the respondents said that it has no affect on their
decision of choosing the brand has no affect by durability. This shows that majority
of the respondents said that their decision of choosing brand was mostly affected by
the durability of the brand of phones.
Table 19 shows that 31.76 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that companies do not take durability very seriously, 47.06 percent of the
respondents were agree, 11.76 percent of the respondents were neutral to the
statement, 8.24 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18 percent of the
29
respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of
the respondents were agree that the companies do not take durability very seriously.
Table 20 shows that 48.24 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that durable and original parts are determinants of brand selection, 36.47
percent of the respondents were agree, 3.53 percent of the respondents were neutral to
the statement, 8.24 percent of the respondents were disagree and 3.53 percent of the
respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of
the respondents said that durable and original parts are determinants of brand
selection.
30
Variable Frequency Percentage
Yes 60 70.59
No 25 29.41
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 21 shows that 70.59 percent of the respondents said that feature of phone
affects the switching behavior of mobile phone brands whereas 29.41 percent of the
respondents said that feature of phone didn't affect in switching behavior of mobile
phone brands. This shows that majority of the respondents have switching behavior
after having the knowledge about the feature of the phones.
31
Table 22 Awareness of all features of the phone
Variable Frequency Percentage
Strongly Agree 31 36.47
Agree 29 32.12
Neutral 10 11.76
Disagree 12 12.12
Strongly Disagree 3 3.53
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 22 shows that 36.47 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that they were aware of all the features of the phone, 32.12 percent of the
respondents were agree, 11.76 percent of the respondents were neutral to the
statement, 12.12 percent of the respondents were disagree and 3.53 percent of the
respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of
the respondents were aware of all the features of the phone.
2.1.23 Features are the main reason behind customers choice of phone
This question was design to find out if the respondents view about the feature being
the main reason behind choice of the brand. To collect the information from the
respondents on view on the statement, strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and
strongly disagree options were used were used. The following table shows the
respondents view about features being the main reason behind choice of phone.
32
Table 23 Features are the main reason behind choice of phone
Variable Frequency Percentage
Strongly Agree 39 45.88
Agree 26 30.59
Neutral 12 12.12
Disagree 5 5.88
Strongly Disagree 3 3.53
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 23 shows that 45.88 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement that the feature are the main reason behind choice of phone brand, 30.59
percent of the respondents were agree, 12.12 percent of the respondents were neutral
to the statement, 5.88 percent of the respondents were disagree and 3.53 percent of
the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority
of the respondents were neutral about the statement that features are the main reason
behind choice of phone.
Table 24 shows that 92.12 percent of the respondents said that they bought the phones
with accessibility of service center whereas 7.88 percent of the respondents said that
service center didn't have any role while buying the phones. This shows that majority
of the respondents only bought the phones with accessibility of service center.
33
2.1.25 Service center and parts decide the purchasing of the mobile phone
This question was design to find out if the respondents decision to buy the phone was
decided by service center and availability of parts. To collect the information from the
respondents on view on the statement, yes and no options were used were used. The
following table shows the respondents view buying phones with accessibility of
service center.
Table 25 Service center and parts deciding the purchasing mobile phone
Variable Frequency Percentage
Yes 36 42.35
No 49 57.65
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 25 shows that 42.35 percent of the respondents said that service center and
parts deciding the purchasing mobile phones whereas 57.65 percent of the
respondents said that . This shows that majority of the respondents only bought the
phones with accessibility of service center.
34
Table 26 Only buying phones with availability of service center
Variable Frequency Percentage
Strongly Agree 14 16.47
Agree 40 47.06
Neutral 12 12.12
Disagree 14 16.47
Strongly Disagree 5 5.88
Total 85 100.00
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 26 shows that 16.47 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement about only buying the phones with availability of service center, 47.06
percent of the respondents were agree, 12.12 percent of the respondents were neutral
to the statement, 16.47 percent of the respondents were disagree and 5.88 percent of
the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority
of the respondents were neutral about the statement they would only buy the phones
with availability of service center.
35
Table 27 Availability of different accessories are more favorite
Variable Frequency Percentage
Strongly Agree 45 52.94
Agree 20 23.53
Neutral 8 9.41
Disagree 9 10.59
Strongly Disagree 23 3.57
Total 84 98.82
Source : Field Survey, 2076
Table 27 shows that 52.94 percent of the respondents were strongly agree to the
statement about availability of different accessories being more favorite, 23.53
percent of the respondents were agree, 9.41 percent of the respondents were neutral to
the statement, 10.59 percent of the respondents were disagree and 3.57 percent of the
respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of
the respondents were neutral about availability of different accessories being more
favorite.
2. The findings of study show that 37.65 percent of the respondents belonged to the
Brahmin and 49.41 percent of the respondents belonged to Chhetri. 3.53 percent
of the respondents belonged to Janajati and 9.41 percent of the respondents
belonged to the dalit caste. The findings of study shows that all the respondents
were belonging to the Hindu religion. No respondents were found to be belonging
to other religion than Hindu religion.
3. The findings of study shows that 22.71 percent of the respondents belonged to the
age group 15-24, 23.53 percent of the respondents were from age group 25-34,
35.29 percent of the respondents were from the age group 35-44 and remaining
16.47 percent of the respondents were from the age group 45 and above. Majority
of the respondents were found to be belonging to the age group 35-42. The
findings of study shows that 62.35 percent of the respondents were married and
36
37.65 percent of the respondents were unmarried. This shows that majority of the
respondents were married.
4. The findings of study shows that 21.18 percent of the respondents were educated
upto SLC, 20 percent of the respondents were educated upto 10+2 level, 31.76
percent of the respondents were educated upto the bachelors and 27.06 percent of
the respondents were educated above bachelors level. This shows that majority of
the respondents were educated upto the Bachelors level.
5. The findings of study shows that 45.88 percent of the respondents were involved
in employment, 35.29 percent of the respondents were students, 8.24 percent of
the students were involved in agriculture, 8.24 percent of the respondents were
involved in business and no respondents were found to be involved in other
occupation. This shows that majority of the respondents were involved in
employment sector.
6. Table 8 shows that 52.94 percent of the respondents have monthly income upto
20 thousand, 25.88 percent of the respondents have monthly income between 20
to 30 thousand, 8.24 percent of the respondents have monthly income of 30 to 40
thousand rupees and same respondents have monthly income of upto 40 to 50
thousand and 2.71 percent of the respondents have monthly income above 50
thousand rupees. This shows that majority of the respondents have monthly
income upto Rs 20 thousands.
7. The findings of study shows that 38.82 percent of the respondents were using
Samsung phones, 12.12 percent) of the respondents were using VIVO phones, 11
(12.94 percent) of the respondents were using Oppo phones, 18.82 percent of the
respondents were using Huawei phones, 8.24 percent of the respondents were
using apple and 7.06 percent of the respondents were using other brand of phones.
This shows that majority of the respondents were using Samsung brand of phones.
8. The findings of study shows that 72.12 percent of the respondents said that price
was the decider to the purchase of the phone, 9.41 percent of the respondents said
that the price was not the decider of purchasing the phone whereas 16.47 percent
of the respondents said that price was somehow a decider for respondents to buy a
37
phone. It shows that majority of the respondents said that the price was a decider
for purchasing a phone.
9. The findings of study shows that 83.53 percent of the respondents said that the
price was the main reason behind them choosing the phone whereas 16.47 percent
of the respondents said that it was not the main reason for choosing the phone. It
shows that majority of the respondents didn't choose their brand of phone for the
price rather than other features.
10. The findings of study shows that 21.18 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree that price of phone decides the use of the brand, 62.35 percent of the
respondents were agree that price is the decider of the phone, similarly, 10.59
percent of the respondents were neutral about the statement, 2.71 percent of the
respondents were disagree and 1.18 respondent were strongly disagree with the
statement that price of phone decides the use of the brand. It shows that majority
of the respondents agree that price of phone decides the use of the brand.
11. The findings of study shows that 49.41 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that phones should be available with more features in low
price, 21.18 percent of the respondents were agree, 17.65 percent of the
respondents were neutral to the statement, 10.59 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 1.18 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were neutral about the
statement that phones should be available with more features in low price.
12. The findings of study shows that 25.88 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that they decision of switching brand can be affected by the
price, 21.18 percent of the respondents were agree, 8.24 percent of the
respondents were neutral to the statement, 43.53 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 1.18 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were disagreed about the
statement that decision of switching phones can be affected by the price of the
phone.
13. The findings of study shows that 78.82 percent of the respondents said yes upon
asked about switching phone with more reputed brand whereas 21.18 percent of
38
the respondents said they would not switch phones with more reputed brand. This
shows that majority of the respondents would change the brand of phones with
more reputed brands.
14. The findings of study shows that 40.00 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that respondents thought that their brands was successful
than others, 36.47 percent of the respondents were agree, 17.65 percent of the
respondents were neutral to the statement, 2.71 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 1.18 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were strongly agreed about
the statement their brand of phone is successful than others.
15. The findings of study shows that 32.94 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that respondents thought that brand plays vital role in
choosing brand of phone, 45.88 percent of the respondents were agree, 11.76
percent of the respondents were neutral to the statement, 5.88 percent of the
respondents were disagree and 3.53 percent of the respondents were strongly
disagree with the statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were
neutral about the statement their brand plays vital role in choosing brand of
phone.
16. The findings of study shows that 31.76 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that companies do not take durability very seriously, 47.06
percent of the respondents were agree, 11.76 percent of the respondents were
neutral to the statement, 8.24 percent of the respondents were disagree and 1.18
percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows
that majority of the respondents were agree that the companies do not take
durability very seriously.
17. The findings of study shows that 48.24 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that durable and original parts are determinants of brand
selection, 36.47 percent of the respondents were agree, 3.53 percent of the
respondents were neutral to the statement, 8.24 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 3.53 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents said that durable and
original parts are determinants of brand selection
39
18. The findings of study shows that 70.59 percent of the respondents said that
feature of phone affects the switching behavior of mobile phone brands whereas
29.41 percent of the respondents said that feature of phone didn't affect in
switching behavior of mobile phone brands. This shows that majority of the
respondents have switching behavior after having the knowledge about the feature
of the phones.
19. The findings of study shows that 36.47 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement that they were aware of all the features of the phone, 32.12
percent of the respondents were agree, 11.76 percent of the respondents were
neutral to the statement, 12.12 percent of the respondents were disagree and 3.53
percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the statement. This shows
that majority of the respondents were aware of all the features of the phone.
20. The findings of study shows that 92.12 percent of the respondents said that they
bought the phones with accessibility of service center whereas 5.88 percent of the
respondents said that service center didn't have any role while buying the phones.
This shows that majority of the respondents only bought the phones with
accessibility of service center.
21. The findings of study shows that 42.35 percent of the respondents said that
service center and parts deciding the purchasing mobile phones whereas 57.65
percent of the respondents said that . This shows that majority of the respondents
only bought the phones with accessibility of service center.
22. The findings of study shows that 16.47 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement about only buying the phones with availability of service
center, 47.06 percent of the respondents were agree, 12.12 percent of the
respondents were neutral to the statement, 16.47 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 5.88 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were neutral about the
statement they would only buy the phones with availability of service center.
23. The findings of study shows that 52.94 percent of the respondents were strongly
agree to the statement about availability of different accessories being more
favorite, 23.53 percent of the respondents were agree, 9.41 percent of the
40
respondents were neutral to the statement, 10.59 percent of the respondents were
disagree and 3.57 percent of the respondents were strongly disagree with the
statement. This shows that majority of the respondents were neutral about
availability of different accessories being more favorite.
41
CHAPTER III
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
3.1 Introduction
This chapter includes the concluding summary of the whole thesis. The key findings
based on the study objectively have been elaborated in this chapter. The
recommendation and conclusion have also been included in this chapter.
3.2 Summary
The topic of this research was " Customers brand preference on mobile phones". The
purpose of this study was to find out the customers preference while brand switching
of mobile phones in Surkhet. To measure the customers behavior of brand switching
of mobile different variables were used such as price, brand, durability, product
features and after sales.
Mobile phones aren't just a rich person's fashion today. It is transforming the way
thousands of people do business in a country where even landline phones were a
luxury a decade ago. As an essential element of daily life, the purchase of a mobile
phone is an important decision with a variety of mobile phone brands available to
choose from. Although the market is small in case of telecommunication in Nepal, it
is ever growing. The telecommunication sector has seen a significant development in
Nepal. People living in Nepal have a broad variety of alternatives when it comes to
select a mobile phone. However, it is not very obvious as to what motivates them to
select a particular brand of cellular phone..
In light of recent financial crisis and global economic recession, leaders of different
mobile brands are under additional pressure not only to maintain customer satisfaction
while sustaining lower costs and maintain market leadership. To do so, the
manufacturers should focus on keeping their customers in their brands for a longer
time.
42
customers brand preference in case of mobile phones. To measure the response
towards the independent variable, 25 questions were developed using Likert scale and
8 close ended questionnaires were developed for the respondents.
The questionnaire was developed in English language. Some questions were self-
developed, and some were adopted from previous researchers. Most of the questions
were formulated in closed ended pattern using Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly
disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). To collect the personal information of respondents, 8
background related questions were included in the questionnaire. 33 questions were
based on likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 and 9 close ended questionnaire were
developed for the respondents. Some form were distributed through the researcher
himself and some of were distributed through friends help and support. All the
questionnaires were collected through researcher himself. The researcher distributed
105 (one hundred five) questionnaires. Out of 105 questionnaires, 85 questionnaires
were returned to the researcher.
Purposive sampling method was used to select the sample. The purpose of sampling is
to secure a representative group which enables the researcher to gain information
about an entire population when faced with limitations of time, funds and energy. The
information was collected from the customers of different mobile brands, the
respondents were employees, businessman, farmer and students.
The data were analyzed in excel table. Result of the analysis based on the objectives
has also been described. This study succeeded to find the relationship between
independent variables and mobile switching behavior of the customers. The main
theme of the thesis is customers brand preference on mobile phones in Surkhet. It can
be seen that all bank switching variables (price, brand, durability, product features and
after sales service) have positive effect on brand preference of the customers in
mobile phones.
3.3 Conclusion
43
reputation of the brand. Majority of the respondents were dissatisfied with the
durability. Majority of the respondents were satisfied with the product features of the
mobile. Majority of the respondents were satisfied with the after sales service.
3.4 Recommendation
After studying the findings of the study, following recommendations are drawn :
1. The finding shows that 62.35% respondents viewed decision to use the brand is
affected by the price of mobile phone. So it can be recommended to the
manufacturer of mobile phones that the price of mobile need to be affordable to
increase their sales volume.
2. Findings revealed that 58.82% of the responded viewed that their decision choosing
the brand of mobile phone is affected by the durability. So, it is suggested to the
producer of mobile phone that they should produce durable mobile to increase
sales volume of mobile phones.
3. Findings of the study showed that 92.12% of the respondents viewed that their
decision is affected by mobile phone which have accessible service center. So, the
producer of mobile phone is advised to manage appropriate service center as per
the need of customer.
4. Findings showed that nearly 68.59 responded aware about the feature of phone in
the time of buying. So, it is advised that their decision is good and continues to
observe the feature of mobile phone in the time of buying.
44
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47
Questionnaire
This questionnaire is prepared to collect the data for a research to undertake in the
partial fulfillment of BBS 8th Semester, Mid Western University. The data collected
from this questionnaire will be kept confidential and will be used for research work
only. It does not have any commercial purpose. So, I kindly request you to help for
this research work by providing your valuable time to fill up this questionnaire.
Name:
Address:
1. Gender
a Male b Female
2. Caste:
a Brahmin b Chhetri c Janajati
d Dalit e Others
3. Religion
a Hindu b Buddhist c Christian
d Muslim e Others
2. Age
a 15-24 b 25-34 c 35-44
d 45 and above
5. Marital Status :
a Married b Unmarried
6. Education
a Upto SLC b 10+2 c Bachelors
d Above Bachelor
7. Occupation:
a Employment b Student c Agriculture
d Business e Others
8. Monthly Income
a Upto 20,000 b 20,000-30,000 c 30,000-40,000
d 40,000-50,000 e Above 50,000
9. Which brand of the phone are you using now?
a. Samsung b. VIVO c. Oppo d. Huawei
e. iPhone f. Others
Price
10. Does the price of the phone decides the brand you use?
i) Yes ii) No iii) Somehow
11. Is the price of the brand the main reason behind you choosing this phone?
48
i) Yes ii) No
Please indicate your level of satisfaction on the following statements. Put ()
mark on the proper place.
S.N Statement SA(5) A(4 N(3) D(2 SD(1)
. ) )
12 The price of the phone decides the use of
brand.
13 The phones should be available with more
features in low price.
14 Customer decision of switching brand of
mobile can be affected by the price.
Brand
15. Will you switch your phone if the other reputed brand comes in the market?
i) Yes ii) No
Please indicate your level of satisfaction on the following statements. Put ()
mark on the proper place.
Durability
18. How far your decision be affected by durability of the brand?
i) More affected. ii)Moderate Affected iii) No Affect
49
Please indicate your level of satisfaction on the following statements. Put ()
mark on the proper place.
S.N Statement SA(5 A(4) N(3) D(2) SD(1)
. )
19 Companies do not take the durability of
the parts very seriously.
20 Durable and original parts are the
determinants for the brand selection of
customers.
Product Features
21. Do features of a phone can affect the switching behavior of customer?
i) Yes ii) No
Please indicate your level of satisfaction on the following statements. Put ()
mark on the proper place.
S.N Statement SA(5 A(4) N(3) D(2) SD(1)
. )
22 You are aware of all the features provided
by the brand.
23 Product features are the reason behind
customers choice of the phone.
After sales
24) Do you buy a product which have a service center nearby?
i) Yes ii) No
25) Does availability of service center and parts decide your choice of the mobile
phone brand?
i) Yes ii) No
Please indicate your level of satisfaction on the following statements. Put ()
mark on the proper place.
S.N Statement SA(5 A(4) N(3) D(2) SD(1)
. )
26 I buy the phones which have service
center easily available.
27 The phones which have availability of
different accessories are more favourite.
50