Analysis of Consumer Behavior in Smartphone Purchase: BE519 Essay

This essay delves into the intricacies of consumer behavior by examining the author's personal experience in purchasing a smartphone. It meticulously outlines the various stages of the consumer decision-making process, including need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchasing decision, and post-purchase evaluation. The essay highlights the factors that influenced the author's choices at each stage, such as the ease of use and features of smartphones, advice from friends, and brand comparisons. It also explores the channels used to interact with the brand, encompassing both online (social media, company website) and offline (physical store) interactions, and how these channels shaped the purchase decision. Furthermore, the essay discusses the author's preference for Samsung initially and the subsequent shift in preference towards Apple, analyzing the reasons behind this change, including product innovation, marketing strategies, and brand value. The essay concludes by summarizing the key factors impacting purchase decisions and emphasizing the importance of brand performance in fostering customer interaction and loyalty.

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TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Various factors affected my purchase decision...........................................................................3
Channels used to interact with the brand.....................................................................................5
Preference of purchase.................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The relevance of consumer behaviour pertaining to the marketing is very important. The
smart phones in the present times has penetrated everywhere which ash resulted into increasing
the comfort level of the individuals pertaining to the everyday lives. The usage of smartphones
has proliferated at the greater pace because of things which has been eased with the usage of it.
This essay provides an insight to the various factors which resulted into affecting the consumers
purchase decisions at every step of consumer decision-making process. It expresses my
reflection of the real life experience of buying of smart phone and factors I took into
consideration in making the final decisions.
MAIN BODY
Various factors affected my purchase decision
When I was about to purchase my first new smart phone, I was very confused in regard to
which one is right and this resulted into making this purchase decision-making process a difficult
task for me. I was not sure what all features I would be requiring for meeting my requirement
and thus, I had to undergo various stages of purchase decision-making which are evaluated
below. This has supported me in identifying my actual needs, the reason for which I want to have
a smart phone.
Need recognition (awareness)
This is the first step which the need is recognised in order to purchase a product. In my
case, I recognized that nowadays things have become very easy with the help of smartphone. For
instance, instant messages, images, books can be easily shared from one phone to another, even
different forms can be easily filled out without the need of computer (Stankevich, 2017). This
has helped in easy communication as in smartphones we can download apps which help in
making life easy which is not possible in other phones. This was the problem being identified by
me which resulted into making me realize about my need for smartphone.
Search for information (research)
The next step of this is the buying decision-making process which starts by looking at the
information which will help in better understanding of the situation and identifying how this
issue will be fixed. Under this, the solution is derived about how the issue identified can be
resolved (Puspitasari and et.al., 2018). In this step, I have researched about the information in
respect to meeting with my problem and this has assisted me in identifying and understanding

the situation which will support in fixing the issues. In order to do this I had taken advise from
the knows and friends about what should I do. They shared their information and experiences
which assisted me in focussing more into the requirements and issues. The views of the others
had a great impact over my purchase decisions.
Need recognition (awareness)Search for information (research)
Evaluation of alternatives (consideration)Purchasing decision (conversion)
After carrying out the complete information research, the very next step was to evaluate
the alternatives available. Based upon the information gathered and what I learned and
discovered, it is imperative to determine the option which are available in order to find out the
best solution to the problem. In this, I have identified various smart phones with different
features and compatibility pertaining to different brands. At this point, I had even taken demos of
all the relevant models which resulted into making the comparison even better and in identifying
the best product for my need. Thus, under this stage, the physical usage of the product helped me
in getting little clarity about the smartphones and assisted me in de-selecting the other available
alternatives.
Purchasing decision (conversion)
At this point of purchase decision-making, the consumer final makes the purchase. The
consumer has made the decision taking into account the brand, price, service, features, durability
and so forth and is now ready to buy (Sudha and Sheena, 2017). At this point, research and
evaluation are done and consumer requires a clear direction for making a purchase. Therefore,
under this, stage after taking into consideration, reviews, testimonials and the discounts offered, I
took the decision to buy the Samsung smartphone which is seems to be the right fit for me with
all the required features and compatibility.
Post-purchase evaluation (re-purchase)
After consumer made the purchase does not mean that the customer journey is completed.
It is the time when the customer reflects on the purchases made pertaining to whether it is right
or wrong. Under this step, the consumer states about the solution selected was accurate and
helped in effectively meeting up with the requirement (Millwood, 2020). This helps in
determining whether the product purchased was worth the money and if the brand was able to
deliver its promise. In case, brand fails to satisfy the consumers need then the consumer would
never come back to that brand. Thus, post purchase, after using the smartphone for nearly 2

months I was of the view that it have selected the right one and the brand has been successful in
meeting its promise.
Channels used to interact with the brand
I have made use of both online and offline channel in order to get connected with the
brand. In respect to the online channels, I have followed the company’s social media pages
which helped me in gaining information about the brand, the views of the customers and the
employees associated with the company. These channels helped me in understanding the brand,
its purpose and how its products are meeting with the different needs of the consumers. In
addition to this, I have surfed the official website of the company and had a glimpse at the
various products offered by it, which assisted me in gaining knowledge about the various
products available along with its compatibility, price, operating system etc. this supported in
making a better comparison of the alternatives available (Putter, 2017). Through, social
networking sites I have been able to communicate the users of the brands in respect to
smartphone which assisted me in getting reviews of the product and brand both positive and
negative which supported me in taking right decision. Apart from this, I have utilized the offline
channel as well in regard to the gaining an understanding about the topic. I have visited the
physical store of the brand and had a demo of the various products which resulted into providing
me with the enhanced experience in respect to the product. This has helped me in taking the
decision pertaining which product I should buy and will it be able to meet with my desired
objectives along with the solving my problem. But at last, the decision I took based on the ideas,
suggestions, research carried out assisted me in undertaking the right decision which helped me
in overcoming my problems.
The disconfirmation paradigm which is the difference between the pre-purchase
expectations and the post purchase experience. In my case, the difference is not much as I am
very well satisfied with my purchase decision. As I have made use of both online and offline
channel in order to get interacted with the brand. Also, I have taken into account the various
factors which were having the potential to affect my decision within the purchase decision-
making process. Therefore, all these steps and channels have helped me in the completion of my
smartphone buying process which was exciting and little confusing.

Preference of purchase
My purchase experience with Samsung has been good where I found all technology
elements in smartphone highly satisfactory and effective to keep up my expectations
functionally. It can be understood in depth that Samsung marketing and promotions have been
also effectively diversified, where services to me were served with high scale advancement.
There were constant diversified affirmative aspects within smart phones, which Samsung brings
to all customers effectively to keep up quality growth benchmarks actively. Further however, I]
plan to opt for Apple company products which is also one of the main competitor of brand
having varied range of services and gadgets with advanced technologies. My preference for
Apple has been also constantly growing in recent period as online digital platforms are widely
innovative, highly scalable which has been also constantly growing my preference. This can be
understood as one of the most crucial factor where technologies are widely shifting to new
platforms among wide level of customer preferences. Also marketing of Apple is more
competent and innovative as when compared to Samsung, keenly bringing on focus towards
wide range of products and services. Apple has wider market reach globally making it one of the
best electronics brand, competently shaping high scale customers satisfaction horizons positively
on varied scenarios. This can be also analysed that Apple offers customers wider choice to shop
from, and has best marketing strategies having high scale expertise with advanced innovation
(.Dived and et.al, 2020).
My preference for further purchase with Apple smartphones can be understood based on
diverse products and services which brand offers, productively expanded among international
pathways making it one of the most sold brand. Also customer’s services of Apple are available
on digital and offline networks, making the best aspects viable for keeping up scale customer
goodwill. The brand has been also imperatively expanding with best marketing strategies to
determine innovation, advanced high scale commercial expertise and bring on best advanced
technologies be shaped among productive scenarios. Further, I also plan to use varied digital
shopping platforms which Apple uses for high scale gadgets, laptops and phones on which the
best features are widely attractive. Samsung lacks variety growth among products and services,
innovation factor and best affirmative usage of new scale goals where it can be analysed as main
factor differing from Apple (Grewal, Kopple and Kara Hanna, 2020). The brand Apple has been
excelling competent efficacy horizons, where functional scale growth to keep market

competitively strong is one of the key factor. Also apple provides customers high scale quality
strength to keep up best promising efficacy where also marketing is strong, creativity within
innovation among gadgets is also diversified and functionally strong. This can be understood
that Apple has been informatively expanding through untapped domains, where customer
interaction with brand I strong due to advanced innovative functional goals and strategic
fundamental diversity aspects. My shopping experience with Samsung was good, although
products innovation is limited as compared to the fastest technology present among world. My
decision to further go for Apple has been based on experience of shopping, based on scaled up
functional goals and also my personal objectives are attained.
There is also enhanced brand value which Apple offers to all customers, which is highly
satisfactory and also there are diverse product options to choose from which makes one of the
best company choice functionally. The fundamental scope of wider scale attractive marketing
strategies which Apple offers are widely strong within innovative business domains variably.
Also, Apple stores offers global market reach where customers from all parts of world can come
in, and quality of varied products are gaining excelled market strength. This competently also
brings on varied efficacy horizons to keep up productive varied goals formulated as per
diversified functional domains, where inculcation of the best strategic innovation plays crucial
role for productive varied growth (Appel, Grewal and Stephen, 2020).
CONCLUSION
From the above analysed report it can be conducted that need recognition (awareness),
Search for information (research), evaluation of alternatives (consideration) and purchasing
decision (conversion) along with after purchase sales are some key factor which impacts
purchase. The study has also concluded market channels for customer interaction, where
Samsung offers satisfactory services to all customers, however due to wide range of innovation
and competent efficacy domains, Apple electronic products are more attractive towards
customers. This can be analysed that brand performance to bring on imperative high scale
customer interaction has been found to be strategically crucial for longer term business goodwill
and business benchmarks.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Appel, G., Grewal, L and Stephen, A. T., 2020. The future of social media in marketing. Journal
of the Academy of Marketing Science. 48(1). Pp.79-95.
Dived, Y. K., and et.al, 2020. Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research:
Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information
Management, p.102168.
Grewal, D., Kopple, P. K. and Karahanna, E., 2020. The future of technology and marketing: a
multidisciplinary perspective.
Panwar, D., Anand, S., Ali, F. and Singal, K., 2019. Consumer decisión making process models
and their applications to market strategy. International Management Review, 15(1),
pp.36-44.
Puspitasari, N. B., and et.al., 2018. Consumer’s Buying Decision-Making Process in E-
Commerce. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 31, p. 11003). EDP Sciences.
Pütter, M., 2017. The impact of social media on consumer buying intention. Marketing, 3(1),
pp.7-13.
Stankevich, A., 2017. Explaining the consumer decision-making process: Critical literature
review. Journal of International Business Research and Marketing. 2(6).
Sudha, M. and Sheena, K., 2017. Impact of influencers in consumer decision process: the
fashion industry. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 14(3), pp.14-30.
Online
Millwood, A., 2020. What Is the Consumer Decision Making Process? [Online]. Available
Through:<https://www.yotpo.com/resources/consumer-decision-making-process-ugc/>.