Marketing and Consumer Behavior Analysis: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the marketing strategies employed for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, focusing on consumer behavior and the decision-making process that leads to a purchase. It begins with a brief product description and then identifies key factors influencing the purchase decision, including passion for gadgets, social influences, and positive online reviews. The report applies Maslow's hierarchy of needs to understand how the phone fulfills various needs and explores the brand personality of Samsung, highlighting attributes such as style, reliability, and innovation. The core of the report examines the five stages of the purchase decision process: need recognition, information gathering, evaluation of alternatives, the final decision, and post-purchase evaluation. The author concludes by expressing satisfaction with the purchase and emphasizing the impact of cultural and social factors on consumer buying decisions, providing a valuable case study for understanding marketing management principles.

marketing and management
Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Marketing Management 1
Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Brief description of the product.......................................................................................................1
Factors influencing the purchase decision.......................................................................................1
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs...........................................................................................................2
Brand personality of the product.....................................................................................................2
Purchase decision process................................................................................................................2
Step 1: Need recognition..............................................................................................................2
Step 2: Gaining information.........................................................................................................3
Step 3: Evaluating the alternatives...............................................................................................3
Step 4: Making the final decision................................................................................................3
Step 5: Post purchase evaluation..................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
“Customer is the king”. This is the motto of a successful business. A high level of importance
and attention is paid by businesses to understand consumer behaviour. Understanding consumer
behaviour helps in gaining a deeper understanding of consumer’s needs and demands. There are
various factors that influence buying behaviour of a customer. I recently purchased the new
Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It is a leading mobile phone offered by electronics giant Samsung. The
report below aims to identify the factors which influenced my buying behaviour and the steps
that were involved in the decision making process.
Brief description of the product
The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a flagship product of Samsung. The model has a sleek
design and a 6.4inch screen size. The phone is light weight. However the most prominent aspect
of the phone is its long battery life. There is a 21% improvement in the battery size as compared
to the previous model Note 8. The phone has glossy and matte surfaces. It has dual camera and is
available for AED 4500.
Factors influencing the purchase decision
I am very passionate about the mobile phones that I use. I often buy new phones and then within
a few months, I exchange them with something else. So my biggest motivation to buy this
product is my passion towards the same. Several factors can influence buying behaviour. With
the advent of social media, word of mouth publicity can go a long way (Tuten & Solomon,
2017). I am a part of various tech groups and within that group we consistently discuss new
gadgets. Social factors also largely influence customers in their purchase decision (Ramanathan,
Subramanian & VijayGopal, 2017). Being a part of that group is essential for me and hence it is
an influencing factor in my purchase decisions.
Besides this, customer reviews that I read about the product online were also positive and added
to my interest in the product.

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
The phone surely fulfils my social needs as it allows me to be an active member of the tech
group. Also since this is a relatively new phone, a lot of people have been seeking advice from
me regarding the performance of this phone. This also satisfies by esteem needs. Owning a
Samsung phone is a matter of privilege and esteem. This further fulfils my esteem needs as
defined by Maslow.
Brand personality of the product
Every brand has certain characteristics. All of these attributes combined forms the brand’s
personality. Samsung has been in the industry since a very long time. The brand has a personality
of its own. Different products from the same brand may have different brand personalities (Kim,
Lee & Suh, 2015). I bought Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 because I really relate with the brand
personality of the model.
The design is sleek and the exterior sturdy. Therefore a primary brand personality attribute is that
the product is really stylish. Samsung is a trusted brand and hence reliability is another important
aspect of the brand’s personality. Creativity, innovation, style, glamour, honour, independence,
liberation, growth, development, aspiration, success are all attributes that I believe are associated
with Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s brand personality. Understanding a brand’s personality and
making it strong is essential for the success of any business. This is because customers are more
likely to purchase items wherein they believe that their personality relates to the brand’s
attributes (Peretz & Supphellen, 2015).
Purchase decision process
Buying decision for a phone cannot be taken overnight. It is not an FMCG product. Therefore
there is an intense decision making process that takes place before making the final purchase.
While buying the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as well, the following decision making process was
adopted.

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Step 1: Need recognition
The very first step to any decision making process is the need recognition. At this stage
customers identify exactly why they need a particular product (Puterman, 2014). Customers also
analyse primary needs that the product should be able to fulfil. It is my passion towards new
gadgets that really creates the need for me to buy a new phone every few months. Besides this, I
felt a social need to buy a new phone as I am a part of several tech groups.
Step 2: Gaining information
The next step is to gain information about how this need can be fulfilled. As a part of the tech
group, I keep researching over gadgets and keep myself aware as and when a new phone is
released. I read about the product online and discussed the same with gadget experts that I know.
Step 3: Evaluating the alternatives
Around the same time, there were three new mobile phones that were launched. One was from
Apple and one was by One plus. Both the other brands too are incredibly strong. There are a
number of factors that must be considered while evaluating options for purchase (Karimi,
Papamichail & Holland, 2015). I started comparing the three options on the basis of availability,
performance, battery life, price, looks, operating system and other such factors.
Step 4: Making the final decision
Upon evaluating all the three options in great depth, I finally decided to purchase Samsung
Galaxy Note 9. This decision was influenced predominantly by the battery life and performance
offered by the model. I also decided that I would buy the product online as I was getting a
discount by using card payment facility.
Step 5: Post purchase evaluation
The last step of the decision making process includes the post purchase evaluation. In this
process, customers analyse their decision, start using the product and try to understand if they are
happy with the product or not (Fouad & Kortam, 2017). I am completely satisfied with my

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purchase decision and I would surely recommend it to all. The battery life is in fact excellent.
The brand has tried to live up to all customer expectations.
Conclusion
A number of influencing factors exist in the cultural and social environment of a buyer. These
factors have a significant role to play while consumers make buying decisions (Oliver, 2014). I
tried to understand the factors that influenced my behaviour while purchasing the Samsung
Galaxy Note 9. My inspiration to buy this phone comes from my passion for gadgets, my social
circle as well as social media. I am really happy with the phone as it has exceeded my pre-
purchase expectations.

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References
Fouad, H., & Kortam, W. (2017). The impact of perceived quality of after-sale services on post-
purchase evaluation outcomes of passenger automobiles customers in
Egypt. International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 9(2), 148-173.
Karimi, S., Papamichail, K. N., & Holland, C. P. (2015). The effect of prior knowledge and
decision-making style on the online purchase decision-making process: A typology of
consumer shopping behaviour. Decision Support Systems, 77, 137-147.
Kim, J. W., Lee, F., & Suh, Y. G. (2015). Satisfaction and loyalty from shopping mall
experience and brand personality. Services Marketing Quarterly, 36(1), 62-76.
Oliver, R. L. (2014). Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer: A Behavioral
Perspective on the Consumer. Routledge. United Kingdom.
Peretz, A., & Supphellen, M. (2015). Brand Personality and the Utilitarian Brand. In Marketing
in Transition: Scarcity, Globalism, & Sustainability (pp. 406-406). Springer, Cham.
Puterman, M. L. (2014). Markov decision processes: discrete stochastic dynamic programming.
John Wiley & Sons. United States.
Ramanathan, U., Subramanian, N., Yu, W., & Vijaygopal, R. (2017). Impact of customer loyalty
and service operations on customer behaviour and firm performance: empirical evidence
from UK retail sector. Production Planning & Control, 28(6-8), 478-488.
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing. Sage. United Kingdom.