Factors Affecting The Demand of Smartphone Among Young Adult
Factors Affecting The Demand of Smartphone Among Young Adult
Factors Affecting The Demand of Smartphone Among Young Adult
Adult.
International Journal on Social Science Economics & Art
Conceptual Paper: Factors Affecting the Demand of Smartphone among
Young Adult.
Mei Min, Chow1, Ling Hong, Chen2, Jian Ai, Yeow3, Pei Wah, Wong4
1,2,3
Faculty of Business & Law, Multimedia University (MMU), 75450, Bukit
Beruang,
Melaka,
Malaysia.
E-mail:
[email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
4
Centre for Diploma Programmes, Multimedia University (MMU), 75450,
Bukit Beruang, Melaka, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract The term Smartphone has commonly discussed among young
adult especially students from higher learning institutional. Cell phone has
becoming a part of their life-tool eventually. Young adult eventually used
their phone to communicate with people, alarming themselves from few
reminders, direct ways, downloading songs and games, texting messages
and more. According to Rice and Katz (2008), the cell phone can be said
as a social medium that developing into a multimedia digital platform which
has the ability to provides, obtains, and shares personal and social
information. However, the market eventually has a higher technology which
is called Smartphone. Several industries have hurriedly espoused mobile
devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) which have the
capabilities of integrating wireless connections and mobile devices that
auxiliary pushed the demand effectively in every industry by having a new
buzzword, Smartphone, illustrates this popular PDA-phone amalgamation
with numerous capabilities (Park and Chen, 2007). The factors affecting
consumer demand towards Smartphone are complex in nature and usually
there is no single factor or simple reason can be determined. Nowadays,
operation system for mobile phone are Symbian, RIM Blackberry, Apple
iPhone, Windows mobile, Google Android and Linux (Gowind, 2010).
According to Chang and Chen (2005) each operating systems has its own
exclusive personalities and backgrounds. Wickliffe and Psyarchik (2001)
suggested that consumers select products based on attributes which create
specific benefits that engender specific outcomes that are supportive of
personal values. Products with attributes that enhance these factors are
therefore selected based in the importance of integration. According to
Puth et. al. (1999) consumers uses attributes to make a comparison
between competitive brands and marketers therefore use attributes in
advertising to influence the consumer's evaluation of substitution by
featuring the product's significant attributes. C. Brand Name In recent
changing global environment, competitive advantage, profitable ways and
efficiencies are the most important gears that companies are force to seek
for in order to differentiate among them in the business world (Mei, Dean
and White, 1999). Brand names are valuable assets that help correspond
quality and suggest precise knowledge structures which related to the
brand (Srinivasan and Till, 2002). Researchers have distinguished that
brand name as an important tool in improving a products value (Dodds,
Monroe and Grewal, 1991). According to Rotfled (2009), brand name is an
exclusive and is to indicate product itself to the market. Besides according
to the American Marketing Association, they defined the brand as name,
term, symbol, or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the
goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate
them from those of competition (Khasawneh and Hasouneh, 2010). Haigh
(2007) has proposed three definitions: trademark is a logo with
associated visual elements, brand is a trademark with associated
intellectual property rights, and branded business covers the whole
organization. According to Rao and Ruekert (1994), they stated that one of
the major objectives of a brand name is to provide information on the
quality of a product. The value of a brand name adds to the product is
named as brand equity (Farquhar, 1989). Developing brand equity is
thought to be an important component of brand building (Keller, 1998).
Brand equity is assumed to convey several benefits to a firm (Pappu,
Quester and Cooksey, 2005). Brands might develop sustainable
competitive advantage for firms (Aaker, 1989). As a result, if consumers
perceive a particular brand favourably, then the firm may have a
competitive advantage (Pappu, et. al, 2005). More and more companies
realized that one of their most priceless assets is the brand names that
related with their products or services (Cornelis, 2010). In recent
aggressive competitive market place, the most critical success element for
companies is the brand name that were being used by a product, and
further stated that the brand names are consider as the last source of
differentiation for the companies products and services (Lim and OCass,
2001). According to Khasawneh and Hasouneh (2010), the products brand
name will influence consumers evaluation and subsequently, affect the
buying decision.
Brand extension is a strategy that many companies follow with the aim of
benefiting from the brand knowledge achieved in the current markets
(Aaker and Keller, 1990).When a new product is marketed under a wellknown brand name, failure rates and marketing costs are reduced
(Martinez and Pina, 2010). Benefits of a great brand include a short-term
gain on recognition to long-term competitive advantage on loyalty, which
are ultimately translated into revenues and profits. D. Price Nagle and
Holden (2002) stated that price can play a role as a monetary value
whereby the consumers to trade it with the services or products that were
being sold by the sellers. Price will always be the key concern of
consumers before making any purchasing decision (Smith and Carsky,
1996). The level of price is found to positively affect behavioral intentions
mainly because price establishes image of the brand in the eyes of the
consumers (Aaker, 1991). In a consumers heuristics, a high (low) price
connotes a high (low) quality and image. For a conceptual convenience,
there are two types of products by price: high-priced brands and low priced
brands (Kunal et al., 2010). High-priced brands are brands on the market
whose image is seen as the key factor. Consumers of these brands often
purchase them mainly for image and are willing to pay a premium price for
their perceived high quality and status, which make them price-inelastic
(Bolton, 1989). Low-priced brands tend to be purchased for utilitarian value,
with the consumer relying on the perceived value for price. Consumers
would typically look for low prices of these brands or substitutes to get the
best value (Kunal et al., 2010). Consumers tend to interpret higher prices
with higher quality, and low prices are perceived as an indication of inferior
quality (Rao and Monroe, 1988). Rao and Monroe (1988) studies is
consistent with Etgar and Malhotras (1981) findings. Etgar and Malhotras
(1981) explained that most of the consumers will regard high price goods
and services equals to high quality. Thus, if the price level is at a peak but
the quality or features are comply with the consumers expectation; they
might perceive as fair and are more willing to pay a at a higher price to
owns a better quality goods or services (Monroe, 2003). According to
Thaler (1985), there is more than couple of brand of mobile phone that
consumer will find in todays market, this will most likely influence the
consumers indicator on the pricing that being sold. Price is no longer an
element that can be ignore for investigation whether or not it is an crucial
factor that affects consumers behaviour in products and services.
Recently, most of the consumers are pursuing a high quality services,
though service is an important factor, yet the unwillingness of consumers to
pay for obtaining a higher level of service by sacrificing an extra amount
can still be seen (Tse, 2001). On the other hand, price might not be part of
their considerations especially when dealing with web shopping, which the
major concern falls on convenience, security and store offer (So, Wong and
Sculli, 2005). According to Kenning, Evanschitzky, Voegl and Ahlert (2007),
over 90 percent of retailers in this market screen the prices of their
competitors on a regular basis. Price
46
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