Social Media’s Impact on Consumer Decisions for Smart Phones

Abstract

The study seeks to find out the extent to which social media plays in influencing consumers’ decision whilst buying a smart phone. Consumers seek information before buying any product or service. The researchers tried to understand how much consumers resorted to social media to get information about smart phones. They also sought to determine how they processed this information and what importance they gave to this information over the details available from traditional sources. The paper examines the popularity of various social media in today’s times and how it is utilized.

By way of primary research, the researchers carried out a survey by administering a questionnaire which were answered by 200 respondents belonging to various age brackets. The aim behind choosing respondents from various age categories was to see whether people who were older in terms of age and who had not been exposed to technology unlike the millennials, also have learned to employ social networking websites for procuring information before purchasing a smart phone. The study also attempted to know whether traditional sources of information like word of mouth or print media or opinions of family members and friends and relatives still played a role in helping people choose the smart phone thy wanted to buy. The researchers even sought to estimate how many buyers preferred going to brick and mortar stores to get more details about various brands before buying a smart phone.

Both men and females were included in the sample for the purpose of this research in order not to have a gender bias.

The researchers also gathered data from secondary sources

The findings showed that social media platforms were widely used to gain information about different brands of smart phones and also influenced the consumers’ purchase decisions.

The study is important as it will help smart phone brands to formulate their online marketing strategies.