DETERMINANTS OF CHOICE OF MOBILE PHONE BRANDS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A SURVEY OF SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN NAKURU TOWN, KENYA

Abstract

The widespread use of mobile phones, the various information access it provides to its users, and the vast presence and significant impact of mobile phone on users’ daily life make mobile phones important devices to study. The research focused on the determinants of choice of mobile phone brand among university students in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to find out the effect of price variation, social factors, product features, perceived product image, media influence and post purchase services on mobile phone brand choice among university students. This study employed descriptive survey design. The target population was 3000 students of selected universities in Nakuru town. A stratified random sample of 106 students was used in the study. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis) were used in analyzing data with the help of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 and results were presented mainly in form of tables. The findings showed that social factors (β2 =0.234, p=0.007), product features (β2 =0.284 p =0.002), media influences (β=0.357, p=0.000), post sales services (β= 0.181, p=0.039) had a positive significance on the choice of mobile phone handset. Price and product image had no significant influence on the choice of mobile phone brand. The study concludes that social factors, product features, media influence, post sales services makes it possible for the choice of mobile phone. The implication for the study is that marketers of mobile phones need to understand customers needs based on the media tools and give much information to boost their choice of mobile phone handset. Future research that extends sampling beyond a university environment would allow for a more representative assessment of factors influencing consumers’ choice of mobile phone in the wider general society.