Consumer Behavior: the Consumer Choice and Selection of Technological Products - Research Proposal Example

Consumer Behavior Research Proposal Topic: Consumer Behavior: What informs the consumer choice and selection of technological products? Introduction The world in which we live today is characterized by the use of different technological devises and gadgets. Technology has dominated every aspect of human life in the 21st century, and there is no telling what the next technological invention would be, considering that inventions and innovations keep come up so often, such that there is an electronic devise tailor-made to improve on the features of a given technological device or gadget, even before the product being improved starts selling. The essence of all these inventions and innovations is to make life easier and improve the accessibility of communication and social interaction, while ensuring that our lives are enjoyable and full of fun (IGI Global, 2015:121). In this respect, the state-of-the-art mobile phones to enable people keep in touch with friends and loved ones, portable game consoles to enable people have fun playing games whenever they want to, as well as portable internet access gadgets that ensure people are connected to the internet all the time, represent the 21st century technological inventions (Khosrow-Pour, 2014:77). Nevertheless, while this technological advancement seeks to make our lives easier and full of fun, our lives have inevitably become more complicated than ever (Arena & Quéré, 2003:36). This is because, while it would have taken an individual just a few minutes to walk in an electronic shop and purchase a phone, a game console or any other technological device in the 1900s, it is increasingly difficult for consumers to make purchase decisions in the 21st century. Every new technological device that comes into the market promises the buyer increased and improved features, ease of use, enhanced internet accessibility and wider GPRS navigation reach (Khosrow-Pour, 2014:72). In the process, the basic cellular phone features such as the battery life and call-reception features have suffered, and thus the promises of efficiency, simplified and ease of use of technological products still remains elusive. Justification/Rationale The decision to purchase a product by any consumer is influenced by various factors. Therefore, the consumer purchase behavior comprises of a process of decision-making, which allows the consumer to reach the final decision in choice and selection of the product to purchase (Nielsen, 1993:102). The purpose of this research is to establish what informs the consumer choice of technological devices, in a world where there are numerous, duplicated and feature-enhancing technological devises and gadgets. What exactly do consumers look for in technological devises? Between latest features and usability of the product, what is the most influential factor for the consumer purchasing a technological product? Research questions Is the technological industry continuously making the buyers’ life complex with the numerous releases of new and advanced products? How can the promises of ease of use and enhanced features for quick operation and social communication be kept? Can the new and enhanced features alone be the basis of attracting customers? Is there a possibility that an inferior but easy to use product will persuade the customer more? Is it usability or functionality that matters in a technological device? Ultimately, what informs the selection and choice of a technological product by consumers? Aims and objectives To compare and contrast the consumer knowledge of new technological devises To analyze the consumer buying behavior patterns for technological products To establish the consumer decision-making process in the purchase of technological products To establish whether the release of numerous versions of technological devises eases or complicates the consumer’s purchase decision-making process To establish what is important in informing the consumer product choice between usability and functionality Literature Review The concepts of functionality and usability have always confused the primary target of providing technological devises and gadgets (Nielsen, 1993:94). According to the International Standards Organization, user friendliness has been defined as the efficiency, effectiveness and level of satisfaction that a consumer derives from the use of a product (Hook & Farry, 2001:178). In this respect, user friendliness enables a consumer to satisfy certain goals within a certain environment, and thus the complexity of user friendliness stems from the fact that the developer of a product will certainly identify a different form of friendliness than the consumer is likely to find (Karwowski, 2001:77). Nevertheless, the major element of usability is the level of satisfaction that is obtained from the product use. Jacob Nielsen went ahead to define the concept of user friendliness as comprising of fundamental principles of attractive and useful features, ease of learning the features, their memorability and finally the efficiency with which they are used in generating the ultimate satisfaction of the consumer (Nielsen, 1993:102). According to the Marshallian theory of buying behavior, consumer buying behavior is a function of rational and conscious economic assessment that does not only consider the cost but also the level of satisfaction derived from a product (Arena & Quéré, 2003:7). The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is yet another influential theory in defining the consumer process of decision-making and purchase behavior, offering that the needs of the consumers are met in stages, since it is the need more than any other factor, which determines what a consumer buys (Hook & Farry, 2001:47). It is in this respect that a complex question arises in relation to whether need or usability is the ultimate determinant of the purchasing behavior of a consumer. Thus, the research will be evaluating these issues and try to respond to them from a practical point of view of qualitative research. Methodology A qualitative methodology of research will be adapted for this study. The choice of qualitative method is informed by the fact that; it is a method that is applicable in market research for collecting data related to social and demographic factors. Secondly, the qualitative research methodology is selected for this study, owing to the fact that it seeks to gather an in-depth understanding of social behavior and the principles that guide such behaviors (Yin, 1994:45). Therefore, considering the fact that qualitative methodology is a behavioral-centered study that seeks to assess the behavioral process and the reasons governing such behavior, qualitative methodology is the best method applicable for the study. Data collection Data Sample The research will select a total sample of 250 respondents. This will comprise of 150 consumers, 50 company representatives and 50 retailers/ vendors of the technological products. 100 consumers will respond to the research through being sent questionnaires they will respond to. 50 consumers will be interviewed directly. On the other hand, 25 company representatives and 25 technological product vendors/retailers will respond to questionnaire, while 25 company representatives and 25 technological product vendors/retailers will be interviewed directly. Primary Data A combination of interview and questionnaire research design will be applied in data collection for this study. Interviews and questionnaires will be conducted both on customers and technological product companies, as well as retailers and vendors of technological products. Questionnaires will be sent to the responds through mails, to ensure that there is no subjectivity or any form of researcher influence in the process. A questionnaire will be designed to collect as much data as possible related to the reasons, factors and principles that buyers consider in purchasing technological devises and gadgets. On the other hand, interview guides will be formulated to capture every consideration of the consumer decision-making process in the purchase of technological devises. Finally, observation will be applied as a reinforcing method of collecting data, which will entail observing the consumer behavior in electronic and other technology-based product shops. The observation will entail observing the features that the customers prefer, evaluating behavior and listening to the questions the customers ask about the product before they decide on which product to purchase. Secondary Data Secondary data will be collected from different materials such as books, journals, newspapers and magazines related to technological products and how they are purchased by consumers. In addition, data from the internet will also be surveyed for reinforcing the secondary data obtained from the other sources. Data Analysis It is important to note that data will not be obtained in numerical form (Yin, 1994, 32). Consequently, the data analysis method will entail tabulating the results into different categories of the factors considered when making purchase decision for technological products. The tabulated information will then be subjected to correlation and regression analysis to arrive at data result that allows for the comparison of the relationship between factors and the strength of the relationships. Ethical issues Data collection through questionnaires, interviews and observation is prone to several ethical issues. Thus, the ethical issues of privacy and confidentiality of the responds will be strictly adhered to, through observing anonymity of the respondents, and instead assigning them different codes. Additionally, data will only be collected on the basis of voluntary participation, and informed consent will be sort in advance. In the collection of secondary data, the ethical issue of plagiarism will be addressed through referencing all the borrowed information from different sources, while ensuring not to misrepresent the information borrowed. References Arena, R. & Quéré, M. (2003). The Economics of Alfred Marshall: Revisiting Marshalls Legacy. New-York: Palgrave Macmillan. IGI Global. (2015). Encyclopedia of information science and technology. Hook, I. F. & Farry, K. A. (2001). Customer centered products: Creating Successful Products through Smart Requirements Management, New York: AMACOM. Khosrow-Pour, M. (2014). Contemporary advancements in information technology development in dynamic environments. Karwowski, W. (2001). International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors. London: Taylor & Francis. Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering. Boston: Academic Press. Yin, R. K. (1994). Case Study Research, Design and Methods (2nd ed.) Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Read More