“A STUDY ON BRAND PREFERENCE OF MOBILE

PHONES AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS”

Project Report submitted to

CHRIST COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), IRINJALAKUDA

In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF COMMERCE

Submitted by

ABHAY KRISHNA E.T

(CCATBCM066)

Under the guidance of

Mr. C.L BABY JOHN

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

CHRIST COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), IRINJALAKUDA

MARCH 2022
 CHRIST COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), IRINJALAKUDA

CALICUT UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled “A STUDY ON BRAND

PREFERENCE OF MOBILE PHONE AMONG COLLEGE
STUDENTS” is a bonafide record of project done by ABHAY KRISHNA
E.T, Reg. No. CCATBCM066, under my guidance and supervision in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of BACHELOR OF
COMMERCE and it has not previously formed the basis for any Degree,
Diploma and Associateship or Fellowship.

Prof. K.J.JOSEPH Mr. C.L BABY JOHN

Co-ordinator Project Guide
 DECLARATION

I, ABHAY KRISHNA E.T, hereby declare that the project work

entitled “A STUDY ON BRAND PREFERENCE OF MOBILE PHONES
AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS” is a record of independent and bonafide
project work carried out by me under the supervision and guidance of Mr.
Baby John, Professor, Department of Management Studies, Christ College,
Irinjalakuda.

The information and data given in the report is authentic to the best of my
knowledge. The report has not been previously submitted for the award of any
Degree, Diploma, Associateship or other similar title of any other university or
institute.

Place: Irinjalakuda ABHAY KRISHNA E.T

Date: CCATBCM066
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all

people who have helped me with sound advice and able guidance.

Above all, I express my eternal gratitude to the Lord Almighty under whose
divine guidance; I have been able to complete this work successfully.

I would like to express my sincere obligation to Rev.Dr. Jolly Andrews,

Principal-in-Charge, Christ college Irinjalakuda for providing various facilities.

I am thankful to Prof. K.J.Joseph, Co-ordinator of B.Com (Finance), for

providing proper help and encouragement in the preparation of this report.

I am thankful to Ms. Siji C.L, Class teacher for her cordial support, valuable
information and guidance, which helped me in completing this task through
various stages.

I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. C.L Baby John, Professor, whose

guidance and support throughout the training period helped me to complete this
work successfully.

I would like to express my gratitude to all the faculties of the Department for
their interest and cooperation in this regard.

I extend my hearty gratitude to the librarian and other library staffs of my

college for their wholehearted cooperation.

I express my sincere thanks to my friends and family for their support in

completing this report successfully.
 TABLES OF CONTENTS

SL.NO CONTENTS PAGE NO:

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-7

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 8-11

COMPANY AND INDUSTRY

CHAPTER 3 12-20
PROFILE

DATA ANALYSIS AND

CHAPTER 4 21-38
INTERPRETATION

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS
CHAPTER 5 39-40
& CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNEXURE
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE TITLE PAGE

NO: NO:
4.1 Table showing classification of respondents based on gender 21

4.2 Table showing graduation level of the respondents 22

4.3 Table showing respondents on the basis of mobiles used at 23

present
4.4 Table showing respondents on the basis of price range of 24
mobile phones
4.5 Table showing respondents on the basis of reason for selecting a 25
particular brand

4.6 Table showing respondents on the basis of main purpose of 26

usage
4.7 Table showing respondents on the basis of duration of usage 27
of present mobile

4.8 Table showing respondents on the basis of brands previously 28

owned

4.9 Table showing respondents on the basis of type of phone liked 29

4.10 Table showing respondents on the basis of importance of design 30

and style as opposed to functionality

4.11 Table showing respondents on the basis of reason for choosing a 31

particular brand
4.12 Table showing the respondents on the basis of size of handset 32
preferred
4.13 Table showing respondents on the basis of their favorite feature of 34
their mobile phone
4.14 Table showing respondents on the basis of importance of favorite 35
feature
4.15 Table showing respondents on the basis of satisfaction level of the 36
current phone

4.16 Table showing respondents on the basis of probability to change to 37

a new model
4.17 Table showing respondents on the basis of their opinion of brand 38
having the best operating system
 LIST OF FIGURES

TABL TITLE PAG

E E
NO: NO:
4.1 Figure showing classification of respondents based on gender 21

4.2 Figure showing graduation level of the respondents 22

4.3 Figure showing respondents on the basis of mobiles used at 23

present

4.4 Figure showing respondents on the basis of price range of 24

mobile phones
4.5 Figure showing respondents on the basis of reason for selecting 25
a particular brand
4.6 Figure showing respondents on the basis of main purpose of 26
usage

4.7 Figure showing respondents on the basis of duration of usage of 27

present mobile

4.8 Figure showing respondents on the basis of brands previously 28

owned
4.9 Figure showing respondents on the basis of type of phone liked 29

4.10 Figure showing respondents on the basis of importance of 30

design and style as opposed to functionality
4.11 Figure showing respondents on the basis of reason for choosing 32
a particular brand

4.12 Figure showing respondent on the basis of size of hand set 33

preferred
4.13 Figure showing respondents on the basis of their favorite 34
feature of their mobile phone

4.14 Figure showing respondents on the basis of importance of 35

favorite feature

4.15 Figure showing respondents on the basis of satisfaction level of 36

the current phone
4.16 Figure showing respondents on the basis of probability to 37
change to a new model

4.17 Figure showing respondents on the basis of their opinion of 38

brand having the best operating system
 CHAPTER : 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION

Mobile phones are beneficial to the society and to the everyday life of an
individual there are a number of disadvantages to the use of mobile phones.
There are many parts of a mobile phone that are unnecessary and do not add to
the usefulness. There are also certain specific health impacts, potential accident
risks and an increased risk of crime associated with the use of the mobile
phone. In addition to this, the behaviour of young people deteriorates and
becomes inappropriate when using a mobile phone. Majority of companies
wants to retain existing students; marketer needs to know the behaviour and
specific needs of students. The study of buying behaviour examines how
individuals make decisions in spending their available resources, time, money,
effort on various aspects such as whom to buy from, where to buy, how often
they buy and how often they use it. The study of student behaviour understands
of how individuals behave in purchasing mobile phones.

New generation can be called as smart phone generation as they love to busy
with their smart phone all the time. And it becomes a very necessary instrument
in their life. So before choosing their instrument of passing time they spent
considerable amount of time for selecting smart phone. There are many factors
to consider and brand is one of them.

A smart phone is a mobile phone with an advanced mobile operating system

which combines features of a personal computer operating system, with more
advanced computing capability and connectivity with other features useful for
mobile or handheld use by offering advanced technologies for information
management, mobile calls, email sending, and internet access. While offering a
standardized platform for application developers a smart phone performs
everything a personal computer can do, and because of its mobility, much
more. It combines a cell phone with very advanced features in smart phones

1
internet, instant messenger e-mail, media player, video games, GPS navigation
unit, digital camera, voice dictation for messaging and a voice search for asking
questions about anything. It goes without saying that a single moment cannot
be passed without having the existence of smart phone as it makes human life
easy and making them knowledgeable regarding the whole universe in order to
adapt with the technological advancement

Smartphone used as a device that enables the user to make telephone call and at
the same time has some features that allow the user to do some activities that in
the past was not possible unless using a computer or a personal digital assistant
(PDA), such as sending and receiving e-mails, amending an office document.
Operating system is what allows the Smartphone to run its applications there
are different operating system, such as iphone runs IOS, BlackBerry runs the
BlackBerry OS, other kind of handsets runs Google’s Android OS, HP’s web
OS, and some other runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone. In 1999, the Japanese
firm NTT DoCoMo released the first smart phones to achieve mass adaption
within a country. Smart phones became widespread in the 21st century and
most of those produced from 2012 onwards have high-speed mobile broadband
4G net, motion sensors, and mobile payment features. In the third quarter of
2017, more than one billion smart phones were in use worldwide.

Global smart phone sales surpassed the sales figures for regular cell phones in
early 2018. In the technological advancement age, no nation even just a single
man cannot do anything’s especially the modern activities in recent time. There
has been also a great and very vast era of the evaluation of mobile phones from
simple and bigger mobile phones, which were able to send and receive the text
messages only. The smart phones are more likely to be the hand held
computers for configuring the daily schedules, saving large documents, for
watching videos, listening music, using internet, using world wide web, video

2
conferencing and much more than a human mind can think. Knapman (2012)
found consumers of Smartphone are strongly influence by brand when it comes
to choosing Smartphone.

Knapman also signified many prospects for Smartphone makers to take on new
means with the consumers of Smartphone and to present brand utility-by
understanding the basis for student brand first choice and identify the critical
roles that brand play in Smartphone preference. Cronin & Taylor (1992) found
Students’ Brand Preferences towards Smartphone that the satisfaction felt after
the first trial of a brand directed customers to prefer the same brand in their
decisions to repurchase it. (Oliver, 2003) investigated the relationship between
customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, and found a positive relationship
between these two variables.

The Smart phones are getting really popular in this advanced world. Everyone
wants to carry his own personal data and information with him all the time
which smart phone makes possible. It is being accepted that in the future smart
phones will take over all the other digital devices in next year’s such as laptops,
personal desktop computers and notebooks. Acer, Amazon, Apple, BlackBerry,
BLU, Cleon, Huawei, i-mate, I mobile, Lava, Lenovo, MI, vivo, Micromax,
Microsoft, Nokia, One plus, Oppo, Samsung, Walton, Panasonic, Siemens,
Sony, T-Mobile, Toshiba, Yota, ZTE etc. are some branded smart phones and
each holds different qualities. One may prefer Oppo and other may prefer Vivo
or, Samsung. A good knowledge of student’s brand preference in Smartphone
would help in understanding how brand shape students buying decision and
preferences.

3
1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Brand preference represents which brands are preferred under assumptions of

equality in price, battery durability, camera resolution and so on. In recent
times smart phone plays a significant role among the users to meet up their
numerous objectives by operating their desired smart phone. Consumer
behaviour is comparatively a new field of study. It is an attempt to understand
and predict human actions with regard to purchase or buying decisions.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study is guided to determine the preference of various mobile phone

brands by customers. The major problems identified regarding the mobile
phone brands is to determine the most preferred brand and to identify the
attributes which are significant in preference of a specific brand.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Successful marketing of products demand a thorough understanding of

consumer’s taste, choice, preference etc. This study is focused on assessing the
buyers in terms of “brand preference”. This study will be significant in the
following grounds.

Findings of the study will help to understand brand preference practices in

mobile phone market. It will give information about level of costumer
involvement in brand searching, analyzing attributes and brand choice for the
high involvement product mobile phones. It will also help to develop the
profile of specific customer of brands.

4
It will be useful in creating most favourable by knowing the buyer perception
and response. Marketers can trace out important reasons for brand preference
and can focus according to choice, perception and preference of buyers.

Deeper understanding of brand preferences of customers can help managers to

design marketing strategy that will concentrate on customers.

It will be a valuable reference for scholars and researchers to conduct further

similar research.

1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 The main objective of the study is to identify people’s preference

towards various mobile brands.
 To find out the satisfaction level of the college students towards the
various mobile phone.
 To identify the factors that influence the purchase of different brands by
college students.
 To analyse feedback of consumers regards to the aspect of quality, price,
features, advertisements etc.

1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 Primary data ;
Primary data has been collected directly from sample respondents
through questionnaire.

 Secondary data;
Secondary data has been collected from newspapers, magazines, various
online sites etc.

5
1.7 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
In this study convenient sampling is used.

1.8 SAMPLE SIZE

The sample size of the study is 60 students of Christ College, Irinjalakuda.

1.9 AREA OF STUDY

The area of study with regards to this project is, the brands of mobile phones
preferred by the college students.

1.10 RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is a procedure for collecting, analysing, interpreting and
reporting data in research study. In simple words it is a framework or blueprint
for conducting research. Descriptive research is used in this study as the main
objective of the study is to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon

1.11 NATURE OF THE STUDY

The study is descriptive cum analytical in nature

1.12 NATURE OF DATA

The study is undertaken with the help of both primary and secondary source of
data

1.13 SOURCE OF DATA

The primary data is collected through questionnaires and secondary data is

collected from online websites

6
1.14 TOOLS OF ANALYSIS

Statistical tools used for the study include percentage analysis, statistical tables
and charts.

1.15 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

 The study is based on the responses of 60 students of Christ College

only.
 Personal bias and prejudices of the respondents may affect the accuracy
of the study
 Time was also a limiting factor of this study.

1.16 CHAPTERISATION

 Chapter 1 Introduction: This chapter contains introduction, statement of

the problem, scope of the study, significance of the study, objectives of
the study, research design, sample design, tools of analysis.

 Chapter 2 Review of literature: This chapter contain conceptual review

and empirical review

 Chapter 3 Industry profile and company profile: This chapter mentions

industry profile and company profile.

 Chapter 4 Data analysis and interpretation: This chapter mentions data,

tables, figures, and interpretations made out of questionnaire.

 Chapter 5 Findings, suggestions and conclusions: This chapter mentions

the findings and suggestions made from the interpretations of data
analysis and conclusions of study and bibliography.

7
 CHAPTER : 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 EMPERICAL REVIEW

Dr V. Maheswari (2015) conducted the study on “Brand choice of phone users

in Chidambaram town”. The objectives of this study is to highlight the key
players in mobile phone market, to study the criterion on mobile phone users in
Chidambaram town, and to study the level of satisfaction on usage of mobile
phone users in the study area. The research conclusion from the study, the
small local players like Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Lemon, Spice and alike will
have to quickly rethink their product, marketing and service strategy according
to the small towns like Chidambaram to out their house in order.

Mesay Sata (2013) conducted a study on factors affecting consumer buying

behavior of mobile phone devices specifically in Hawassa town in Ethiopia.
Accordingly, the result of the study showed that the six independent variables
i.e. price, social factors, durability, brand name, product features, and after
sales factors will influence the dependent variable i.e. decision to purchase
(Mobile phone buying decisions)

Karjaluoto et al (2005) the factors like price, size, brand, interface, properties
and some other factors like salesman are the most influential factors that affect
the choice amongst mobile phone brands in the market. The result of their
survey on factors affecting consumer choice of mobile phones in Finland
indicated that product features like price, size and user friendly menu features
of cellular phones are the most determinant factors affecting the choice of
mobile phones.

Vishesh, Sanjiv Mittal and Shivani Bali (2018) explained issued a journal on
Journal of management with the title factors affecting consumer buying

8
behavior towards mobile phones in which ten major factors (i.e. physical
dimensions, design and color, battery life, camera quality, speed,
recommendations and reviews, brand name, price advantages, availability and
exchange possibility) that influence the customer satisfaction.

MACRO (Market Analysis & Consumer Research Organization, 2004)

conducted an investigation on mobile phone usage among the teenagers and
youth in a specific region in Mumbai city. In this research, researchers
concentrated more on the teenagers and youth respondents whose age is not
more than 30 years.

Shabnam Shreshtha (2016) attempted to investigate consumer purchasing

motives in cellular phone market by conducting a research on the buying
behavior of young consumers in Kathmandu, Nepal. This study aims to explore
future potential in consumption of future smart phones in Nepal by evaluating
two major stimuli’s such as marketing stimuli and environmental stimuli and
also concentrates on four social classes stated by Kotler & Amstrong (2012).

Hague et al (2010) also suggest that price, service quality, product quality, and
promotional offers play an important role when consumers choose
telecommunication service provider.

Barbara Culiberg and Ica Rojsek (2010) investigated an administration

quality in retail managing an account in Slovenia and its impacts on consumer
loyalty. Through component examination and relapse investigation, result
recommends that every one of the four measurements of administration quality
and additionally benefit extend impact consumer loyalty. The data given by this

9
examination can be utilized while outlining advertising procedures to enhance
consumer loyalty in retail managing an account.

Tajzadeh Namin .A.A; Rahmani Vahid; Tajzadeh Namin Aidin (2012)

examined that the way toward choosing over a brand might be affected by
circumstance and substance. The discoveries propose a huge connection
between the factors “mark state of mind”, “corporate disposition” and “item
(mobile phone) decision”. Also, no critical relationship was found between
individual basic leadership forms (autonomous or intervened) and item
decisions.

Harsha de Silva (2011) for most part demonstrates that appropriation of

(basically) cell phones has noteworthy advantages not simply to the adopter,
but rather to the group on the loose. In this unique circumstance, the target of
the present article is to analyze, from a client point of view, the impacts (and
also the exchange of these impacts) on cell phone appropriation by the poor in
a chose set of nations in the rising Asian locale.

10
2.2 CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

The study aims at determining the antecedents that influence brand preference
of college students towards choosing a mobile phone brand in their purchase
decisions in THRISSUR district.

Based on previous research, studies and literature reviews the following

conceptual frameworks and hypothesis were developed for the research project.
Accordingly nine independent variables such as

 Brand image; It means the image that the particular brand has created
among the public.
 Features of the phone; It refers to the attributes that the phone has
constituted.
 Looks and Feel; It refers to the way in which a particular mobile phone
looks and the feel that the customer gets while using it.
 Pricing; It refers to the rate at which the phone is sold in the market
 Availability; It refers to the accessibility of the mobile phones in the
market
 Advertisements; It is the tool by which the brands make the customers
aware about their products.
 Durability; It refers to the ability of the mobile phone to withstand the
wear and tear.
 Reviews; It means the feedbacks of the customers who have used the
particular mobile phone before.
 Post purchase service; It refers to the services provided by the
company to its customers after they purchase their product.

Influences the college students brand preference while buying a mobile phone.

11
 CHAPTER : 3
COMPANY AND INDUSTRY PROFILE
3.1 MOBILE PHONE INDUSTRY

A mobile phone, cellular phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell,

or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over
a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area.
The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of
a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched
telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular
network architecture and, therefore, mobile telephones are called cellular
telephones or cell phones in North America. In addition to telephony, digital
mobile phones 2G support a variety of other services, such as text
messaging, MMS, email, Internet access, short-range wireless communications
(infrared, Bluetooth), business applications, videogames and digital
photography. Mobile phones offering only those capabilities are known
as feature phones; mobile phones which offer greatly advanced computing
capabilities are referred to as smart phones.

The development of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) large-scale

integration (LSI) technology, information theory and cellular networking led to
the development of affordable mobile communications The first handheld
mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell and Martin
Cooper of Motorola in New York City in 1973, using a handset weighing c.
2 kilograms. In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the
world's first cellular network in Japan. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the
first commercially available handheld mobile phone. From 1983 to 2014,
worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew to over seven billion; enough to
provide one for every person on Earth. In the first quarter of 2016, the
top smart phone developers worldwide were Samsung, Apple and Huawei;
smart phone sales represented 78 percent of total mobile phone

12
sales. For feature phones as of 2016, the top-selling brands were
Samsung, Nokia and Alcatel.

A handheld mobile radio telephone service was envisioned in the early stages
of radio engineering. In 1917, Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt filed a patent for
a "pocket-size folding telephone with a very thin carbon microphone". Early
predecessors of cellular phones included analog radio communications from
ships and trains. The race to create truly portable telephone devices began after
World War II, with developments taking place in many countries. The
advances in mobile telephony have been traced in successive "generations",
starting with the early zeroth-generation (0G) services, such as Bell
System's Mobile Telephone Service and its successor, the Improved Mobile
Telephone Service. These 0G systems were not cellular, supported few
simultaneous calls, and were very expensive.

The lithium-ion battery, an indispensable energy source for modern mobile

phones, was commercialized by Sony and Asahi Kasei in 1991. In 2001, the
third generation (3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on
the WCDMA standard. This was followed by 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G
enhancements based on the high-speed packet access (HSPA) family,
allowing UMTS networks to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity.

By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be

overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications, such
as streaming media. Consequently, the industry began looking to data-
optimized fourth-generation technologies, with the promise of speed
improvements up to ten-fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two
commercially available technologies billed as 4G were the WiMAX standard,

13
offered in North America by Sprint, and the LTE standard, first offered in
Scandinavia by TeliaSonera.

5G is a technology and term used in research papers and projects to denote the
next major phase in mobile telecommunication standards beyond the 4G/IMT-
Advanced standards. The term 5G is not officially used in any specification or
official document yet made public by telecommunication companies or
standardization bodies such as 3GPP, WiMAX Forum or ITU-R. New
standards beyond 4G are currently being developed by standardization bodies,
but they are at this time seen as under the 4G umbrella, not for a new mobile
generation.

3.2 HISTORY OF MOBILE PHONES

From 1983 to 1998, Motorola was market leader in mobile phones. Nokia was
the market leader in mobile phones from 1998 to 2012. In Q1
2012, Samsung surpassed Nokia, selling 93.5 million units as against Nokia's
82.7 million units. Samsung has retained its top position since then.

Aside from Motorola, European brands such as

Nokia, Siemens and Ericsson once held large sway over the global mobile
phone market, and many new technologies were pioneered in Europe. By 2010,
the influence of European companies had significantly decreased due to fierce
competition from American and Asian companies, where most technical
innovation had shifted to Apple and Google, both of the United States, also
came to dominate mobile phone software.

The world's largest individual mobile operator by number of subscribers

is ChinaMobile, which has over 902 million mobile phone subscribers as of
June 2018. Over 50 mobile operators have over ten million subscribers each,
and over 150 mobile operators had at least one million subscribers by the end

14
of 2009. In 2014, there were more than seven billion mobile phone subscribers
worldwide, a number that is expected to keep growing

Cellular phones with basic facilities such as text messaging, voice calling,
audio and video visualization and camera are referred to as mobile phones.
Cellular phones that offer advanced computing abilities such as Wi-Fi, web
browsing, third-party applications and mobile payment, solutions for
information management, such as documents, emails and contacts, inbuilt GPS
applications, and provides features such as voice and video calls and web
access are referred to as smart phones.

Apart from being a communication device, smart phones offer additional

features such as internet access, Bluetooth, gaming, camera, multimedia
messaging, FM radio, and multimedia functionalities. With technological
advancements, Tablets are witnessing gradual growth traction and has resulted
in a decline in the rate of adoption for laptops and personal digital assistants
globally.

3.3 COMPANY PROFILES

 iPhone;

The iPhone is a line of smartphones designed and marketed by Apple Inc. that
use Apple's iOS mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was
announced by then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007. Since then,
Apple has annually released new iPhone models and iOS updates. As of
November 1, 2018, more than 2.2 billion iPhones had been sold.

The iPhone has a user interface built around a multi-touch screen. It connects
to cellular networks or Wi-Fi, and can make calls, browse the web, take
pictures, play music and send and receive emails and text messages. Since the

15
iPhone's launch further features have been added, including larger screen
sizes, shooting video, waterproofing, the ability to install third-party mobile
apps through an app store, and many accessibility features. Up to iPhone 8 and
8 Plus, iPhones used a layout with a single button on the front panel that returns
the user to the home screen. Since iPhone X, iPhone models have switched to a
nearly bezel-less front screen design with app switching activated by gesture
recognition.

The iPhone is one of the two largest smartphone platforms in the world
alongside Android, forming a large part of the luxury market. The iPhone has
generated large profits for Apple, making it one of the world's most valuable
publicly traded companies. The first-generation iPhone was described as
"revolutionary" and a "game-changer" for the mobile phone industry and
subsequent models have also garnered praise. The iPhone has been credited
with popularizing the smartphone and slate form factor, and with creating a
large market for smartphone apps, or "app economy". As of January 2017,
Apple's App Store contained more than 2.2 million applications for the iPhone

 Samsung

The Samsung Group or simply Samsung is a South

Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung
Town Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of
them united under the Samsung brand, and is the largest South Korean business
conglomerate. As of 2020, Samsung has the 8th highest global brand value.

Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company. Over

the next three decades, the group diversified into areas including food
processing, textiles, insurance, securities, and retail. Samsung entered
the electronic industry in the late 1960s and the construction and shipbuilding
industries in the mid-1970s; these areas would drive its subsequent growth.
Following Lee's death in 1987, Samsung was separated into five business

16
groups – Samsung Group, Shinsegae Group, CJ Group and Hansol Group,
and Joongang Group.

Notable Samsung industrial affiliates include Samsung Electronics (the world's

largest information technology company, consumer electronics
maker and chipmaker measured by 2017 revenues), Samsung Heavy
Industries (the world's 2nd largest shipbuilder measured by 2010
revenues), and Samsung Engineering and Samsung C&T
Corporation (respectively the world's 13th and 36th largest construction
companies). Other notable subsidiaries include Samsung Life Insurance (the
world's 14th largest life insurance company), Samsung Everland (operator
of Everland Resort, the oldest theme park in South Korea)[ and Cheil
Worldwide (the world's 15th largest advertising agency, as measured by 2012
revenues).

 Xiaomi

Xiaomi Corporation, registered in Asia as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer

and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home
appliances, and household items. Behind Samsung, it is the second largest
manufacturer of smartphones, most of which run the MIUI operating system.
The company is ranked 338th and is the youngest company on the Fortune
Global 500

Xiaomi was founded in 2010 in Beijing by now multi-billionaire Lei Jun when
he was 40 years old, along with six senior associates. Lei had
founded Kingsoft as well as Joyo.com, which he sold to Amazon for $75
million in 2004. In August 2011, Xiaomi released its first smartphone and, by
2014, it had the largest market share of smartphones sold in China. Initially the
company only sold its products online; however, it later opened brick and
mortar stores. By 2015, it was developing a wide range of consumer
electronics. In 2020, the company sold 146.3 million smartphones and
its MIUI operating system has over 500 million monthly active users. In the

17
second quarter of 2021, Xiaomi surpassed Apple Inc. to become the second-
largest seller of smartphones worldwide, with a 17% market share, according to
Canalys. It also is a major manufacturer of appliances
including televisions, flashlights, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air
purifiers using its Internet of Things and Xiaomi Smart Home product
ecosystems.

Xiaomi keeps its prices close to its manufacturing costs and bill of
materials costs by keeping most of its products in the market for 18 months,
longer than most smartphone companies, The company also uses inventory
optimization and flash sales to keep its inventory low.

 Oppo

Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd, doing business

as OPPO, is a Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communications
company headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong. Its major product lines
include smartphones, smart devices, audio devices, power banks, and other
electronic products.

The brand name "Oppo" was registered in China in 2001 and launched in
2004.Since then, the company has expanded to 50 countries.

In June 2016, OPPO became the largest smartphone manufacturer in

China, selling its phones at more than 200,000 retail outlets. OPPO was the top
smartphone brand in China in 2019 and was ranked No. 5, in market share,
worldwide.

The South Korean boy band 2PM prepared a song known as "Follow Your
Soul" in a promotional deal with OPPO for launching its brand in Thailand in
2010. In June 2015, the company signed an agreement with FC Barcelona to
become a sponsor of the Spanish football club.

18
In 2016, the Philippine Basketball Association tied up with this company as its
official smartphone partner, beginning with the 2016 PBA Commissioner's
Cup which began on 10 February.

OPPO hires celebrity endorsers in Vietnam. Sơn Tùng M-TP endorsed three
smartphone units: Neo 5, Neo 7, and F1s. Oppo made a sponsorship to one of
Vietnam's top-rated reality shows, The Face Vietnam.

In 2017, OPPO won the bid to sponsor the India national cricket team, which
allows their logo to be used on the team's kits from 2017 to 2019.

In 2019, OPPO became a sponsoring partner of the French Open tennis

tournament held in Roland-Garros, Paris. The same year, they also became a
sponsoring partner of Wimbledon for 5 years as the first official smartphone
partner.

Starting with the 2019 World Championship, OPPO is the exclusive global
smartphone partner for League of Legends esports through 2024, Oppo will
have year-round activations centered around the sport’s three annual global
tournaments: the Mid-Season Invitational, the All-Star Event, and the World
Championship.

 Motorola

Motorola was an American multinational telecommunications company based

in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007
to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies Motorola
Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011. Motorola Mobility was
later acquired by Lenovo in 2014

Motorola designed and sold wireless network equipment such as cellular

transmission base stations and signal amplifiers. Motorola’s home and
broadcast network products included set-top boxes, digital video recorders etc.

Motorola’s wireless telephone hand set division was a pioneer in cellular

telephones. It pioneered the “mobile phone” with DynaTAC “flip phone” with

19
the MicroTAC as well as the “calm phone” with SuperTAC in the mid-1990’s.
It had staged a resurgence by the mid-2000s with the RAZR, but lost the
market share in the second half of that decade. Later it focused on smart phones
using googles’s open-source Android mobile operating system.

20
 CHAPTER : 4
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
This chapter contains the presentation of data collected directly from the
respondents with help of a questionnaire in the form of tables and charts and
interpretations are made on the basis of these presented data with regards to
each question.

Table 4.1 Classification of respondents based on gender

Gender No of respondents Percentage

Male 36 60%
Female 24 40%
Total 60 100%

60 % of the respondents are Males and 40 % are Females.

Figure 4.1 Classification of respondents based on gender

40

35

30

25

20
No of Respondents

15

10

0
MALE FEMALE

21
Table 4.2 Classification of respondents based on Graduation level

Graduation No of respondents Percentage

UG 54 90%
PG 6 10%
Total 60 100%

90 % of the respondents are UG students and 10 % of the respondents are PG

students

Figure 4.2: Classification of respondents based on Graduation level

PG 6

No of Respondents

UG 54

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

22
Table 4.3 Classification of respondents basis of mobile used at present

Brands No of respondents Percentage

Samsung 15 25%
iphone 10 17%
Redmi 15 25%
Moto 6 10%
Oppo 6 10%
Others 8 13%
Total 60 100%

50% of the phones used by the respondents at present is Redmi and Samsung
combined. 17% of the respondents use iphone, the least used brand by the
respondents is 10% each Moto and Oppo.

Figure 4.3: Classification of respondents on the basis of mobile used at

present

13%
25%
10%

Sansung
iPhone
Redmi
10%
Motorola
17%
Oppo
Others

25%

23
Table 4.4: Classification of respondents basis of price range of mobile
phones

Price range No of respondents Percentage

Below 5000 3 5%
5000-10000 8 13%
11000-20000 30 50%
Above 20000 19 32%
Total 60 100%

Price range of 50 % of the respondents mobile fall between 11000 and 20000.
32% of the respondents use brands which are priced above 20000. 13% of the
respondents use brands priced between 5000 and 10000.Only 5% of the
respondents use brands with price which falls below 5000.

Figure 4.4: Classification of respondents basis of price range of mobile

phones

5%

13%

32%

Below 5000
5000-10000
11000-20000
Above 20000

50%

24
Table 4.5: Classification of respondents on the basis of reason for selecting
the particular brand

Reason for No of respondents Percentage

selection
Better feature 20 34%
Reasonable 15 25%
price
Better outlook 10 17%
Catchy 5 8%
advertisement
Satisfied friends 10 16%

Total 60 100%

34% of the respondents selected this particular brand regarding its features,
25% of the respondents choose the particular brand regarding its reasonable
price,17% of the respondents selected the particular brand with regards to
better outlook, 16% selected their phone with regards to satisfied friends, 8% of
the respondents selected the particular brand because of catchy advertisement.

Figure 4.5 Classification of respondents on the basis of reason for selecting

the particular brand

17% 0%
33% Better Features
8%
Reasonable price
Better outlook
Catchy advertisement
17%
25% Satisfied friends

25
Table 4.6 Classification of respondents basis of main purpose of usage

Purpose of No of respondents Percentage

usage
Call 12 20%
Internet 13 22%
Songs and 8 13%
Multimedia
Camera 15 25%
Gaming 12 20%

Total 60 100%

Most of the respondents 25% use their mobile for using camera, 22% of the
respondents use their mobile for internet, Calling and Gaming constitute of
each 20%, the respondents use the phones the least for Song and multimedia as
it constitute only 13% of the respondents.

Figure 4.6 Classification of respondents on the basis of main purpose of

usage

20% 20%

Call
Internet
Songs and Multimedia

22% Camera
25%
Gaming

13%

26
Table 4.7: Classification of respondents basis of duration of using the
phone

Duration No of respondents Percentage

Less than 1 year 25 42%

1 to 2 years 15 25%

2 to 3 years 12 20%

More than 3 years 8 13%

Total 60 100%

From this data we can understand that 25 of our respondents are using new
phones which are less than 1 years old. 15 respondents are using phones
ranging from 1 to 2 years.

Figure 4.7: Classification of respondents basis of duration of using the

phone

30

25

20

15
No of respondents
10

0
less tha 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 3 years more than 3
years

27
Table 4.8 Classification of respondents basis of brands previously owned

Brands No of respondents Percentage

Samsung 18 30%
Redmi 16 27%
Motorola 6 10%
Oppo 5 8%
Iphone 3 5%
Others 12 20%
Total 60 100%

Most of our respondents previous used brand was Samsung constituting 30% of
the respondents, Secondly respondents most used phone was Redmi
constituting 27% of the respondents, 10% of the respondents used Motorola, Oppo
and Iphone users among the respondents are 8% and 5%, 20% of the respondents use
Other brands.

Figure 4.8 Classification of respondents basis of brands previously owned

Brands

20%
30%
Samsung
5% Redmi
Motorola
Oppo
8%
iPhone
Others
10%
27%

28
Table 4.9: Classification of respondents basis of type of phone liked

Types of Phone No of respondents Percentage

Flip phone 11 18%
Slide phone 6 10%
Normal smart 42 70%
Phone
Others 1 2%

Total 60 100%

70% of the respondents prefer to use normal Smart phones, 18% of the
respondents prefer to use Flip phones, 6% of the respondents prefer to use Slide
phones, and only 2% of the respondents prefer other types of phones.

Figure 4.9 Classification of respondents basis of type of phone liked

2%
18%

Flip phone
10% Slide phone
Normal smart phones
Others

70%

29
Table 4.10 Classification of respondents on the basis of design/style of
mobile phones as opposed to functionality

Opinion No of respondents Percentage

Very important 20 33%

Fairly important 36 60%

Not important 4 7%

Total 60 100%

For 60% of the respondents it is fairly important, for 33% of the respondents it
is very important, for 7% of it is not important

Graph 4.10 Classification of respondents on the basis of design/style of

mobile phones as opposed to functionality

7% 0%

33%

Very important
Fairly important
Not important

60%

30
 Table 4.11 Classification of respondents on the basis of reason for choosing
a particular brand (smart phone)

Phon Advertise Appearance Price Function Services Brand

e ment s image
bran
d

No % No. % No. % No. % No. % No %

.

Ipho 10 16 6 10% 1 1.6 11 18 3 5 25 41

ne % % % % %

sams 16 26 11 18% 4 6% 12 20 10 16 7 11
ung % % % %

Red 5 8.3 6 10% 34 56. 13 21 1 1. 0 0

mi % 66 % 6
% %

moto 17 28. 15 25% 15 25 11 18 7 11 5 8.

rola % % % % %

oppo 12 20 36 60% 4 6.6 3 5 4 6. 1 1.

% % % 6 6
% %

31
Othe 18 30 7 11.66 16 26. 2 3. 12 20 5 8.
rs % % 66 33 % 33
% % %

total 60 60 60 60 60 60

From this table it is clear that 41% of respondents go for Iphone due to its
brand image.26% of respondents go for Samsung and 28% of respondents go
for Motorola because of its attractive advertisement.56% respondents choose
Redmi over other brand because it is more economical.60% respondents go for
Oppo because of its appearance.

Figure 4.11 Classification of respondents based on the reason for choosing

a particular brand (smart phone)

40

35

30
Advertisementt
25 Appearance
Price
20
Functions
15 Service

10 Brand image

0
Iphone Samsung Redmi Motorola Oppo Other

32
Table 4.12: Classification of respondents on the basis of size of handset
preferred

Size of handset No of respondents Percentage

Small 8 13%

Medium 35 59%

Large 17 28%

Total 60 100%

59% of the respondents prefer to have Medium sized phone, 28% prefer large
sized phones, and only 8% prefer small size phones.

Figure 4.12: Classification of respondents on the basis of size of handset

preferred

13%

28%

Small
Medium
Large

59%

33
Table 4.13: Classification of respondents on the basis of favourite feature
of the respondent

Feature No of respondents Percentage

Camera 25 42%

Internet/Apps 12 20%

Social networking 14 23%

Gaming 9 15%

Total 60 100%

42% of the respondents favourite feature is Camera, 23% of the respondents

favourite feature is Social networking, 20% of the respondents favourite feature
is Internet/Apps, and 15% of the respondents favourite feature is Gaming.

Figure 4.13: Classification of respondents on the basis of favourite feature

of the respondent

15%

42% Camera
Internet/Apps
23% Social networking
Gaming

20%

34
Table 4.14: Classification of respondents on the basis of importance of
favourite feature

Responses No of respondents Percentage

Yes, I wouldn’t 26 44%
buy without
this feature
Yes, it’s rather 32 53%
Important
No, it’s not 2 3%
Really
important
Not important 0 0%

Total 60 100%

For 53% of the respondents their favourite feature is rather important, 43% of
the respondents wouldn’t be buying the phone without this feature, For 2% of
the respondents their favourite feature is not really important,

Figure 4.14: Classification of respondents on the basis of importance of

favourite feature

3%

Yes, I wouldn’t buy it without

this feature

44% Yes,It is rather important

No, it is not really important

53%
No, it is not important at all

35
Table 4.15 Classification of respondents on the basis of satisfaction level of
current mobile phone
Highly Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly
satisfied dissatisfied

No of 20 34 5 1 0
respondents

Percentage 33% 57% 8% 2% 0%

Mean Value 4.2

From the above table 4.13 we found that the satisfaction level of the
respondents regarding their current mobile phone is High (mean score is 4.2)

Figure 4.15 Classification of respondents on the basis of satisfaction level

of current mobile phone

0 1.70%

8.30%

1(not satisfied)
33.30% 2
3
4
5(extremely satisfied
34%

36
Table 4.16: Classification of respondents on the basis of probability to
change to new model

Probability No of respondents Percentage

Yes 19 32%

No 19 32%

Not sure 22 36%

Total 60 100%

36% of the respondents are not sure about changing their existing model to a
new one, 32% of the respondents are sure about them changing to a new model,
32% of the respondents will not be changing their existing model at all,

Figure 4.16: Classification of respondents on the basis of profitability to

change to new model

22.5
22
21.5
21
20.5
20
Probability for change
19.5
19
18.5
18
17.5
Yes No Not sure

37
Table 4.17 : Table showing classification of respondents based on their
opinion of which brand has the best operating system.

Phone brand Number of respondents Percentage of

respondents
Iphone 20 32.2%
Oppo 7 11.29%
Samsung 15 24.19%
Redmi 10 16.12%
Others 10 16.12%

32.2% of respondents have given that iPhone has the best operating system, for
24% it is Samsung, Redmi and others not given brands are given by 10%
respondents each

Figure 4.17: Classification of respondents based on their opinion of which

brand has the best operating system.

16.12%

Iphone
32.20%
Oppo
16.12% Samsung
Redmi
Others
11.29%
24.19%

38
 CHAPTER : 5
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Findings
 Most of the respondents are male.
 Most of the respondents are Under graduate students.
 Present mobile phone brands used by the respondents at the present are
Samsung and Redmi.
 Respondents preferred price range of the mobile phone is 11000-20000.
 Majority of the respondents consider the phones feature before buying.
 Respondents use their mobile phones mostly for taking pictures or
recording video.
 Respondents duration of use of their current phone is less than 1 year.
 The brand owned previously by most of the respondents was Samsung.
 Respondents prefer to use normal smart phone over any other type of
phones.
 Most of the respondents give fair importance to design and style of
mobile phones.
 Respondents choose iPhone because of its brand image, Samsung
because of advertisement, Redmi because of price, Oppo because of
appearance.
 The most preferred size of handset by the respondents is medium.
 Camera is the respondents favourite feature.
 Most of the respondents opinion is that, this feature is rather important
 The respondents are highly satisfied with their current phone.
 Majority of the respondents are of the opinion that iPhone has the best
operating system.

39
5.2 Suggestions
 The brands need to focus more on brand image of the product and the
quality to enhance sales of the branded mobile product.
 Better features are the most important factor so the companies need to
focus on it more.
 Teenagers and youth segment in the mobile market plays a major role in
influencing other customers.
 Teenagers and youth customers motivation on buying a particular brand
is based on the features of the phone.
 There is no relationship between mobile phone brand and time period of
mobile phone usage.
 More creative ways of advertising must be used to create better
awareness among various segments of the society regarding the branded
products.

5.3 Conclusion

The study examines the brand preference of mobile phones among college
students. It reveals the brand of mobile phone mostly preferred by the
college students. The survey questionnaire was prepared and distributed
among 60 respondents and received 60 responses. It includes both UG and
PG students. Samsung, iPhone, Redmi, Motorola and Oppo are the common
mobile phone brands used by the respondents. They prefer to use normal
smartphone with medium size. The most liked feature of the mobile phone
is camera. The respondents are highly satisfied with their current mobile
phone and they are not sure about changing their existing phone.

40
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS:

 Ramaswamy V.S -Marketing Management, Macmillian India Ltd.

 Kothari C.R -Research Methodology, New age international Publishers
 Damodaran P.A - Business Research Methods, Excel Publication.

JOURNALS:

 S. Shahzad Khan (2013) “ Investigating the factors affecting youth

brand choice for mobile phone purchase – a study of private universities
students of Peshawar”, Management and marketing challenges for the
knowledge society, Vol.8, No.2, 369-384.
 Sata, Mesay (2013). “Factors Affecting Consumer Buying Behavior of
Mobile phone Devices”. Mediterranean Journal of Social science Vol.4
No.12, 103-112.
 K. Kulshreshtha, V Thripathi and N Bajpai (2017), Impact of Brand
Cues on Young Consumer’s Preference for Mobile phones: A Conjoint
Analysis and Stimulation Modeling, Journal of Creative
Communications 12(3), 205-222.
 Karjaluoto, H., Svento, R., Pietila, M. and Pakola, J. (2005), “An
investigation of consumer behavior in mobile phone markets in
Finland”, International Conference on Multimedia Technology, Jeju
Islands, South Korea, 16-18.
 Phillips, P.L. (1998), “Buying a Brand: What You Can’t See Can Hurt
You”, Design Management Journal, Vol.9, No.1, 43-46.
 Mack, Z and Sharples, S (2009), “The importance of usability in
product, choice: a mobile phone case study” Ergonomics, Vol. 52,
No.12, 1514-28.

WEBSITES

 https://www.wikipedia.org/
 https://www.trai.gov.in/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redmi
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppo
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340592712_Brand_Preference
_of_Mobile_Phones_among_Amaravati_region_College_Students_-
A_case_study
ANNEXURE
A STUDY ON BRAND PREFERENCE OF MOBILE PHONES
AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
Hi, we Abhay Krishna E T and Indrajith T H currently pursuing B.Com
Finance from University of Calicut, are doing our project based on the topic “A
Study on Brand Preference of Mobile phones Among College Students”. So
kindly spare some time for us to complete our survey.

Your response to this survey is strictly confidential and only for academic
purpose.

1) Name of the respondent:

2) Gender
a. Male
b. Female
c. Prefer not to say
3) Course
a. UG
b. PG
4) Which mobile are you using at present
a. iPhone
b. Samsung
c. Redmi
d. Motorola
e. Oppo
f. Other
5) In what price range does your mobile phone fall
a. Below 5000
b. 5000-10000
c. 11000-20000
d. Above 20000
6) Why did you choose this brand over others
a. Better features
b. Reasonable price
c. Better outlook
d. Catchy advertisement
e. Satisfied friends
f. Other
7) For what purpose do you use your mobile mostly
a. Call
b. Internet
c. Songs & Multimedia
d. Camera
e. Gaming
8) How long you are using this current phone
a. Less than 1 year
b. 1 to 2 years
c. 2 to 3 years
d. More than 3 years
9) What brand of phone did you previously owned
a. iPhone
b. Samsung
c. Redmi
d. Motorola
e. Oppo
f. Others
10) What type of phone do you like have
a. Flip phone
b. Slide phone
c. Normal Smart phone
d. Others
11) What is your favorite mobile phone brand
a. iPhone
b. Samsung
c. Redmi
d. Motorola
e. Oppo
f. Others
12) Why did you like the brand you choose as your favorite one
a. Advertisement
b. Appearance
c. Price
d. Functions
e. Service
f. Brand image
13) In your opinion what is the important attribute of your mobile
a. Touchpad
b. Bluetooth
c. Camera
d. Memory
e. Large memory
f. Long lasting battery
g. Latest software
14) How important is the design/style of mobile phone to you as opposed to
functionality
a. Very important
b. Fairly important
c. Not important
15) What size of handset would you prefer
a. Small
b. Medium
c. Large
16) Which of these is your favorite feature
a. Camera
b. Internet browsing/ Apps
c. Social networking
d. Gaming
17) Do you consider this feature to be as important part of mobile phones.
a. Yes, I will not buy without this feature
b. Yes, it is rather important
c. No, it is not really important
d. No, it is not important at all
18) How satisfied are you with your mobile brand.
Not extremely satisfied 1 2 3 4 5 Extremely satisfied
19) Do you like to change the model, if a latest model arrives in the market.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure
20) Which phone according to you have the best operating system.
a. iPhone
b. Samsung
c. Redmi
d. Motorola
e. Oppo
f. Others