Apple and Android May Dominate Market, but New Study Reveals One-Third of Consumers Are Undecided About Their Next Mobile Device Purchase

WILTON, CT--(Marketwired - Oct 7, 2013) -  Management consultancy cg42 today released the findings of a new study that reveals consumer perceptions of and purchase intent for the nation's top mobile device brands. The study found that only 16% of U.S. respondents plan to purchase a mobile device in the next 12 months, with 25-34 year-olds making up the largest segment of that group. Apple and Android lead their competitors as the device brands of preference, with 34% of respondents choosing Apple and 27% favoring Android. However, with 34% of consumers still undecided about their next device purchase, a large segment of the market remains in play.

Based on two surveys -- one of more than 2,500 members of the U.S. General Population and the other of more than 1,000 Intenders (consumers who intend to purchase a mobile device in the next year) -- the study ranks Apple, Android, BlackBerry, Google, Samsung and Microsoft based on innovativeness, device preference across different demographic groups, and overall purchase intent.

"Despite what we had expected to find, only a minority of the population is in the market for a new device. This signals that mobile device brands must now fight harder than ever to not only build their customer bases but establish loyalty among new and existing customers," said Stephen Beck, founder and managing partner of cg42. "Understanding how customers across age and gender categories perceive their brands is crucial if these companies want to remain competitive."

The study also examines the impact of Apple's recent announcements about the iPhone 5s and 5c on consumer behavior, finding that a higher awareness of the news among Intenders (76%) versus the General Population (58%) correlated with a higher intention among Intenders to purchase Apple. The announcement also slightly boosted the percentage of those less likely to make an Apple purchase, indicating that the brand polarizes consumers.

Key findings from the study show that:

• Apple is perceived as the most innovative mobile device brand: 1.8 times as many consumers perceive Apple as innovative versus Samsung, the closest rival, and 10 times as many as Microsoft and BlackBerry.
• 34% of Intenders plan to purchase an Apple device, followed by Android (27%), Microsoft (3%), and BlackBerry (2%). 34% of consumers remain undecided about the brand they intend to purchase.
• Women are more undecided about their next mobile device purchase: 41% of women versus 28% of men have yet to determine the device they'll buy.
• People who had heard about the launch of the latest iPhones were 2.3 times more likely to buy Apple than those who had not heard.
• 1 out of 5 consumers indicated that they "don't like" Apple as a brand -- the same percentage that responded that they "love Apple."

For more information on cg42's studies, please visit www.cg42.com. 

About cg42
cg42 was established with a simple goal -- to help businesses align the operations, finance, and marketing functions behind the core principle of creating customers. We partner with senior management teams in businesses whose organic growth has stagnated to re-focus their organizations on the changes required to reinvigorate demand. cg42 has helped companies in the Financial Services, Technology, Telecom, Consumer Services, and Hospitality sectors make the immediate and long-term changes necessary to create significant top-line growth and incremental profitability. New approaches, like our patent-pending Brand Vulnerability methodology, have been a critical factor in positioning our clients to break through the competitive clutter. For more information, please visit: www.cg42.com. And remember -- Don't Panic.