Millennial Consumer Perception Towards Mobile Marketing in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya

Abstract

Increased time spent on smartphones amongst millennials and the decreased time spent watching television is a marketing game changer. Marketers are now exploring the use of mobile marketing which guarantees a higher, personalised reach compared to other forms of media. This study sought to find out the millennial consumer perception towards mobile marketing in Nairobi Central Business District. The millennial consumer was an interest in the study as they are currently the core target of many businesses and the most avid users of smartphone devices. This study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design. A sample of 100 millennials was selected using systematic sampling method, every fourth millennial was intercepted within Nairobi CBD. The research found out that millennial perception was neutral. Their mobile marketing positivity or negativity depended on how the various aspects of mobile marketing were implemented. The millennials held the attributes of information, entertainment, direct to the point and personalization very positively. The research also found out that the most preferred type of mobile marketing amongst millennials was mobile applications followed by social media marketing and banner advertisement. Further research is recommended to have a deeper understanding on why the various forms of mobile marketing are the most preferred. In conclusion, gender and age can be used as a key segmentation criteria when doing mobile marketing as they were found to have significant influence on millennial consumer perceptions. Marketers have the room to shape millennial consumer perceptions positively by adopting the appropriate mobile marketing efforts for each segment, the appropriate mobile marketing mix and the most preferred aspects of mobile marketing as these were determined to be key success factors. Personalization of messages and the use of humour were also determined to be better consumer acceptance drivers.