| dc.description.abstract | In recent years, mobile phones has become a must have tool for survival. Its adoption has been exceptionally rapid in many parts of the world. In Kenya and especially in Nairobi mobile penetration has reached 88%, and is a common gadget that almost every adult have. But even being so common and greatly contributing into our lives, empirical study on consumers has been limited especially in academic world. As a result of its importance numerous factors need to be considered when choosing mobile phone. It is against these challenges that the topic 'factors influencing consumer choice of mobile telephone service provider' was chosen for study and also adding to academic sphere some knowledge on mobile telephone consumers' behavior.
This study focused on factors influencing consumer choice of mobile telephone service provider. The research has four objectives which include, establishing the extent at which demographic characteristics influences consumers choice; to examine how the social related factors influence of consumers; to investigate the level at which economic related factors influence the consumer; and to determine the level at which mobile service efficiency and effectiveness influence the consumer choice of mobile service provider in Nairobi.
This research study used descriptive survey. The target population consisted of individual user of mobile telephone services at the household level within Nairobi region. As per Kenya population and housing census of August, 2009, the household population in the study area was 985,016 households. The researcher used both stratified sampling and random sampling techniques. The researcher divided Nairobi region into four distinct zones namely, Nairobi West, Nairobi East, Nairobi North and Westlands as per the 2009 census. These zones formed the strata for further sampling, random sampling technique was then used to identify specific household giving a target sample of 384. Primary data was used in the study which was collected through a semi structured questionnaire.
The researcher administered the questionnaires directly to the respondent at household level but where persons were not available, drop and pick later method was used. The data collected was entered and analyzed by simple descriptive analysis using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Descriptive analysis used helped to summarize and organize data in an effective and meaningful way. Measure of central tendency and measure of dispersion (mean and standard deviation) were also used. The analyzed data was presented in tables for easy understanding.
The study found out that consumer decisions were influenced by personal characteristics, like age, occupation, economic circumstances. People choose a mobile phone services offering a service or a place, or subscribe to a particular idea because they like its image, or because they feel its personality somehow, corresponds to their own. The study concludes that demographic characteristic of a consumer, social and economic factors as well as mobile efficiency and effectiveness influence the choice of mobile service provider in Nairobi. As a way of recommendation, it is important for a company to understand how customers perceive efficiency. The study recommends that in order for mobile telephone service providers to be competitively advantaged and increase their customer base, there is need to invest heavily in technological advancements that yield improved coverage, reduce congestion and have cheaper rates. | en_US |
