Influence of personal factors on consumer purchase decisions of mobile phones in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Personal factors (age, occupation, income, lifestyle and personality) have become a key aspect in determining the purchase decisions that consumers make. Over the years the mobile phone industry has experienced major technological advancements which have occasioned a shift in the market trends. The mobile phone providers have been compelled to respond with suitable strategies to come up with products that are aligned to the consumer personal needs. The study therefore aimed at determining the relationship between consumer personal factors and their purchase decisions of mobile phones in Nairobi County. Specifically, the study focused on the influence of age, income, occupation, lifestyle, and personality on consumer purchase decision. The study was grounded on the positivist philosophical framework and assumed a descriptive research design. The study targeted mobile phone users in Nairobi County. The sample size was 384 respondents and out of these, 298 questionnaires were gathered for analysis. Data was collected using structured questionnaires which were self-administered. Descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS Version 22 was used to analyze and interpret the data. The correlation findings indicated a positive and statistically significant association between personality, occupation, income, age, and lifestyle on consumer purchase decisions of mobile phones. The multiple regression findings indicate that these factors influenced consumer purchase decision by 51.4 % which was statistically significant. The results revealed that personality had the greatest influence on consumer purchase decision of mobile phones in Nairobi County followed by lifestyle, and income. The study concluded that these two personal factors influenced consumer purchase decision of mobile phones whereas age and occupation had no effect. The study recommended that mobile phone manufacturers should design products that elicited different emotions, perceptions and feelings from consumers. Secondly, the study recommended that mobile phone marketers should design advertising campaigns and marketing strategies around the personalities and lifestyles of consumers. This means that marketers should aim to identify personalities and lifestyle patterns of mobile phone consumers regularly.