A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration - Corporate Management (MBA - CM) of Mzumbe University,
The main objective of this study was to assess the factors influencing consumer choice of mobile phone brand among youth in Tanzania. To attain to this main objective, five other specific objectives were used, namely 1) to examine the effect of price on young consumers towards making decision of purchasing a particular mobile phone brand. 2) to explore the impact of brand image in influencing young consumers to buy a mobile phone, 3) to assess the influence of product features on youth consumers’ choice on a certain mobile phone brand, 4) to investigate the effect of peer group influences on young consumers purchase intention of a mobile phone brand, 5) to determine the role of effective promotion in influencing the youth choice of a mobile phone brand. The design used in this study was a case study where Dar es Salaam was chosen. To get respondents, the study used convenience and purposive sampling methods where a total of 120 respondents were selected. In collecting data, the study used the questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion and documentary review. Data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The findings show that consumer choice of mobile phone brand is influenced by a total of six factors namely: the price of the mobile phone 45.8%, the brand image 15%, phone features 19%, peer group 10% and promotion 4%. The study has also found that, a set of other factors affected 6.2% of respondents, these factors are loyalty, attitudes towards some mobile phone brands, resistance to water, availability of spare parts and battery life. Based on the study findings, the following are the recommendations of the study: As it was found that the price affect the consumer price by 45.8%, it is hereby recommended that mobile phone companies should fabricate phones that will fit for all income groups among the community. In the same regard, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) should find a way to negotiate with the available mobile phone companies in the country to reduce the price of phones while insuring quality so as they be affordable to al l people especial youth. Mobile phone companies and their agents are recommended to increase advertising and other promotion approaches as personal selling, low price promotion but maintaining the quality of the phone and public relations