SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SMARTPHONE PURCHASE AMONG THE GENERATION Z

This study explains the social factors influencing the generation z to purchase smartphones. The objective of this study is to assess whether social factors such as parents, friends and social needs influence the generation Z to purchase the smartphone. The smartphone is a mobile telephone which offers superior technology with functionality similar to a personal computer. This handheld device becomes an inevitable part of life, especially among the youth. The perception of young adults regarding smartphones is progressively becoming an issue of study as understanding the decision-making process is cumbersome. Hence marketers are interested to target next-generation customers' i. e. Generation Z and holds more potential as far as marketing is concerned. This investigation is conducted among students of selected high schools and higher secondary schools in the Muvattupuzha Educational District, Ernakulum. A questionnaire-based survey was used and 600 sets of questionnaire were distributed to students. A multistage random sampling method was adopted for data collection. The methods used for the analysis include percentage analysis, multiple regression and Pearson correlation. The study was limited to high school and higher secondary students in the Muvattupuzha Educational District. From the findings, the researcher concludes that all the three factors parents, friends and social needs influenced the students to purchase the smartphone. The study concluded that the influence of parents was more among students to purchase the smartphone. The study was significant to smartphone manufacturers to understand the requirements of the techno-savvy generation and accordingly plan their marketing communications strategy.