The effect of lifestyle and perceived value on the purchase intention of consumers in the cellular industry
Abstract
Numerous studies have been conducted on consumers’ lifestyles and perceived value of
consumers. Marketers and organisations have, however, overlooked the effect that these two
terms have on the purchase intention of consumers. Based on the literature review, it was found
that consumer lifestyle and perceived value include various dimensions. It is of great importance
for marketers to identify the lifestyle and perceived value of consumers to gain greater insight into
how it can affect their buying behaviour. Such knowledge will allow marketers to provide certain
products and services that will address the specific needs and preferences of their consumers. Although the availability and new technology developments of cellular services have been
increasing, limited research has focused on the buying behaviour of cellular users. In previous
literature, the cellular industry has been evaluated, but none of the studies indicated the
interrelationship between perceived value, lifestyle and purchase intention. Therefore, the cellular
industry was used for this study. This study investigated various concepts including marketing, consumer behaviour,
segmentation, lifestyle segmentation, perception, perceived value and purchase intention.
Studying the buying behaviour of consumers, will permit marketers to ask questions such as how,
what, where, when and why consumers purchase and consume various products or services,
This will in return help marketers then to develop appropriate marketing strategies, specifically in
the cellular industry. When a market is segmented effectively, marketers can position their
products and services in a way that they appeal to the targeted consumer segment. Thus, this
study hopes to assist marketers in their efforts to formulate marketing strategies that target cellular
users more effectively. In order to determine the effect of lifestyle and perceived value on the purchase intention of
consumers within the South African cellular industry, 16 secondary objectives were formulated.
The specific lifestyle dimensions chosen for this study were entertainment, club membership,
shopping, fashion consciousness, and media. The specific perceived value dimensions chosen
for this study included price value, functional value, emotional value, and social value. For the
purposes of this study, a descriptive research design was chosen. In order to support the
descriptive research design, this study utilised a quantitative research approach in the form of
self-administered surveys to collect primary data. The target population included residents from
the North West Province, specifically from the three chosen central areas, namely Klerksdorp,
Potchefstroom and Rustenburg, who owned any type of cellular phone and were aged 18 years
or older. The data that was collected for this study was captured, coded and edited by using the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26, which entailed entering the collected data
into an electronic data file and creating a data set. The questionnaires collected for this study
were checked manually to ensure that only questionnaires that have been completed properly
and accurately, were analysed. Before analysing the data, the reliability and validity of the
measurement scales were determined. For the purpose of this study, a standard multiple
regression analysis was used to determine the interrelationships between the constructs of the
study (i.e. lifestyle, perceived value and purchase intention). The results of the study indicated a moderately high level of all the lifestyle and perceived value
dimensions, as well as purchase intention among the respondents. It was also concluded that a
practically significant relationship was found between all the lifestyle and perceived value
dimensions and purchase intention. The difference of perceptions of the lifestyle dimensions,
perceived value dimensions, and purchase intention with regard to their demographic differences,
were also included in the results and can be used to adjust marketing strategies accordingly. Several conclusions and recommendations were discussed and therefore, it can be
recommended that marketers and cellular businesses should focus their resources on composing
marketing strategies that are in congruence with the lifestyles and perceived value of consumers
in order to increase sales. Cellular businesses should, therefore, provide their consumers with
entertainment experiences, efficient club membership options and services, various shopping
options, fashionable products, media functions, top of the range products in terms of functionality,
various price options and packages, an emotional bond or feeling, and products that will allow the
consumer various opportunities to interact sociably. These recommendations will enhance the
chances of the consumer making the purchase.