Brand as an influence on mobile converged technology purchases among Australian 18 to 34 year old young adults

This thesis explores the influence of brand on mobile converged technology purchase decisions made by young adult Australians, between 18 to 34 years of age, specifically focusing on mobile phone purchase decisions from 1 February, 2009 to 31 January, 2011. A review of the literature reveals that, predominantly, research has focused on the individual elements of brand, technology convergence and the consumer decision making processes, however, research into the combination of multiple variables in the purchase decision making process, for newer converged technologies, is not apparent. This research contributes to the available literature analysing the influence of brand as well as identifying other variables and the interactions between these influences in mobile converged technology purchase decisions. This research, therefore, aims to contribute to the literature on the influence of brand on consumer mobile converged technology purchase decisions, to formulate a model of the variables that influence consumer purchase decisions, identified through a review of literature and empirically validated through research. A model was developed and tested with a cross-sectional analysis, performed using a mixed methodology process through a survey of 303 Australian young adult users of mobile phones. The findings suggest that the retailer, as the last point of contact in the decision process, has influence on customer consideration of non-brand variables such as desired functions within the device and the available pricing structure options and that, at the point of purchase, these variables have a greater influence than brand and outweigh brand preferences.