ANTECEDENTS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND BRAND LOYALTY OF SMARTPHONES AMONG GENERATION Y STUDENTS

摘要

The market for smartphones is growing rapidly in South Africa, particularly due to the popularity of smartphone brands among young consumers, labelled as Generation Y. The Generation Y cohort comprises the youth of today who are a technologically astute consumer group with an increasing appetite for technology products such as smartphones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty of smartphones among Generation Y students at selected South African universities. This study used a quantitative research method. Data was collected using a self-administrated questionnaire from university students registered at two public higher education institutions (HEIs), one traditional university and the other a university of technology in South Africa. The questionnaires were adapted from previously validated scales. Descriptive analysis and regression analysis were applied to achieve the objectives of the study. The results of the study indicate that brand image, product design, functionality and price of smartphones are the main antecedents of customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the study has found that brand image, product design and functionality are the drivers of Generation Y's loyalty towards smartphones. In addition, customer satisfaction is found to be a predictor of customer loyalty in respect of smartphones. These product features and corporate factors are important antecedents that influence the success of marketing efforts among Generation Y students. This study elucidates that Generation Y students are highly informed consumers when it comes to smartphones. Therefore, it is recommended that manufacturers of smartphones devise special marketing efforts to target this technologically astute generational cohort, as they have shown an insatiable appetite for smartphones. Therefore, they should build on their brand image, continuously improve the product design and functionality of their smartphones, and offer them at competitive prices to enhance customer satisfaction and attain customer loyalty among Generation Y students.