How people REALLY choose their cellphone: Researcher reveals they only care about what the phone looks like

The old adage says ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover,’ but it seems that’s just what consumers are doing when they choose which smartphone they want to buy next.

A new study has found that people care most about aesthetics when deciding which phone to purchase, according to Daily Mail.

Following aesthetics, consumers ranked technical characteristics and functionality as other factors influencing their purchase decisions.

Researchers from the University of Seville and the Catholic University of North Chile surveyed approximately 390 people to discern their attitudes about buying smartphones.

They then asked the participants to rank whether aesthetics, color, form-factor, design or the feel of the phone mattered most.

They were told to assign it a value on a scale of five points between ‘strongly disagree’ and ‘totally agree.’

Researchers found that among the choices listed, that the shape of the smartphone was the most influential aesthetic element.

It seems there may be more factors at work behind consumers’ attachment to aesthetics.

The researchers analyzed previous studies on how design and aesthetics influence smartphone purchases.

‘The more attractive the image and design of the telephone, the stronger the emotional relationship that consumers are going to have with the product, which is a clear influence on their purchasing decision,’ the University of Seville said in a statement.

So it matters less whether or not the phone is a status symbol, as more value is placed on how it’s designed or feels when they hold it.

‘We have seen that the social value or colour of the mobile, however, are questions that matter less to the consumer,’ University of Seville researcher Francisco Javier Rondan said in a statement.  

Instead, the shape of the phone appears to matter more.

The phone’s design serves as the primary indicator to consumers of whether or not they think they’ll be able to use it in their everyday lives.

‘The results of the study allow us to conclude that when consumers increase their aesthetic perception of your smartphone increases your emotional relationship with this device, and in the same way, your perception of usability grows, and as a consequence of this, there is an increase in your intention to purchase,’ the study explains.

‘On the other hand, the analysis shows that the shape of the smartphone is the most aesthetic dimension influential in the purchase intention, and therefore, is proposed as the most relevant feature at the moment to design advertising campaigns of this type of devices.’

It comes as smartphone makers have been experimenting with new form factors and designs in their latest models.

Lately, the general view of the smartphone has been the bigger the better.

But, that could soon change as more and more manufacturers introduce radical designs like foldable and bendable screens.

N.H.Kh