Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 22 Issue 2

Factors Affecting Brand Preference for Purchasing Mobile Phones-Evidence from Bangladesh Md. Mahbubur Rahaman α & Juhora Jamin Juha σ Abstract- Competition and brand war are facing new dynamics and challenges every day. So, brands need to identify the factors that can affect their brand image to achieve brand preference. The objective is to examine some factors that can impact brand preference. The sample examined here is 328 from all across Bangladesh. Data collection is done by an online Google form through the snowball sampling technique. Regression analysis is used to test the hypothesis. The finding shows a strong association of the factors with brand preference. The significance of the research is that it can help marketers to justify the elements and design their offerings accordingly. The research findings can be used in similar product strategies and may contribute to capturing customer attention. Keywords: brands, brand preference, quality improvement, innovative features, promotion. obile phones are part and parcel of our modern lifestyle. Today, it has become something with which we can communicate across the world. Almost everyone uses their mobile not only for communication purposes but also as a personal assistant for an easier life. The advancement of mobile communication technologies such as wireless internet, MP3 players, and GPS navigation systems has opened up a new horizon of innovation that is constantly adapting to changing consumer needs (Odia & Adekunle, 2020). This inevitably brought fierce competition among the various mobile phone brands available in the market. Every day, a new phone is introduced with more unique features and technologies. Because of this competition, consumers are availed of a wide variety of mobile phones. This also created a dilemma among consumers about which mobile phone best suits their needs the most. This problem of choice can be defined as a brand preference (Kumari & Kumar 2016). M 53 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue II Version I Year 2022 ( )E © 2022 Global Journals I. I ntroduction The consumer has different values, perceptions, and behavior patterns due to various environmental influences. Demographics, leisure habits, health factors, and lifestyle have a significant role in affecting the buying behavior of a customer. Research helps to track cultural shifts that might suggest new ways to market and sell products to consumers. Analysis of different cultural lifestyles also provides a better understanding of products and customers' preferences. A brand can be defined in various ways. Phillips explained a brand as something like a term, symbol, or a combination of a number or elements to identify and differentiate the product of any seller (Kotler & Keller, 2006) while Keller mentioned a brand as “the sum of all marketing mix elements” (Keller, 2003). We can also define a brand as any characteristic or attribute that distinguishes one seller from another. A brand is a tool through which a firm's identity can be well established by differentiating the offerings and building a sustainable image in the customer’s mind (M. Tanveer et al., 2021). A brand also creates a specific association in the target customer's mind (X. Wu et al., 2020). The word "brand choice" is what we use to evaluate consumer preference for any brand. So, this term is used to calculate the demand level of a brand in comparison with the other brands (M. Tanveer et al., 2021). Globalization is transforming the whole world into a single market. Prior to liberalization, Indian consumers showed a distinctly stronger affinity for imported items and "foreign brands.” However, after two decades of liberalization, the Indian apparel market is flooded with brands made in foreign countries. II. L iterature R eview Branding is not a new concept. It was evident that the ancient brick-makers in Egypt used to draw symbols on bricks to identify their bricks (A. Zia et al., 2021). A brand is meant to identify the products of a seller. Brands typically consist of elements such as the brand name, image, logo, design, packaging, and promotional activities. Brand choice or brand preference means that consumers’ decisions differ from brand to brand. Consumer brand preference is begetting brand loyalty, which is repurchasing the same brand for an extended period (R. Donnelly et al., 2021). Brand loyalty means a consumer prefers a brand among competing brands (Keller, 2003). The brand choice depends on the performance of the products. It also depends on psychological and objective factors (F. Quoquab et al., 2020), and understanding the different sorts of consumers is crucial (J. Vesalainen et al., 2020), apart from the usage of products and personality (Coelho et al., 2020). Before 2010, Nokia was the market leader in the Asian subcontinent and worldwide. Nevertheless, a rivalry Author α : Associate Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Leading University, Ragibnagar, Sylhet, Banglades. e-mail: mahbub9305@gmail.com Author σ : Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Leading University, Ragibnagar, Sylhet, Banglades. e-mail: jamin_3011@lus.ac.bd