Title: The consumer purchase decisions of smartphones: empirical evidence from Malaysia

Authors: Lee Sok Yan; Ong Choon Hee

Addresses: Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia ' Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract: This paper aims to identify significant factors that influence the purchase decision of smartphones among working adults in Malaysia. This study used a model of consumer behaviour, the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to form the research model. A total of 183 responses was successfully obtained and analysed by PLS-SEM to test the hypotheses. The results of this study revealed that perceived ease of use, price, dependency, perceived usefulness and brand image significantly influenced consumer purchase decisions. However, social influence was found not associated with smartphone purchase decisions. The findings of this study assist marketers to strategise their marketing plans to increase the sales of smartphones and promote business growth. Besides, by identifying the factors that influence consumer purchase decisions, smartphone manufacturers can design and develop features that are preferred by the consumers to grow their business in the market.

Keywords: consumer purchase decision; perceived usefulness; perceived ease of use; price; dependency; brand image; social influence; Malaysia.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2022.122563

Middle East Journal of Management, 2022 Vol.9 No.3, pp.247 - 264

Received: 07 Jan 2021
Accepted: 23 Feb 2021
Published online: 03 May 2022 *

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