Samsung
Samsung is the number 1 smartphone vendor, selling more phones than any other company worldwide. In 2018, Samsung launched the world’s largest mobile manufacturing facility in Noida, India.
Samsung began by selling items like noodles and other products, but it wasn’t until 1970 that the company ventured into the sale of its first electrical product, which was a 12-inch Black & White TV.
“To get past first impressions on Samsung phones and reveal true usage and expectations at a much deeper level”
Challenges
Samsung are continuously seeking out new opportunities to retain and grow their user base in the volatile and competitive tech climate. With the increasing popularity of emerging brands, Samsung needed to understand why consumers were switching over.
To get past first impressions on Samsung phones and reveal true usage and expectations at a much deeper level, over a realistic length of time, REO conducted a multifaceted ethnographic study.
“Following the debriefs, our researchers were able to reach a verdict on how the phones compared and speculate on what would make Samsung’s flagship phone a more compelling purchase.”
The REO approach
We initiated the study by interviewing people who had switched from a Samsung phone to an emerging brand in the last 6 months.
During the one-on-one interviews, the research team at REO explored peoples current phone experience, since switching away from Samsung, as well as their previous experience with Samsung.
At the end of the interview, to get a real sense of how a phone is used and what expectations people have of them, each participant was handed one of Samsung’s flagship phones to take away and use for the next 2 weeks (Diary Study).
Each participant unboxed their new Samsung phone before leaving. This proved to be a powerful moment in the study because of the heightened emotional state participants displayed when handed the new phones.
The outcome
The REO research team put forward clear recommendations on what could be done to compel a person to switch back to Samsung phones.
The diary study was managed via an app installed on the phones, participants were asked to log their experience daily by uploading screenshots and videos as well as general comments. Over the course of the 2 weeks, our team of researchers began building up a “true” picture of how users interact with their phone and what expectations they have. Interestingly we noticed a change as people become more familiar with the phone and any new features it offers.
From the ethnographic study, the research team at REO were able to expose with confidence what may have caused people to switch away from a Samsung phone to an emerging brand. The researchers also put forward some recommendations on what could be done to compel a person to switch back to Samsung phones.
