Consumers' smartphone preferences in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

With its high population and high rate of young population, Turkey has an important potential in the field of consumer electronics. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, individuals' purchasing power decreased due to economic contractions in every country and individuals showed a more frugal attitude. This study aims to evaluate the Turkish smartphone market and understand the consumer preferences toward smartphones during the pandemic. For this purpose, a conjoint analysis was conducted by obtaining data from 452 respondents who were asked to evaluate products according to their brand, price, second-hand value, camera quality, and storage capacity. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that the brand, price, and camera features had the highest utility scores reflecting the preferences of the Turkish consumers. Moreover, Chinese and Turkish brands were found to still hold a disadvantageous position in consumer perceptions having negative utility scores.