This study aims to explore how the mobile phone presents itself at the heart of consumption identity as it moves from a communications utility to a lifestyle tool, with a view to understanding how firms can use this knowledge to better manage customer relationships. The core theoretical focus is on consumer decision-making and motivation, particularly identity formation in relation to mobile phone consumption in the context of everyday life. The final aim of the research is to study the impact of micro-environmental and macro-environmental factors on consumer behaviour and marketing strategies. The factors in the macro-environment have been identified as globalization, media and global brands/global marketing, while the factors in the micro-environment have been identified as social networks, personal history, symbolic meaning of products and glocalization.
A mixed methods approach with a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data enables a comprehensive analysis of mobile phone consumption from a constructivist perspective with a view to the following research questions:
1. To what extent is consumer mobile phone behaviour dependent on factors in the micro-environment?
2. To what extent is consumer mobile phone behaviour dictated by dynamic changes in the macro-environment?
These questions are addressed by way of an exploratory study through case-based research and investigative study through a structured questionnaire. The following hypotheses were examined:
Hypothesis 1: Factors in the micro-environment do not affect consumer identity in mobile phone consumption
Hypothesis 2: Factors in the macro-environment do not affect consumer identity in mobile phone consumption