Customers More Satisfied with Smartphones than with Feature Phones; Apple Takes the Lead

A recent customer satisfaction study by J.D. Power and Associates reveals that smartphone users are becoming more satisfied with their smartphones, while overall satisfaction among basic cell phone owners is on a decline.

According to the study conducted from January to June 2009 by the marketing information company, overall smartphone satisfaction has increased considerably compared to 6 months ago, as design, features, usability and software of these devices have improved over time. On the contrary, satisfaction among traditional handset owners has slightly dropped, which is likely due to the absence of advanced features that can be found on smartphones.

In both the consumer and business smartphone markets, Apple takes the lead by scoring 811 and 803 out of 1,000 index points respectively, thanks to its popular iPhone. The company excels other smartphone makers in all categories, including ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design, but excluding the battery performance. Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry, comes in second in business rankings with a score of 724 and third in consumer rankings with 759 points.

When it comes to satisfaction level of non-smartphone devices, LG wins in all factors with a score of 723, making it the only manufacturer that scores above the industry average of 701 points. Motorola, Sanyo and Sony Ericsson follow LG in the rankings.

Apart from these, the report also shows that the number of people who purchased more affordable smartphones (less than $100) has jumped over the past 6 months. J.D. Power believes this is a result of the attractive rebates or discounts offered by wireless carriers to attract more customers and increase market share.

In the meantime, carriers are offering deep discounts on feature phones, with 43 percent of all traditional handset users getting their handset free of charge. However, these owners tend to be less satisfied since the handsets often do not come with the full suite of features they want. Therefore, other than the price concern, it is also important for carriers and cell phone makers to ensure the features, usability and designs of their phones do meet consumers’ expectation so as to build up the long-term brand loyalty.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, LG Accessories, Motorola Accessories, Sanyo Accessories, Sony Ericsson Accessories