Introduction
Background Information
The emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs), greater wealth levels, more changes in the lifestyle and values as well as more leisure time as a result of the new consciousness based on an individual’s personal needs in addition to social responsibilities have led to the significant changes in the consumer preferences, needs and behaviours (Purohit, Arora and Paul, 2022). As reported in the studies by Khan et al. (2022) and Santos et al. (2022), the contemporary technology industry consumers are generally more informed, involved, individualistic and independent hence the companies need to become more innovative in order to keep up with the changing consumer behaviours and preferences in the market. The industry industry is among the more diverse economic sectors in the contemporary market, which companies in this industry producing different electronic products targeting different segments of consumers and each product having diverse substitutes in the market (Khan et al., 2022; Terlutter and Ninaus, 2022). Therefore, the study of consumer behaviour has enabled most of the companies in the technology industry to develop new products which meet precise needs of the consumers. Innovation and creativity are among the key mediating factors for effective marketing of smartphones and other products in the technology industry, with most of the companies producing mobile devices with relatively similar functionality and features (Santos et al., 2022; Terlutter and Ninaus, 2022). Furthermore, there are some companies which offer their products at relatively low price as a strategy for attracting more consumers (Purohit, Arora and Paul, 2022). Nonetheless, it is important to note that every brand of smartphone often tries to adopt new strategies that would enable them to have a significant control of this market segment.
Problem Statement
Apple Inc. is among the major stakeholders in the technology industry with its products such as computers, tablets, smartphones and software products preferred by most of the consumers around the globe (Heidari-Bafroui et al., 2020). Instead of selling its products, such as iPhone to every consumer in the market, the company targets high-income consumers who prefer luxury products (Biswas et al., 2022). Specifically, Biswas et al. (2022) and Heidari-Bafroui et al. (2020) noted that both iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have a new and effective standard for video and photo capturing approach with a new 48 MP Main camera characterised with larger pixels and sensor, a new front True-Depth camera a photonic engine for effective leap in low-light performance as well as ultra-wide camera which allow its users to capture more events in a single scene. All these innovations have enhanced consumer experience, especially those who intend to take professional quality photos, even under low lighting. However, the telephoto lens of iPhone 14 does not effectively work on low-light mode. As reported by Carrington (2022) and Koenig and Lacey (2021), many consumers have raised concerns that the iPhone 14 camera fails to automatically switch to telephoto lens under indoor light condition but chooses to use digital zoom of standard lens. The automation in camera is very flawed. Therefore, Apple Inc. should redevelop the iPhone 14 camera in order to include dedicated macro only mode allowing for the automated use of more than 6x zoom telephoto lens in low-light or night mode. Such innovation will promote positive consumer experience. Specifically, the iPhone 14 customers who use the phone for taking clear and professional photos and videos of life events.
Research Aim
To assess the impacts of re-innovation the iPhone 14 camera to automatically switch to telephoto lens under low-light or night mode on the consumer behaviours using the 5 stages of the Consumer Behaviour Model.
Findings
In order to understand the potential impacts of re-innovating iPhone 14 camera to include enhanced automated switching to telephoto lens in low-light or night mode, a consumer behaviour model (CBM) developed by Engel, Blackwell and, Kollat (1968) was used. Specifically, the CBM has 5 key stages which describe the sequential changes in the consumer buying decisions which include need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decisions, and post-purchase behaviour. Therefore, it is important to note that the use of this model would allow for the comprehensive understanding of the consumer behaviours in the current iPhone 14 model compared to iPhone 14 model with improved telephoto lens as an alternative. The targeted consumer segment with the proposed product are photography enthusiasts, as the modified iPhone camera will allow them to take photos and videos of objects or scenes far away through the use of telephoto lens at any time of the day.
Need/Problem Recognition
The first step in the buying cycle described in the CBM involves recognition of the need or problem which should be addressed by a specific product or service. Therefore, at this stage, consumers are looking for solutions to resolve the identified state of discomfort, which can be caused by different factors such as competitor gain more advantage in the market or frustrating technology (Cherubino et al., 2019). The iPhone 14 is truly a kind of smartphone that most of the consumers have been waiting for, especially from the Apple Inc. because of its great design, large and smartest display in addition to best cameras (Biswas et al., 2022). Nonetheless, the telephoto lens of this phone model still fails to effectively work in night or low light mode. Therefore, most of the iPhone 14 users are not able to effectively capture key moments which take place in low-light conditions, including at night, using the telephoto lens.
In high-light conditions, such as daytime, iPhone 14 users can use the telephoto lens of the phone’s camera to make objects appear closer to the camera than they really are; a technology which is specifically helpful in a situation where there are physical barriers which limit them from getting close to the object, or in circumstances where it might not be safe to do so, including in wildlife photography (Heidari-Bafroui et al., 2020). However, the iPhone 14 users are not able to effectively use the telephoto lens to capture images or record videos in dark or low-light conditions. Therefore, this is an important re-innovation area that the Apple Inc. should focus on in order to increase satisfaction rates of their customers, especially those that prefer iPhone over other smartphones because of its highly enhanced cameras.
Recognition of limited use of telephoto lens in iPhone 14 in low-light condition as a problem or need to be addressed can be further described using the theory of reasoned action. Specifically, Solomon (2019) reported that the theory of reasoned action provides detailed explanation of the relationship between consumer attitudes and behaviours within their actions. Therefore, this theory can be applied for predicting how the iPhone 14 users will behave based on the pre-existing attitudes towards low efficiency of telephoto lens of this mobile phone in low-light conditions. As reported by Conner (2020), decisions by a consumer to engage in a specific behaviour is specifically influenced by outcomes they expect from the performing behaviours. In the context of the current case study, most of the iPhone 14 users were expecting to experience greater resolution and brighter images and videos through telephoto lens under low-light conditions, a need that has not been fully satisfied by the product.
Information Search
In the CBM by Engel, Blackwell and, Kollat (1968), consumers will search for relevant information regarding the most appropriate ways for fulfilling the previously recognised need or identified problem with the existing product or review. In the context of the present case study, the consumers will then seek additional information about the most appropriate strategies that they can use their iPhone 14 to capture professional and clear images and videos under low-light mode, a need which could not be fully satisfied by the phone’s telephoto lens. According to Terlutter and Ninaus (2022), consumers are likely to be frustrated and become overwhelmed at this stage of buying cycle especially if they are not able to find the right product or solution and unable to make appropriate choice. As reported in the study by Engel, Blackwell and, Kollat (1968) consumers will want to be thorough at this stage of purchasing process about the search and seek out key information about the features of the preferred products and services. Specific to this case study, the iPhone 14 consumers will search for additional information on how to use telephoto lens in low light conditions from different sources such as the iPhone 14 user manual, official website of Apple Inc., including Apple support.
The nature of information searched and reported at this stage will have significant impacts on the consumer’s purchasing decision, where they will either use the existing iPhone 14 camera or go for alternative products with enhanced telephoto lens in low-light conditions. Such changes in consumer behaviours which occur at this stage can be explained using the psychoanalytic theory. With reference to the explanations by Skokov (2022), psychoanalytic theory posits that unconscious psychological forces, including experiences, hidden desires and motives, are likely to influence their behaviours, such as the purchasing patterns. Based on the information consumers will acquire about the telephoto lens of iPhone 14, they will make a decision on whether to use the phone’s camera or alternative cameras to capture images which are far away in low-light condition. Specifically, information acquired by the consumers at this stage of buying cycle will form their experience or motives that will later shape their individual purchasing behaviours. In the modern market, the continuity of existing brands in addition to success of new brands are specifically influenced by the existing consumer preferences (Dibie and Kalu, 2019). Therefore, if the Apple Inc. decides to develop high resolution telephoto lenses which can capture images under low-light conditions, the company will be able to satisfy the needs of its consumers who purchase this smartphone model because of its camera efficiency.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The customers will then evaluate alternatives in order to identify products which are able to satisfy their needs. Specific to the current case study, consumers will evaluate different smartphone with enhanced cameras in order to identify the specific one which they can use for taking clear and professional images in low-light conditions through the use of telephoto lens. According to Solomon (2019), consumers are expected to create a list of criteria which a product should meet in order to address the previous identified need or problem. As the buyer conducts evaluation process, the adopted marketing strategy should outline their needs and interests (Cherubino et al., 2019). This can be done using different approaches such as building of buyer personas in order to understand the common criteria, challenges and objects. Furthermore, Solomon (2019) proposed the need for marketers to segment and target their customers in order to allow for effective persuasion to buy their products. In the context of the current case study, some of the alternatives to the proposed iPhone 14 with modified telephoto lens that the customers can evaluate include other smartphones with enhanced cameras or stand-alone cameras with more enhanced telephoto lens. At this stage, the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory can be used to enable the consumers identify the smartphone with highly effective telephoto lens with the ability of capturing images and videos in low light conditions. With reference to the explanations by Ștefan, Popa and Albu (2020), the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory outlines the five key groups of human needs which influence their behaviours; they include physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Specific to the present study, consumers will be focusing on fulfilling their self-actualisation needs aspect of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.
Purchase Decisions
The fourth stage in the CBM by Engel, Blackwell and, Kollat (1968) involves purchasing decisions made by the consumers. Specifically, the purchasing decisions made by consumers at this stage are influenced by the nature of information their sought and ability of the identified alternative products to satisfy their needs or address the initially identified problem. Consistent with the explanations by Solomon (2019), the fourth stage of CBM is relatively easier than the previous ones as the consumers would have already made up their minds about the type of products that are appropriate for them and able to fulfil their needs. Specific to the case study, the targeted consumers will most likely purchase the proposed iPhone 14 with modified telephoto lens instead of the already existing iPhone 14. Specifically, it is important to note that the photography enthusiasts targeted by the proposed product will prefer iPhone 14 model with enhanced telephoto lens over the already existing model that cannot capture scenes far away in low light condition. The only difference between the existing iPhone 14 model and proposed iPhone 14 model with both low-light and high-light telephoto lens-enabled is the ability of the posed model to capture far-away objects in both low- and high-light conditions. Therefore, purchasing behaviour of consumers at this stage can be effectively described using Hawkins stern impulse buying theory. Specifically, Solomon (2019) noted that the Hawkins stern impulse buying theory postulates that buying impulses among consumers generally fit alongside their rational purchasing decisions. In order to achieve impulse buying among the consumers, there will be need to increase their volumes in different stores and make them easily available to the targeted consumer segment.
Post-Purchase Behaviour
In the CBM, purchasing behaviours of consumers may further be influenced after they had consumed the product, which may lead to re-purchase. In order to ensure that the proposed iPhone 14 with modified telephoto lens are re-purchased by the targeted consumers after their first purchase, such product must fulfil the intended needs of the consumers. The post-purchase behaviours refer to the manner in which a consumer feels, thinks and acts after making a purchase and consuming the product (Cherubino et al., 2019). Marketers should focus on influencing repeat purchase behaviours among consumers without ignoring their feelings and thoughts (Dibie and Kalu, 2019). Specifically, a major problem experienced by iPhone 14 users who are photography enthusiasts is the inability to take photos and videos of objects far-away using the telephoto lens in low-light condition. Therefore, if the proposed product will successfully enable the targeted consumers to use their telephoto lenses in low-light conditions, then they will most likely re-purchase the product in future or recommend others to buy the product. In order to achieve a positive post-purchase behaviour among the targeted consumers, the proposed product will have to address their initially identified problem and fulfil their needs outlined in the first stage of the CBM. At this stage, the theory of buyer behaviour can be used for explaining the post-purchase behaviours among the targeted consumer segment in the current case study. According to Solomon (2019), the theory of buyer behaviour posits that purchasing behaviours among consumers are reliably repetitive in nature and likely to facilitate establishment of similar purchasing routines in future in order to enable the consumers save on time and simply their decision-making process. Therefore, the targeted consumers will most likely repurchase the proposed iPhone 14 product without the need of re-evaluating its telephoto lens efficiency under low-light condition as it would have previously served the intended purpose.
Conclusion
The introduction of iPhone 14 by Apple Inc. has demonstrated the company’s commitment to use innovation and creativity strategies for satisfying the needs of its consumers. Nonetheless, the iPhone 14 camera’s telephoto lens still lacks the ability of capturing images and videos in low-light condition, a factor which has created negative experience among the photography enthusiasts who purchase the iPhone 14 specifically for its camera efficiency allowing for clear and professional images. Therefore, this research focused on assessing the impacts of re-innovation the iPhone 14 camera to automatically switch to telephoto lens under low-light or night mode on the consumer behaviours using the 5 stages of the Consumer Behaviour Model. Conducted analysis revealed that the photography enthusiasts who were specifically targeted with this newly re-innovated iPhone 14 model will most likely re-purchase the product after the first use or recommend other people to buy the product because of its ability to satisfy their needs of capturing far objects in low-light condition using the telephoto lens. The key consumer behaviour theories included in this analysis are theory of reasoned action, psychoanalytic theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Hawkins stern impulse buying theory, and theory of buyer behaviour.
Recommendations
The newly generated knowledge from the conducted analysis can be used by the Apple Inc. to develop subsequent iPhone 14 models with enhanced camera efficiency. From a general perspective, iPhone 14 is among the smartphones with highly advanced camera technology, an innovation that the Apple Inc. has used for attracting and retaining large number of consumers. Therefore, developing iPhone 14 model with enhanced telephoto lens that allows for the capturing of far objects in both low- and high-light conditions will help the company to attract and retain large number of photography enthusiasts.
