Style conscious consumers put the mobile’s look, compactness and multimedia ability at the top whilst the all essential battery life still comes top of the whinge list.
Chris Winstanley, spokesman for Reevoo.com, commented: “It was surprising that the most popular responses had nothing to do with a phone’s features, but more on the look and size. We are seeing eye catching phones such as the LG Chocolate and designer handsets from the likes of Prada and Ted Baker serving this market. But slim and sexy handsets with all the trimmings come with a few sacrifices, because they don’t have the battery life of larger models and their small size tends to make them harder to use.”
He continued: “People are using their phones like miniature entertainment centres and are demanding better mobile functionality, while not losing sleekness. The challenge for consumers is to find a balance between the functions they need and the performance they want from their phones.
Winstanley added that consumers are spoilt for choice when purchasing a mobile phone and their expectations are growing. “With the credit crunch, consumers want to feel confident that they are spending money wisely. Most people rely on recommendations when buying a new mobile phone as it’s difficult to have confidence without testing it out or talking to people who own them. This is where genuine reviews can really help consumers’ confidence prior to making a purchase.”
Reevoo is now working with a number of major manufacturers to use such findings to help R&D departments to develop future products.
“Our goal is to help insert confidence in the product lifecycle. By surveying genuine reviewers, we are able to identify where next generation products can be improved,” said Winstanley.