Samsung’s growing market share has been helped by the quick adoption of smartphones by Dutch consumers. Half the respondents in the survey said they had a smartphone. Among Samsung customers, half use a smartphone, up from 30 percent in Q1 2011. Nokia had a much smaller percentage of smartphone users, with 68 percent of its customers still using a ‘normal’ mobile phone.
The report also found that young people are more likely to choose a Blackberry, while Nokia users tend to be older. Apple, Blackberry and HTC had the wealthiest customers, and owners of these handset brands also spend the most on their monthly mobile bills. Almost half of iPhone users are customers at T-Mobile, although Vodafone and KPN’s share of iPhone users is growing.
Consumers were more likely to go to a shop to buy their mobile than buy online in Q3 2011. This was not the case a half year ago. The share of mobile connections sold in shops is increasing mainly due to a higher percentage of postpaid packages sold in shops. Monthly costs are still the most important reason why Dutch consumers choose a specific provider. More than half of the postpaid users indicate this as the most important reason to choose a specific provider, while 28 percent of prepaid users named this an important reason. The handset brand is the most important reason for Apple and Blackberry users to choose a specific connection.
The report gives detailed information on the demographics of consumers, their sales channels, reasons for selecting a provider, average spending, most used services and use of bundles in addition to the current subscription. The report is available for purchase in two different editions, focusing either on the mobile service providers or the major handset brands.
