Mobile
Posse, a provider of mobile homes screen messaging and consumer analytics, is
hoping the New Mobile Handset Owner Survey it released today will provide some
insight as to how consumers make purchase decisions at wireless retail outlets. 

The
new survey has the benefit of being able to reach consumers within the first 48
hours after they leave the story with their phone. The company is able to reach
out to customers with short satisfaction surveys through an installed home screen
widget.

Greg
Wester, executive vice president of Mobile Posse, says some of the results of
the survey might be surprising. For instance, the more informed a customer is
prior to entering a retail store, the more satisfied they’re likely to be in
the end, he said. 

“Apparently
at least for the new buyer, there are a lot of people walking in
undecided,” Wester said, noting that the undecided buyer results in
significant lack of brand loyalty. 

“Across
close to 50,000 buyers of new phones at three major carriers, more than three
of four consumers switched OEM manufacturer,” he said.

It’s
worth noting that the survey does not include iPhone users.  

The
survey also found that users in the nation’s top 10 markets are more likely to
know what they’re looking for before entering a store than users outside of the
top 10 markets.

Buyers
outside of the nation’s top 10 markets were 12 percent more likely to “have no
idea what phone model they wanted” when going into the store –  47 percent versus 42 percent within the
largest markets. 

Wester
said that this month’s survey is primarily focused on the micro-marketing
challenges faced by the OEMs, adding that future surveys will tackle a variety
of issues that can be probed via the company’s unique position on the handset.  

Mobile
Posse has posted a blog discussing the complete survey results.