Apple iPhone Market Research: Strategy and Customer Satisfaction
This paper analyzes the market research process as applied to Apple Inc. and its flagship iPhone product. It traces Apple's transition from a company historically resistant to formal market research toward a data-driven approach centered on monthly consumer surveys and demographic analysis. The paper identifies Apple's two primary markets — the United States and China — and profiles the iPhone's core customer base by age, income, education, and digital behavior. It also examines competitor dynamics, particularly Samsung's Galaxy series, and concludes with recommendations for shifting from demographic-focused surveys to broader customer satisfaction questionnaires in order to sustain Apple's dominant smartphone market share.
- Introduction to Market Research and Apple Inc.: Defines market research and Apple's need for it
- Apple's Market Research Process and iPhone Performance: Monthly surveys, iPhone 6 sales data, and China demand
- Organization: The iPhone's Origins and Innovation: iPhone's invention, multitouch design, and screen size evolution
- Market: China and the United States: Revenue figures and market share in key regions
- Customer Base: Demographics, income, education, and digital habits of iPhone users
- Recommendations: Shifting to customer satisfaction surveys for strategic improvement
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds its analysis in concrete sales data, such as the iPhone's ten consecutive months as the top-selling smartphone and Apple's $46 billion in Greater China revenue, lending credibility to its claims.
- It moves logically from defining the market research process to applying each step specifically to Apple, keeping the argument applied and practical rather than purely theoretical.
- The recommendations section directly extends the paper's analysis, proposing a shift from demographic surveys to customer satisfaction questionnaires in a way that follows naturally from the evidence presented.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied case study reasoning: it introduces a general framework (the market research process), anchors it in published sources such as Kotler (2013), and then systematically maps each stage of that framework onto a real company and product. This shows readers how to use conceptual models as analytical lenses rather than as ends in themselves.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a definition of market research and Apple's relationship to it, then narrows to iPhone-specific performance data. Subsequent sections address organizational history and innovation, geographic market analysis (China and the U.S.), customer demographics, and finally actionable recommendations. This funnel structure — from broad concept to specific strategic advice — is well suited to a business analysis paper at the undergraduate level.
Introduction to Market Research and Apple Inc.
The market research process is a way for a business to understand a problem, determine a research design, prepare and design research instruments, sample and collect data, and then communicate and visualize results. It is a clear method for planning, collecting, and analyzing data for the assessment of product quality and customer satisfaction. Apple Inc. is a company that has long been perceived as one that does not perform market research; however, it has been revealed in recent times that the company does submit to the need for market research in order to increase customer satisfaction for its most popular product, the iPhone. Market research enables the effective undertaking of marketing activities and assists a business in handling market demand, changes in technology and consumer tastes, and changes in competitors' product ranges.
Competitors like Samsung have continued to release phones such as the Samsung Galaxy series in order to pull customers away from Apple. While Apple Inc. reigns supreme in the smartphone market, the company needs to continue performing market research in order to stay ahead of its competitors year after year. One of the main purposes of market research is to help forecast future trends, which is critical because future trends dictate consumer buying patterns. There are various kinds of market research, and each relates to a specific business marketing decision.
Target markets require the type of research that deals with purchase behavior, website traffic, and customer satisfaction (Kotler, 2013). Pricing requires optimal price setting, price elasticity analysis, and discount options. Because Apple requires market research to help with customer satisfaction, the marketing decision most connected to its type of research is target markets. Researching target markets reduces risk and uncertainty, and helps create, refine, and assess potential marketing actions. By taking the first step and defining the problem, Apple Inc. is recognizing and identifying a core problem and opportunity: how to provide a better overall consumer experience so that customers will continue to buy iPhones rather than switch to competitors.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus assumed the position of best-selling smartphone for ten consecutive months, claiming the top spot in the United States, China, and the international market. While 2015 brought a slowdown beginning in March and April, market research suggests the iPhone 6 retained its position as the international best-seller through May and June. Its main rival, the Samsung Galaxy S6, lost momentum quickly as sales dropped steadily. Overall, there is a consistent pattern of the iPhone topping sales lists during the first and fourth quarters of each year, with the Galaxy S topping the second and third quarters respectively. However, since September 2014, the list remained fronted by Apple and the iPhone for many consecutive months.
References
CNBC. (2015). Apple's iPhone 6s selling like hotcakes...in China. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from
Kotler, P. (2013). Marketing management. Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
Ritchie, R. (2015). History of iPhone: Apple reinvents the phone. iMore. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from http://www.imore.com/history-iPhone-original
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