In a recent on-going national study conducted by China Polling, internet users were asked their preferences on mobile phones. With mobile phones, being almost a necessity in modern China, over 99% out of nearly 2000 panelists reported that they own a mobile phone, with over half of them having used mobile phone technology for 5 years or more.

The same study also shows that Nokia is the most popular brand of mobile telephone in China, and also has one of the highest customer loyalty rates, as shown by repeat customers.

Both Siemens and Philips share 5th place in the ranking and are nearly the same in loyalty levels as well.? Looking past Siemens and Philips; Nokia, Motorola and Samsung are the market leaders in terms of users in China, with Nokia taking nearly 10% more of the market than either of Motorola or Samsung branded phones.? Loyalty is defined by users who are planning on purchasing a new mobile phone within the next 6 months and reported that they intend to purchase the same brand of mobile phone.? This definition of loyalty shows a much higher repurchase rate amongst Nokia than the other market leaders.

What is the deciding factor in mobile phone purchases? Our research reveals that the Features, more than anything else are the first thing that consumers look to. The top features which consumers value are Camera capability and memory capabilities. Consumers want higher resolution cameras and flash features for the cameras on their mobile phones. Consumers also desire more memory storage options such as removable SD media which some phones are currently offering.

Nokia is revealed as the brand offering the easiest-to-use SMS capabilities, showing a 63.7% rate over the next easiest-to-use brand, Motorola. Panelists also respond that Nokia makes the phones which they “dream of owning” as well as having the “best”advertising in the market.

Also uncovered was that 40.6% of all users spent approximately 1000-2000 RMB on their current phones. However, of these, 32.5% of these are planning to upgrade to the 2000-3000 range when they make their next purchase. This is showing an upward trend in market access and disposable income allowing consumers to purchase higher end phones with more features and quality.

As an interesting mention, before this survey, there had been virtually no information given on participation rates in last year’s popular Super Girl show, a Chinese television show in a similar format to American Idol, in which viewers at home are invited to cast their votes via mobile phone from home. Our study has shown that participation rates were 17.9% for all panelists who participated in the study. Of these, Nokia owners came in first, comprising 34.2% of the voters, while Motorola comes in second, reporting a 22.7% participation rate in the Super Girl voting.