University of Seville: Research shows that consumers value appearance the most when buying a mobile phone

Researchers from the University of Seville and the Catholic University of Northern Chile surveyed about 390 Brazilians and Chileans to find out their attitudes towards buying a smartphone. About 76% said they used a phone with an Android operating system, while slightly more than 21% used an iPhone with an iOS operating system. Afterwards, the researchers asked the participants to rank factors such as the look, color, shape, design or feel of the phone. They were asked to rate it on a 5-point scale between "strongly disagree" and "strongly agree." The researchers found that among these choices, the shape of the smartphone was the most influential aesthetic element.

Following the principle of aesthetics, consumers cite technical features and functionality as other factors that influence their purchasing decisions. It seems that there are more factors at work behind consumers' attachment to aesthetics. The researchers analyzed previous studies on how design and aesthetics influence smartphone purchases.

"The more attractive the image and design of a phone, the stronger the emotional relationship consumers have with the product, which has a clear impact on their purchasing decisions," the University of Seville said in a statement. "So it doesn't matter if the phone is a status symbol, because people value the design of the phone and how it feels in their hands more."

The researchers from the University of Seville said they found that the social value or colour of a phone was less important to consumers. Instead, the shape of the phone seemed to be more important. The design of a phone was the main indicator of whether consumers thought it could be used in daily life.

On the other hand, the analysis showed that the shape of the smartphone is the most aesthetically influential factor in the purchase intention. Therefore, the mobile phone manufacturers proposed to design advertisements based on the appearance as the most relevant feature at present, in the Brazilian and Chilean markets. At the same time, smartphone manufacturers have been experimenting with new forms and designs of new models in their latest models.

The general sentiment around smartphones these days is that bigger is better. But that could soon change as more manufacturers introduce designs like foldables and curved screens.