University Undergraduates Lifestyle Patterns as Factors in the Purchase of Smart Phones

Abstract

This study attempted to identify consumer lifestyles categories on the basis of psychographics measures with university undergraduates and the ownership and purchase of smartphones in Nigeria. The study was conducted on 380 undergraduate students of two renowned universities in Nigeria, a private and a public university. Factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded seven factors namely; Informatics or Information Access/Sharing, Status Symbol-Oriented, Scholarlees/Acada or Academic Oriented, Palees/Peer Group Pressure Oriented, Fashionability/Sociability/Current, Techno-Savvy, and Entertainment/Sports/Infotaiment. Lifestyles measures using T-Test Anova showed significant impact in terms of gender classifications and programme levels but no divergence in the interrelatedness of the lifestyle factors. The factors illuminated the undergraduate consumer population psychographic and demographic elements. The study therefore suggested that these factors are critical and salient as the basis for the formulation and implementation of marketing strategies in the sale of products or services