Global: How likely are consumers to purchase a cell phone in the next 12 months?

Knowing what consumers want will not only allow retailers to plan ahead but also help them create a smooth shopping experience for all customers. Data from YouGov’s newest tool, Global Profiles, reveals the products consumers are most likely to say they intend to purchase in the next 12 months. Global Profiles tracks consumer thoughts, feelings, behaviours and habits, and monitors global trends and media consumption across 43 markets.

In this piece, we’re selecting 28 countries from all the markets surveyed in Global Profiles. From TVs, computers andhome appliances to furniture, baby products and cell phones, consumers were asked which products they intend to purchase in the next 12 months. Data indicates that retailers should stock up on cell phones as the highest share of consumers picked this category as the product they are most interested in purchasing (37%).

Individually, Indonesia and South Africa (55% each) top the list, with more than half of consumers expressing an intention to buy a mobile phone. These two countries are followed by the Philippines (52%). Slightly fewer consumers in the rest of the Asian markets have the same intention. Indians (48%) and Malaysians (43%) are more likely than the global audience to look for new phones. Chinese consumers (37%) are on par with the wider global trend. The number is slightly lower in other Asian countries - Singaporeans sits at 35%, while Japan brings up the rear among Asian countries (18%).

Britons (16%) are the least likely of the 28 countries surveyed to say they intend to buy a new cell phone. France (20%) and Germany (19%) register roughly two in ten consumers who say the same. Other European markets – Italy (28%), Poland (31%), Spain (32%) and Portugal (34%) – register around a third of consumers declaring an intent to buy a mobile phone. Greeks (41%) announce a slightly higher intent than other Europeans.

Nearly a quarter of Australian consumers (23%) say they intend to purchase a new cell phone in the next 12 months. A similar share of Canadians (23%) and Americans (22%) also have similar intentions. However, Mexicans (35%) are more likely than their neighbours to indicate that they are looking to purchase a new mobile device in the next 12 months.

A consumer’s purchase journey for the next 12 months will also enable retailers to provide good customer service. Breaking down the data further reveals that globally there’s a significant deviation in intention between men (40%) and women (34%) in terms of purchasing a cell phone in the next 12 months.

Breaking down the data by age, consumers in the age groups of 35-44 (42%) and 45-54 (41%) are most likely to say they intend to purchase a mobile device. Over a third of 18-24-year-old consumers (36%) also have similar intentions. However, they register a lower share compared to other groups, second to only those over 55 who sit at 28%.

Receive monthly topical insights about the telco industry, straight to your inbox. Sign up today.

Discover more telco content here

Want to run your own research? Start building a survey now

Methodology: YouGov Global Profiles is a globally consistent audience dataset with 1000+ questions across 43 markets. The data is based on continuously collected data from adults aged 16+ in China and 18 and over in other markets. The sample sizes for YouGov Global Profiles will fluctuate over time, however the minimum sample size is always c.1000. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from India and UAE, which use urban representative samples, and China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, which use online representative samples. Learn more about Global Profiles.