Mystery shopper research conducted in the run up to Christmas reveals that leading UK retailers are more likely to recommend Samsung products than Apple devices.
The study, conducted by Informa Telecoms and Media in December, found that Samsung edges Apple as the brand retailers are most likely to promote to customers, while other big names including Motorola, LG and RIM barely feature on the high street.
Informa visited eight retailers - a department store, three mobile operator outlets, two mobile phone retailers, and a pair of dedicated consumer electronics stores – to assess whether vendors’ displays and posters increased the chances of sales assistants pointing to a particular brand.
Julian Jest, research analyst at the firm, explains the mystery shop found Samsung’s Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II were the most heavily promoted, “despite having been on the market longer than the latest handsets from Apple, Nokia and HTC.”
However, Jest says the biggest surprise was that only two stores recommended an Apple device, even though the firm had an “in store advertising campaign and recent product launch,” in its corner.