世論 What Japan Thinks

Mobile Marketing Data Laboratory recently continued their look at feature phone users, a follow-up to an earlier report on the first half of that survey that I translated here.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 24th of June 2013 992 members of the MMD monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. All of them currently used a feature phone, and 331 were with docomo, 330 with au, and 331 with SoftBank as their mobile carrier. Their ages were between 15 and 69.

Note that this survey is a continuation of the previously-mentioned survey, and starts with the 204 people who answered in Q1 that they had plans to buy a smartphone sometime in the future.

Research results

Q1: Which smartphone are you looking into, interested in? (Sample size=204, those with smartphone upgrade plans, multiple answer)

Apple iPhone (to SQs)	56.4%
Sharp Aquos Phone (to SQs)	24.5%
Samsung Galaxy (to SQs)	23.0%
Sony Xperia (to SQs)	21.6%
Fujitsu Arrows (to SQs)	15.2%
Toshiba Regza Phone (to SQs)	13.2%
Raku-Raku (elderly-targetted) Smartphone (to SQs)	6.4%
Windows Phone (to SQs)	6.4%
Simple Smartphone (to SQs)	4.9%
NEC/Casio Medias (to SQs)	3.4%
Other (to SQs)	17.6%
Don’t know	9.3%
Not looking into, not interested in any	7.4%

By carrier, two-thirds of SoftBank users were looking at the iPhone, versus just 43.9% of the docomo users. Almost all other phones were most popular with docomo users, with one stand-out being 10.6% of them being interested in a Windows Phone-based handset, despite docomo not, as far as I am aware, carrying such a phone.

Q1SQ1: Do you plan to switch carriers when you buy a smartphone? (Sample size=170)

Yes	24.1%
No	75.9%

Q1SQ2: When buying a smartphone, how important are the following? (Sample size=170)

Signal strength

Important	45.9%
Somewhat important	32.4%
Can’t say	19.4%
Not very important	1.2%
Not important at all	1.2%

Breadth of talk service area

Important	43.5%
Somewhat important	35.9%
Can’t say	17.1%
Not very important	2.4%
Not important at all	1.2%

Cheapness of handset

Important	50.6%
Somewhat important	34.7%
Can’t say	12.4%
Not very important	1.2%
Not important at all	1.2%

Cheapness of monthly fees

Important	59.2%
Somewhat important	27.6%
Can’t say	10.6%
Not very important	1.2%
Not important at all	1.2%

Ease of understanding pricing plans

Important	45.3%
Somewhat important	35.3%
Can’t say	17.1%
Not very important	1.8%
Not important at all	0.6%

Service provider

Important	28.2%
Somewhat important	44.1%
Can’t say	25.9%
Not very important	0.6%
Not important at all	1.2%

Sufficiency of after-care service

Important	27.1%
Somewhat important	44.7%
Can’t say	24.7%
Not very important	2.4%
Not important at all	1.2%