Consumer perception is customers' opinions about the product resulting from their feelings and beliefs about it or the brand. These opinions play an essential role in building brand loyalty and customer retention. In addition, these opinions increase the product's perceived value, making it easier to predict higher pricing and sell more of it (Lee, Kebede, Lusk, Mirosa & Oey, 2017).
Consumer Perception of iPhone
According to (Wu & Ho, 2014), the perceived value of the iPhone is higher than other mobile phones of companies working in the same field; one of the reasons why people are more attached to the iPhone is the halo drawn around it, which has been built over the years to be seen as a mobile that means quality, efficiency, and unique design. Also, Apple updates itself every year through a package of improvements for the iPhone to maintain its speed and the quality of its user experience. Android phones can be purchased from other companies with the exact specifications of the iPhone or with higher specifications but at a low price. This is because the perceived value of the iPhone is higher than that of other phones as it lasts longer than other phones.
Paying a higher price for an iPhone
According to (Lumba, 2019), there is a discrepancy between iPhone and Android users in the amount each group is willing to pay. According to this study, the sample on which the research was conducted showed that 58% of iPhone users are willing to pay $600 for a new device, 44% will pay $800, and the rest will pay $1,000 or more. On the other hand, 53% of Android users are willing to pay $200 for a modern Android device, and 12% are willing to pay $1,000. This means that iPhone users are willing to pay more than others.
A significant effort to obtain an iPhone
Until 2019, there was a phenomenon of waiting in lines to buy the new version of the iPhone. In 2017, the BBC interviewed clients who camped at some iPhone outlets for two days to reserve their places in the queue. After the Covid pandemic, this has become a rare occurrence, especially with the possibility of pre-booking via the Internet, e-commerce, and shipping iPhones to their homes (Liang, 2019).
Current Strategies
Apple has adopted several massive strategies to maintain its competitive edge in the market, beginning with the series of advertisements for the iPhone before its release and the press conference to announce it, which gained much more significant momentum than all competing Android devices (Mroz, 2016). You also find Apple's relationship with Hollywood, which shows the rich in movies as iPhone users. One strategy is to distinguish users from multiple options, as in other companies, you will find that a series of phones sold cheaply has the same capabilities as the target device. We see this in Samsung in the difference between the cheap "A" models and the expensive "S" models.
Suggested Strategies
Apple usually does not target the audience seeking cheap devices, but if it adopts a new policy, it will introduce several products to target this audience. It will achieve more excellent sales among this audience. Apple did this in the iPhone "C" series, but this version was not taken care of and developed until it became extinct, and no replacement was made for it.
Conclusion
The customer's perceived value of a particular product is associated with the physical and emotional benefit that the product provides to him/her; therefore, if the customer believes the product has a high value, he/she will pay more to obtain it, and upon receiving it, he/she will feel distinguished from others who have purchased another product.
References
Lee, P. Y., Kebede, B. T., Lusk, K., Mirosa, M., & Oey, I. (2017). Investigating consumers' perception of apple juice as affected by novel and conventional processing technologies. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 52(12), 2564-2571.
Liang, C. C. (2019). Enjoyable queuing and waiting time. Time & Society, 28(2), 543-566.
Lumba, M. G. (2019). Peran Brand Love Terhadap Brand Loyalty Dan Willingness To Pay Premium Price Pada Pembeli Iphone Di Surabaya. Agora, 7(1).
Mroz, R. (2016). AppMarketing für iPhone und Android: Planung, Konzeption, Vermarktung von Apps im Mobile Business. MITP-Verlags GmbH & Co. KG.
Wu, S. I., & Ho, L. P. (2014). The influence of perceived innovation and brand awareness on purchase intention of innovative product—an example of iPhone. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 11(04), 1450026.