PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Half of Galaxy Note 7 users have already or are making plans to escape from their flaming device by switching to an iPhone, an IDC survey has found.
The survey of 1,082 American Note owners was taken four days after Samsung’s decision to cease the device’s production. 50 per cent of participants said they are in the process of replacing the phone with an iPhone with only a damning 17 per cent intending on buying another Samsung phone.
It would appear as well that a minority of people have been trying really hard to avoid the news, as 13 per cent of owners were completely oblivious and had not heard about the recall.
Ramon T. Llamas, research manager, Wearables and Mobile Phones at IDC said: “For the minority of Samsung customers who are unlikely to purchase a Samsung smartphone in the future, the company has to win back consumer trust. Thus far, Samsung has offered monetary incentives, but at the heart of the matter, consumers want to learn the root causes of the problem, and how Samsung intends to fix them."
In spite of the catastrophic recall and subsequent production stop, the research suggests that Samsung’s brand has not been permanently damaged. Anthony Scarsella, Mobile Phones research manager said: "The Note 7 recall along with all its repercussions, represents a significant event in the world of consumer electronics.
"Although the recall may have an adverse impact on the brand in the short term, the truth is that Samsung remains the clear market leader in the worldwide smartphone market. Moving forward, Samsung will need to put the Note 7 to rest as quickly as possible and focus all efforts on producing a stellar Galaxy S8 come next spring. If successful, consumers will quickly forget the Note 7 fiasco if the upcoming S8 can deliver on all fronts."
