The effect of Malaysian teenagers' ethnicities, influence strategies and family purchase decisions of mobile phones

Purpose – This paper aims to diagnose the differences among the Malaysian teenagers' ethnicities, influence strategies and family purchase decisions of mobile phones. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 700 questionnaires were distributed to respondents aged 13 to 17 years in private secondary schools in Malaysia to analyze their influence in family purchase decisions. At the end of the paper, the research and practical implications are discussed and opportunities for future research are provided. Findings – Malaysian teenagers' ethnicities have no significant differences on family purchase decision and bargaining strategies. However, there is a significant difference between teenagers' ethnicity and persuasion strategies. Research limitations/implications – Results are limited to the use of survey method that focuses on individual unit of analysis (i.e. teenagers) in private secondary schools only. This may limit the generalization of the study. Practical implications – Marketers should consider using a marketing mix based on ethnic segmentation, especially when marketing mobile telecommunication products to Malaysian teenagers. Originality/value – This paper shows that even though the influence of teenagers in family purchase decision has occurred for decades, very little attention has been given to understanding the behavior of the teen market in the context of a developing country, i.e. Malaysia. This paper attempts to provide new insights in understanding teenagers' behavior by examining the influence of Malaysian teenagers towards their family purchase decisions.