Consumer Perception and Attitude on Mobile Phone Market in Tanzania

Over the past era expansions in telecommunication technology have created opportunities for new and interactive electronic marketing channels, such as the mobile phone. In particular, the omnipresent and personal nature of this device suggests strong potential for its use as an advertising and direct marketing platform. Despite of several concerns surround the use of this device for marketing purposes, and as such, consumer acceptance of mobile phones as an electronic marketing medium remains relatively low. This study explores Tanzania consumers’ perceptions of mobile phone marketing, defined here as an electronic marketing innovation. From the theory of Innovation attribute of Rogers (1995), this research study makes an important contribution of understanding how consumer perceptions of the attributes related with this innovation affect their acceptance of mobile phone marketing operations. In the research, three attributes were tested: relative advantage, compatibility and complexity. Statistical analysis using a multiple hierarchical regression model discovered that consumers’ perceptions of compatibility and relative advantage were considerably associated with their perceptions of mobile phone marketing. The identification of compatibility as the key driver of acceptance supports previous research which identified control, delivery of message, permission and privacy, as vital drivers of mobile phone marketing acceptance. However, consumers’ perceptions of the complexity related with mobile phones had a positive rather than negative relationship with their acceptance of this marketing strategy