Mobile Posse has released the latest results from its New Mobile Handset Owner Survey, an ongoing survey of new mobile handset owners in the US. The initial results focused on the importance of lifecycle management, in particular its potential impact on the consumer just prior to purchase. 

The New Mobile Handset Owner Survey provides access to handset buyers within 48 hours of new device activation. More than 50,000 buyers have been surveyed since December 2011, representing more than 100 devices, including smartphones and feature phones, across 10 different device makers, though not including Apple.

The results reveal that there is little brand loyalty when upgrading phones. Across close to 50,000 buyers of new phones at three major carriers, more than three of four consumers switched OEM manufacturer. This figure, says Mobile Posse, points to the tremendous challenge facing OEMs. The barriers to switching OEM are dropping, the options are increasing, and individual consumer segments behave slightly differently. To shore up share, the analyst says, OEMs need a solution that can address their biggest market segment: their current customer.

The research also revealed that consumers 35 years of age or younger are 20 per cent more likely than those older than 35 to know the specific model device they’d like to buy.  Women are more likely to be swayed in-store than men, and are 15 per cent less likely to know the specific model they want to buy. There are more findings from the research here.

Mobile Posse has also launched a New Handset Owner Omnibus Program where brands can add their own questions to the surveys answered by new handset owners. Questions can be designed and tailored for specific areas of interest in areas such as purchase intent, device satisfaction, post-purchase follow up, psychographic or demographic influences.

Built on Mobile Posse’s active home screen platform, the New Mobile Handset Owner Research Program enables carriers and device makers to recruit mobile subscribers through mobile home screen interactive messages and surveys. Panelists are recruited by a message that appears on the home screen with 48 hours of ownership. The panelist can then be served an interactive survey that has been sent to the device. 

The New Handset Owner Panel recruits new members on a daily basis. The panel profile data released today was conducted with new panelists recruited between December 2011 and May 2012.