Research and Markets new report on “Fashion and Style in the Mobile Handset Industry” has found that in developed mobile markets, consumers are becoming more sophisticated in their selection of handset and this is driving a market for stylish and fashionable mobile phones. In this research report, it shows that there will be sufficient consumer demand to support the sale of 23 million fashion handsets by 2010.
A fashion handset is one where the consumer’s purchase decision is based primarily on the aesthetics of the device and the primary conduit for fashion and style into the handset market today are the handset vendors themselves. In an age of standardized handset platforms, it is increasingly difficult for Tier One vendors to differentiate their products by simply adding enhanced technology features. For the consumer faced with a range of seemingly identical devices from a technical perspective, the aesthetics of a device can generate an emotional response to which they will ascribe a value and for which they will pay a premium.
The report examines the fashion and style strategies employed by the major handset vendors in the market today. These strategies fall into four groups, consisting of the incorporation of fashion and styling elements across a handset portfolio; co-branding collaborations with fashion brands; formation of a handset sub-portfolio geared specifically at the fashion and style conscious market; and the establishment of independent, fashion focused handset subsidiaries. Nokia is the only vendor adopting all four strategies, while Sony Ericsson employs just one.
