A new study conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has revealed that Android users have more loyalty to the brand when compared to Apple iOS customers. The study report also indicated that the loyalty of Android users has been rising since 2016, and now it has touched an all-time high.
In order to measure the loyalty index, researchers checked the percentage of users who stood with their previous operating system after they upgraded their smartphone in 2016. Interestingly, 91 percent of the users stayed back with Android, while 86 percent decided to continue with iOS.
Why Android has an upper hand in International market?
Josh Lewitz, co-founder of CIRP said that it is the availability of different brands of smartphones in Android platform which makes it the most popular operating system now.
"Android user loyalty now slightly exceeds that of iOS users. Over time, Android loyalty gradually increased, as it achieved parity in the availability of apps, music and video, and as the user experience on the two platforms become more similar. Android users also benefit from a wide range of phones from different manufacturers, so they can switch hardware without learning a new operating system," said Josh Lowitz.
In 2013, iOS users were more loyal to their brand when compared to Android. But in 2016, things were changed drastically, as Android users marked a loyalty percent on 89, while iOS royalty was just 85.
Customers are stuck up with just two options
Loyalty to both Android and iOS increased in 2015 and into 2016 but it levelled off for both operating systems. Since there are only two mobile operating systems, users pick one, learn it, invest in downloading apps and storage, and prefer to stick with it for long, explained Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP.
Levin also made it clear that users are now compelled to switch between Android and iOS as these are the only two operating system options available now.
CIRP based its findings on quarterly surveys conducted with a sample of 500 users in each,
from March 2013 to December 2017, whenever the users activated a new phone in each of the quarters surveyed.
