The Impact of Zero Moment of Truth (Zmot) on Smartphone Buying Decision

Abstract

With the advent of the Internet, consumer buying process has changed dramatically. Consumer’s buying habits are influenced by digital medium to a large extent. Online peer reviews, which are also known as Zero Moment of Truth (ZMoT) play a significant role in deciding whether to buy or not buy from a particular brand. This study investigates the consumer buying decision process in smartphone purchase decision. Triggered by stimulus, ZMoT and the subsequent stages are analyzed to find out relative importance of each stage in consumer buying decision in now always-connected digitized world. The survey was conducted against 241 Turkish smartphone owners residing in Istanbul, who have made a purchase in the last six months. An analysis is made to assess the relative importance of each stage in the buying process according to different demographic factors. The results indicate the key role of ZMoT among all stages in consumer buying process. The results also demonstrate ZMoT is more influential in some of the demographic factors.