Fuzzy Simple Additive Weighting Based, Decision Support System Application for Alternative Confusion Reduction Strategy in Smartphone Purchases

Abstract

Consumer confusion is a phenomena when the consumer experiencing several confusion problems when she/he should to purchase products/services. Usually, consumer will do a strategy to coping the confusion, that strategy is known as Confusion Reduction Strategy. The conventional ways usually taken by the consumer to reduce the confusion are, such as: Asking for product recommendation to close relatives, seeking for an additional product information on the internet and so on. However, suggestions and recommendations from conventional sources obtained by the consumer, sometimes are not always accurate (not objective) and time consuming (inefficient). Therefore, this research proposes a Decision Support System (DSS) application to cope with the confusion. In this study, the comparison results between conventional methods (such as: Asking advice to close relatives or seeking for an additional information on the internet) with the proposed method (the DSS) were presented. In addition, another implication of this study is to get the factors that causing consumer confusion in case of smartphone purchases. This research used mixed-method approach, implemented through interview and survey. Research samples were 136 potential smartphone buyers which are converted to 27 smartphone buyers; brand image is the main source of consumer confusion (mean 3.98, std. dev 0.86), followed by proliferation of brands, services and models of smartphone products (mean 3.89, std. dev 0.82). Respondents often use Word of Mouth (WoM) communication as main source of information to reduce the confusion, results of 16 from 27 transactions were contributed from WoM. DSS application contributed only 2 of 27 smartphone transactions. Further research for the development of mobile based DSS application as an alternative conventional CRS needs to be conducted, because of the potential success of static desktop based DSS application in reducing potential consumer confusion especially for value oriented buyers.

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