The company that I selected for my final research brief is Apple Inc. I chose Apple Inc. as they are one of the leading tech companies that have not only disrupted but revolutionized the innovative space. Apple has built a digital ecosystem that integrates almost everything they have created from tracking your belongings with Air Tags to wireless gadget accessories for almost all of their hardware product offerings including software and applications. Apple has built a very strong and globally recognized brand where simply looking at their logo you know as the customer that whatever they make is simple, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing. Apple not only makes your look good but also is designed with making the user’s life that much more streamlined.

Figure 2: Apple Logo

It would almost be easier to name off what Apple has not touched or created than to mention everything they have built for themselves over the years since their inception which is why I recommend that Apple launches a stylus for their iPhone devices unlike any other stylus that is universal or built into the device like that of the Samsung Note/Ultra series. Apple created the Apple pencil Gen 1 and Gen 2 and there are apps like ProCreate where it customizes the type of brush, pen or pencil tip also the plethora of the colour palette as customizable options for when writing with the Apple Pencil. Something like the Stylus on Point by Apple for their cellular devices will disrupt the market for the better.

This is why, Market Research is crucial in validating the need for the Stylus Pencil for iPhones and gauging it’s success in the saturated digital tech accessories market.

I will be focusing on two primary aspects of the market research:

1. Research Objective
2. Research Design

The research objective will help me in assessing the demand for a stylus pencil for iPhone edition. It will also help me understand the iPhone user experience and what features and design preferences will be most preferences to enhance their iPhone user experience. Research market will also grant me insight on how to price our product competitively based off the value it will bring to the market for Apple iPhone users and in contrast to some of our biggest competitors like Samsung.

The design I had in mind when approaching the market research is through the mix-method of primary and secondary quantitative and qualitative data.

• Primary Quantitative Research and Primary Qualitative Research

• Secondary Quantitative Research and Primary Qualitative Research

Having this comprehensive mix will grant both current and historical data which will help a grand picture to understand what the numbers are telling. Primary research understands what is currently trending and secondary research provides us with what’s worked in the past. Past behaviours are also excellent indicators of future behaviours.

This is what I had in mind:

Primary Research:

1. Quantitative: survey blast through different marketing channels like email and social media can help me understand whether Apple’s users should be segmented by profession and age and tailor the survey with personalized and interactive questions to determine the demand for the stylus pencil for iphones, what features and benefits would be important to the user as well as price point and intent to purchase.
2. Qualitative: Interviewing those who expressed high interest and low interest in the stylus Apple pencil to determine everything posed in the primary quantitative research. Whereas a focus groups would be designed with techfluencers, CEOs, and large B2C and B2B accounts to understand what is important to them regarding the Apple pencil usability, features and integration with the hardware, software and existing applications.

Secondary Research:

1. Quantitative: Since I want to grasp a full understanding of the size of the stylus market, the trends in sales over the years and how much of share do my competitors like Samsung capture of the market I will be referring to industry reports, sales reports and market trends.
2. Qualitative: Since I want to understand the user’s perceptions of the stylus for the iPhone and consider the pros and cons I will be researching product reviews left in the comment box, blogs, tech articles.

Any product that comes to market will receive a mix of reviews of positives and negatives. Some of the issues that may arise when launching the Apple Stylus for iPhones will be technical issues or bugs, compatibility, the user’s perception and whether it would fit the market as it stands. All of these can be addressed head on with a thorough and well executed market research brief.

References

Figure 1 Buy Apple Pencil (2nd generation). Apple. (n.d.). https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MU8F2AM/A/apple-pencil-2nd-generation?fnode=4a7b2e3743f527b63963bb7117f6dde84ce256d5c228c3ee1762247ac22740d51a67166f7a9e28270942919f20dc3d48f7733b04d709adf898ebdf82e73363e4e206e9f0284ede929227ae55fb9c31c67605eaa6d0ca5db7e61e8a2a82a51dec

Figure 2 Kyamko, M. (2023, September 19). The Apple logo: History, meaning, design influences, and evolution. crowdspring Blog. https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/apple-logo/