In the U.K., a survey was conducted by Informa Telecoms and Media using mystery shoppers to determine which smartphone retailers would recommend the most. The shoppers went to John Lewis, Everything Everywhere, O2, 3, Maplins, PC World, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U and rated manufacturers on things like the displays in the window and in-store promotions. The mystery shopper would ask a sales assistant to recommend three smartphones or tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy S III
While Apple and Samsung devices were equally likely to be promoted in-store or in the window, Samsung was the brand most recommended by sales reps and the Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung GALAXY Note II were the specific models recommended the most by reps. Informa says that it was most "likely that sales assistants see the Samsung devices as a safe bet to earn greater commissions". Of the eight retailers visited by the mystery shoppers, only 3 and Phones 4U recommended the Apple iPhone 5.
Other retailer scored miserably with Motorola getting very few recommendations as well as RIM. Samsung's strong showing could be due to the large number of smartphones it offers while Apple has just the Apple iPhone 5 and its legacy models.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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