Applying analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) to purchase factors of university students for smart phones

Due to the development and progress of technologies, the demand for functions of mobile phones is getting higher and strong. Hence, smart phones become the hot-selling products in the (mobile phone) marketing. In addition, there are various medium-level (or low-level) smart phones with the short product life cycle. Consequently, university students having hi-tech sensibilities are the main target for mobile phones' markers or designers. However, the process is very complicated when a consumer choose or purchase a smart phone. What is the key factor? What are their priorities? And what is the hierarchy among the purchase factors? This study adopts the approach of multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) to answer the research questions mentioned above. Furthermore, in order to clarify the influence of the different assessments for the decision making, two assessments were used in this study, including "pairwise comparisons (relative-judgment)" and "a 7-point scale (absolute-judgment)." In addition, two online questionnaires with two different assessments in sequence (i.e. "first relative-judgment, then absolute-judgment," and "first absolutejudgment, then relative-judgment") are designed to determine whether the time sequence will affect the result of decision making. As such, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) are used to explore the priority of purchase factors for smart phones.