A STUDY ON THE PERCEPTION OF PHOTO GALLERY

APPS PRESENT IN THE MARKET

Live Project Report submitted to Vodafone Group Consumer Services in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Business Administration
By

ANINDYA BISWAS
REGISTER NUMBER
1527605
Under the Guidance of

PROF. SURESH A. S.

Institute of Management
Christ University, Bangalore
January, 2016

Executive Summary
The digital age that we are into has the ability to change how people make use of internet and
smartphones today. The proliferation of camera phones has changed the way our users take,
store & view pictures. Selfies and WhatsApp memes are now a part of our everyday lives.
This is a market research for photo gallery application by Vodafone, to understand how
people use their mobile phones to take, store and view pictures.
The main purpose of the project was to find out how the target segment provided by
Vodafone behaved while taking photos and what they do with them afterwards. Vodafone also
has invented a creative app that auto-classifies pictures into predetermined folders as they are
being clicked. Vodafone also wants to see whether the app would be a feasible feature for
mobile only users.

Introduction
In todays world where the products are not purchased, used and evaluated on the basis of
their main usage criteria; the mobile phone which is the main medium of communication
between two individuals is no different. Phones today are not purchased because they might
provide ease of communication but rather on the basis of what additional features that they
are providing such as the resolution of the front camera, how stylish and sleek they look etc.
As such taking photos through the phone is a common thing today. However, one most
important thing is today that strikes today what people do after clicking the photos? We
click numerous photos, numerous selfies, groupfies and what not, but where do we store it?
Storage and management of these photos has become a huge issue and as such sometimes we
have to delete some photos in the process of which we might delete photos which might have
been useful to us.
Vodafone has recognized this potential need in the market and has come up with its own
photo gallery app which also comes with an auto classification feature of its own. This report
is dedicated to finding out the consumers perception towards the existing photo gallery apps
in the market as well as their reaction towards a priced app with similar features like the
Vodafone Photo Gallery App.

Objectives of the Report

The primary objectives of this report was:
1. To understand the process in which photos are clicked, edited and used by people
2. To understand the factors that influence the customers perception towards a gallery
app and understand the perception towards existing gallery apps available in the
market
3. To understand how customers are currently managing their database of photos and if
they are facing any problems while managing their photos
4. To demonstrate the Vodafone gallery app to the identified customers and to seek their
understanding and perceptions towards the same with a special focus on the auto
classification feature of the app
5. To understand the willingness of the potential customer to buy this app and the
amount they are willing to spend on the same.

Research Methodology
The target segment for the purpose of this live project are the people who are having a
constant touch with mobile apps and are of the lower income category such as logistics
drivers, security guards, delivery boys, maids.
For the purpose of the research 10 correspondents were chosen from two the above
mentioned customer segments logistics drivers and household help. The method for the
collection of data was the random sampling method which was then taken into Excel and
analyzed to gain an insight about consumer perception.

Data Analysis and Findings

The findings from the data collected are as follows:
Most of the users were not actually open to the idea of the app for which payment had
to be done, as they had better free apps.
Another Major finding was, most of the users from the household help were not
actually fully aware of all the specifications of the android phones, though they were
using it. For them, for example, Google Photos was easy to use and thus they used it
to store photos often.
Most of the users were not worried about the security of their photos in the phones
The Users did not react favorably to the idea of the extra paid features such as
Backup, Smart Folders and rather chose that they would prefer to choose and delete
photos or store them in an SD Card.
Only 2 of the 10 respondents stated that they have taken a print of their clicked
photos.
Respondents found it confusing as some times the pictures were classified into the
wrong folders.
Respondents interviewed stated that while they liked clicking photos they either
didnt know the nuances of editing or did not have the time or interest in editing the
pictures clicked.
Respondents stated that even if they have to pay, they would not pay more than 25
30, which might not be the price that Vodafone organization might be looking at in
the long term.

Respondents stated that they are happy with the current features available in their
phone and did not really require an app that does auto classification. For them, it
would have helped, if it did something else, for example if the app helped them find
how far or near the receiver was when the phot was sent to them.
People are not comfortable with the idea of their pictures splashed on ads as most of
them dont like it.
I also interviewed few people outside the target group set by Vodafone group, such as
college going students as well as IT Corporates. I found that though some responses
were similar, the responses that were drawn from this segment of the crowd was more
favorable than the mentioned target group. For example, they were willing to shell out
money, if it meant better security.

Suggestions
Few of the suggestions that can be implemented prior to the launch of the app into the
market:
1. The target segment is not apt for the research on perceptions with regards to Photo
Gallery apps. A segment with a higher income level should be chosen.
2. As the target customer segment is not interested in paying for the app, suggest that
Vodafone launch a trial version free of cost first.
3. Almost 100% of the targeted customers did not feel the need of tailored ads within the
app, hence would suggest that the trial as well as the live version be launched without
any ads.
4. Furthermore, if Vodafone manages to make a platform for offline photo management
it would give them a boost if not in this target segment, then definitely in a segment
that has a higher income level.

Conclusion
The target group was found to be not interested in the app and only shown interest, if the app
is misrepresented as a free app. This might be due to the fact that the target might be a lower
middle class of respondents, with their income lying within a similar range. What I think is
that if the app is developed more with added features such location identification, video
images (such as ability to transfer .png images etc.) and made corrected of bugs such as
incorrect classification and also marketed as a FREE APP rather than a paid app then it might

a favorable response in the target group. Furthermore, Vodafone should target the marketing
of this app in a middle income level segment to gain a better foothold.