In an increasingly competitive smartphone market, Samsung apparently has an edge: vendors and wireless carriers recommend Galaxy smartphones over Apple's iPhones, according to a new study.

It would seem that wireless carriers advise smartphone shoppers to purchase a Samsung smartphone over an iPhone, or at least that's what a recent study from research firm Kantar Worldpanel claims.

"With so many consumers still pouring into stores, there is a lot that vendors and carriers can do to influence sales. The availability of working models (39%) and a good promotion (28%) are the two things that consumers recall most from their in-store experience. Older shoppers appear to be more of a target for sales assistants' recommendations, with 30% of shoppers over 50 who bought a smartphone receiving a recommendation," the study reveals (PDF).

"63% of consumers who bought a device in 1Q2014 were recommended a Samsung device, more than double the rate of recommendation for Apple, and almost 10 times more that Nokia," Kantar Worldpanel further explains. "59% of buyers who were recommended a Samsung phone went ahead and bought one while the rest opted for other vendors in the Android ecosystem. Only 6% of consumers who were recommended Samsung walked out of the store with an iPhone."

While this may sound crazy, there are several factors to be taken into account here. First of all, unlocked iPhones usually come with whopping price tags, which results in a high iPhone subsidy cost for carriers. At the same time, carriers are reportedly concerned that Apple might gain too much market power, as its iOS already has a 42 percent market share. That's a hefty market share for a single company.

In terms of costs, meanwhile, Samsung smartphones come with heavy subsidy costs for carriers as well. At the end of the day, it would seem that recommendations play a big role, but consumer loyalty is also important. Some consumers would choose Android over iOS without blinking, just like others would never let go of their iOS love. The study further reveals that iPhone shoppers do the least research before making their purchase, because they are already sure what they want to get and don't need recommendations.