“A study on Consumer Buying Behaviour with special reference to Soft Drinks.”

Submitted By-Kopal Bhargava

A07A3906409184

The history of soft drink market in India started way back in1949 with the introduction of soft drink by Parle group, followed by other manufactures of the soft drinks like Coca-Cola, Mc-Dowell, etc, after the exit of Coca-Cola in 1978,parle become the undisputed market leader till recent past and early nineties. In 1990’s Pepsi gave new dimension to soft drink industry.

Initially when soft drinks were introduced in the 19thcentury it was positioned as a thirst quenching drink but due to the changing times it is now positioned as a fun drink. Soft drinks are consumed by almost every section of the society for their cool and tasty attributes.

INTRODUCTION TO THE SOFT DRINKS INDUSTRY

PRESENT SENERIO IN INDIA

The government considered soft drink as an industry due to this the excise duty levied by the government on soft drink is very high. The soft drink industry has an annual sale which exceeds about 800 cores and most of the bottling company have been flourishing.

The soft drink business in among the most complicated because of following reasons:

It is a seasonal product and sells strongly just for six months.

Value edition is done by retailer by way of chilling the bottle.

The consumer loyalty is uncertain.

COMPLEXCITIES IN THE SOFT DRINK MARKET 

Today Pepsi is one of the largest Multinational companies with a turnover of 22 billion dollars of business worldwide. Pepsi Co Inc., Limited owns Pepsi foods. Pepsi foods entered the Indian Market in 1990’s as a joint venture with Punjab Agro.

Pharmacist Calerb D. Bradham invented Pepsi Cola in 1893. Pepsi is a U.S $ 28 billion company with headquarters in New York.

Pepsi Co. operates on a global basis. 170 + countries with an employ force of 338,000. Pepsi Co. is the third largest company in the U.S and amongst the 15 th

largest in the world.

PROFILE OF PEPSI:

PEPSI CO’S OPERATING COMPANIES ARE

  PEPSI Cola North America. PEPSI Cola International. PEPSI Co Wine Sprits. PEPSI Co foods International. Frito lay. Pizza Hut. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Taco Bell.

Having the $ 28 billion+ annual sales.

Consumer buying behavior refers to the buying behavior of the final consumer, individuals and households and who buy the goods and services for personal consumption. The consumers for the selection of the soft drink either go for brand loyalty or they choose a brand based on retailer’s advice. There are few buyers who buy in bulk for parties. In this way the individual might be trying to choose or cater to his perception of his guests preference.

Consumer is the heart of any marketing agency, hence marketers are now spending money on consumers research that includes the study of what they buy, when they buy, how often they buy, and how often the consume or use it.

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR 

MODEL OF FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

BUYERS

CHART

MODEL OF BUYER DECISION PROCESS

The study has been conducted in twin cities and the respondents chosen randomly. The sample size has been limited to 100, which may restrict the scope and complexity of the study. The scope of the project could be broadened if the project duration is extended and the team strength be raised. The primary objective of the report is to study the attributes, which a consumer considers important while taking decision to purchaser soft drink.

 

To find out the top of the mind awareness level of soft drink among consumers. To find out the medium which is most effective in reaching the consumers. To find out the most popular point of purchase. To identify the age group which consume the maximum amount of soft drinks. To know what are the factors, which influence towards brand choice. To identify the factors influencing the consumption pattern.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

RESEARCH DESIGN – It involves survey of consumers, understanding the market and changing trends by Data Survey  DATA SOURCE – The primary data was collected from the consumers and secondary data through various mediums.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT – The research instrument used was a questionnaire backed by personal interview for data collection.

SAMPLE SIZE – 100 for consumers.  SAMPLE AREA – Noida and Delhi  SAMPLING METHOD – Convenience and judgmental.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

AWARENESS OF BRANDS:

A high percentage of all brand awareness has been noticed and few consumers were unaware of less popular brands.

MOST CONSUMED BRAND

THUMS UP has been the favorite brand both among the consumers of either sex, followed by PEPSI.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PURCHASE DECISION:

The attributes with highest priority are taste with 67% and flavor & availability 15% & 8% respectively.

BRAND PREFERENCES:

Most consumers have rated their preferred brand good but not very good (or) excellent.

ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

FREQUENCY OF CONSUMPTION:

Occasional consumption frequency has been found to be on a high note. A transition has been identified in their frequency of consumption from being consumed seasonally to being consumed weekly.

BRAND SWITCHING:

Brand switching have been identified and the primary reason has been the propensity to taste different flavors.

PACKING:

200 ml is fast moving quantity.

PRICE RATINGS:

Majority consumers have said the price as reasonable and considerable chunk has rated price as being high which is of concern.

EFFECTIVE MEDIUM FOR ADVERTISEMENT:

TELEVISION has been rated the most effective medium with NEWSPAPERS (print media) following up.

ADVERTISEMENT APPEAL :

  Good catchy slogan is the most likable Ad appeal, with theme of concept next most appealing.

PHRASE INFLUENCE:

Present slogans are found to be catchy hence impressive. PEPSI slogan is voted the most effective, THUMS UP & COKE followed respectively.

The survey was conducted in twin cities only, so the data collected can be generalized.

The survey was conducted in summer, due to which consumption of soft drink was influenced. So there was a seasonal constraint.

The consumers/customers sample size is 100 (male-60 andfemale-40), because of time and financial constraints. Hence the data may not be representation on the entire population.

Even though every care is taken to formulate the questionnaire, some errors may have crept in.

LIMITATIONS

Keeping in view the limitations and analysis the following suggestions are put forth.

Since taste is the most important criteria the drink can be made palatable to Indian taste by bringing out more effervescent version of price.

More knowledgeable and health conscious consumers didn’t consider the drink a good value for money.

Diet conscious consumers should be provided low caloric drinks at reasonable cost.  Bottling plant are to be set hygiene standards ensuring the brand image does not suffer

any onslaught.  Frequent buyers should be recorded and rewarded accordingly.

There has been a demand for umbrellas from retailers, which were not available from the company.

SUGGESTIONS

From the analysis of the study it can be inferred that the demand for soft drinks is occasional with the maximum sales being in summer.

15-24 of age group contributes a large percentage of sales and hence younger generation is the focus of soft drink consumption.

Television is the most effective medium followed by news papers.

Taste has been found to be the most important factoring influencing purchase decisions High brand awareness has been noticed among consumers.

The company’s catchy slogan is the most appealing in ad films.

300 ml pack is popular among consumers, 500 ml, 2 Ls Disliked.

Consumers preferred film stars and cricketers endorsing their preferred brand.

CONCLUSIONS 

THANK YOU

Presented by-

Kopal Bhargava A07