Consumer Behavior towards FMCGs in Doaba Region (Punjab) - A Study on Rural Consumer

Understanding the consumer behavior is the prime and toughest task in front of every marketer. Consumer’s behavior towards FMCGs is affected by various internal and external factors. Identifying these factors enable a marketer to formulate appropriate strategy for effective penetration of targeted segment. The objective of modern marketing is to make profit along with delighting the consumer by satisfying their needs and preferences. This study aims to get insights about the consumer behavior. Consumption pattern consisting of the brand usage pattern, purchasing pattern, spending pattern, of rural consumer of Doaba region (Punjab) towards bathing soap and personal care products was examined. The first objective of the study was to study the present brand ownership of bathing soap and consumption pattern of selected FMCGs. The second objective of study was to evaluate the present level of satisfaction towards product specific attributes of bathing soap and to study product attribute preferences of bathing soap. Next objective was to examine various factors influencing the purchase decision of rural consumer. For the purpose of study, a sample of 190 respondents, 95 each from 2 districts Jalandhar and Kapurthala of Doaba region was taken using non-probability (convenience) sampling technique. The sample was taken from 95 respondents of 14 different villages of district Jalandhar and 95 respondents from 11 different villages of Kapurthala of Doaba regions (Punjab). Information was collected from the respondent by interviewing through structured questionnaire. The method of scaling was used to evaluate the present level of satisfaction. The data was arranged in crossed tables for the better understanding of the relationship between different variables. Chi square test was used comprehensively for analyzing association among various parameters. One sample z test (two tailed) was used to assess the satisfaction level of consumer towards bathing soap use. The socio economic profile of the consumer consisting of income level, occupational background, education level, age is the main determinant of consumption patterns of bathing soap and personal care products. From the study, it was found that majority of respondents are using Godrej No. 1 brand which is one of the low priced and easily available brand, followed by Dettol, Lux and Lifebuoy. It was found that majority of consumers are weekly buyers. Most of the respondents prefer local shopping centers to purchase the goods. Medium size packing of bathing soap (50-100g) is preferred by a large number of respondents constitutes 68.9% of respondents. Spending pattern of personal care products suggests that majority of respondents (43.2%) are spending between Rs 500-1000 monthly on personal care products which is followed by 35.8% of consumers who spend below Rs.500 on personal care products. The second objective of study was to evaluate the present level of satisfaction towards product attributes and general attributes of bathing soap, namely quality of product, size of product, fragrance, performance of product, packing of product, durability of product, scientific feature of product, price of product, foaming, availability of product, range of product, regality of supply, and proximity of retail shop. To analyze the result of satisfaction level, following null hypothesis was framed Null Hypothesis (Ho) = Product specific attributes of bathing soap are same across respondents. From Z-test, we obtained P value of .000 for all the product related attribute and general attribute which is 0.000 and the level of significance is 0.05 which exceeds the P Value, thereby, rejected the null hypothesis and found Product specific attributes are not same across respondents. This represents about their brand attachment and brand loyalty towards present using brand. It was found that these variables significantly influence the purchase behavior of respondents in terms of satisfaction. The third objective was to examine the various factors affecting the purchase decision of rural consumer. By taking the opinion of respondents by survey it was found that TV advertising is influencing most of the consumers since a majority of respondents spend more hours watching TV per day in comparison to other media. Family buying decision is also of a greater importance, since most of the consumers are influenced by family to purchase a brand. Advertising is another important factor affecting the purchase decision of brand followed by doctor advice and self-decision of respondents to purchase. It was also found that price is most important factor while making the purchase decision of bathing soap. Other factors such as fragrance of the product, easy availability of product, durability of product and packaging is also considered by the consumers.