the perception of teenage consumers about branded t-shirt

7/22/2019 The Perception of Teenage Consumers About Branded T-shirt

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ONTENTS

Sl. No. Subject Page No.

1. Executive Summary 01

2. Introduction 02-32

3. Aims and Objective 33

4. Limitation 33

5. Research Methodology 34-37

6. Data Analysis 38-50

7. Findings 51-52

8. Conclusion 53-54

9. Recommendation 55-63

10. References 64-65

11. Appendix



2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The aim of marketing is to meet and satisfy target consumer‟s needs and wants.

The field of Consumer Behaviour studies how individuals, groups and

organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas, or

experiences to satisfy their needs and desires. Predicting consumer behaviour

and knowing customers is a difficult task. Customers may say something but do

another. Organizations and marketing managers need to understand the secrets

behind consumer behaviour and develop mechanism to measure them also. The

marketer should identify and map consumer‟s behaviour and then try to develop

marketing strategy to satisfy customers and retain them for longer period of

time.

The ultimate objective of any business is to earn profit by satisfying and

retaining customers. This is easier said than done. This is because consumer‟s

need evaluation is a dynamic process and what consumer states as a need or

want may not guide him to make the expected purchase decision.

The consumer‟s buying behaviour is influenced by cultural, social, personal,

and psychological factors. Cultural factors exert the broadest and deepest

influence. Sometimes even consumer may not be aware about his deeper

motivations and the reason „why‟ of buying and may change his mind. In spite

of such diversities among consumers there are many similarities in their

behavioural pattern. Results from such studies will help marketer to proactively

design a marketing offer which consumer is likely to ask.



3

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Meaning of Buying Behaviour

The term „Consumer Behaviour‟ refers to the study of how individuals make

decisions to spend their available resources on consumption related items.

Studying customers provide clues for developing new products, product

features, prices, channels, messages, and other marketing-mix elements.

DEFINITION: -

“Consumer Behaviour is the process and physical activity individuals engage in

when evaluating, acquiring, using, and disposing of goods and services.”

:Louden-Dellabitta

Consumer Behaviour refers to the behaviour that consumers display in

searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and

services that they expect will satisfy their needs. Study of Consumer Behaviour

is the study of how individuals make decisions to spend their available

resources like time, money and effort on consumption related items.

: Schiffman and Kanuck

In order to survive and grow the organization has to delight the customers.

Consumers will be delighted if they get more than what they expect. Study of

consumer behaviour helps in knowing their expectations and the sacrifices they

are ready to make in order to fulfil those expectations.

Study of consumer behaviour assumes that consumers are actors in the market

place. Consumers play various roles in the market place. Starting from

information provider to consumer, from user to payer and to disposer,

consumers play roles in the decision process.



4

Different people play different roles in different stages of purchase. A purchaser

or customer may not be the same person for example a person who purchases a

product for the family may not be the consumer of the product.

Consumers may take the form of an organization or group. Decisions by

organizations and groups can be studied as organizational buying behaviour or

group buying behaviour. An enterprise-oriented decision making is

organizational buying behaviour, family behaviour can be termed as group

buying behaviour. It is important to know how a consumer makes his decision

regarding buying, or not buying any product, service, idea, concept or thought.

The buying decision process:-

Marketer needs to develop an understanding of how consumer actually makes

the buying decisions. He must identify who makes the buying decision, the

types of buying decisions; and steps in the buying process.

Buying Roles:-

The following are the roles played by the people in consumer decision making

process.

Initiator: - The person who suggests the idea of buying the product or services.

Influencer: - The person who influence buying decision through his opinion or

advice.

Decider: - The person who decides on any component of a buying decision:

Whether to buy, what to buy, Where to buy, or how to buy.

Buyer: - The person who makes the actual purchase.

User: - The person who consumes or uses the product or service.



5

Types of Buying behaviour:-

Four types of buying behaviour can be identifies based on the degree of buyer

involvement and the degree of difference among buyers.

Complex Buying Behaviour:-

The consumer displays complex buying behaviour when he is highly involved

in the purchase of the product and can observe significant differences among

brands. Complex buying behaviour involves three steps: - First, the buyer

develops belief about the product. Second, he develops attitudes about the

product and third, he makes the thoughtful choice. The complex buying

behaviour is exhibited in case of expensive, infrequent, risky and highly self

expressive like automobiles.

High

Involvement

Low

Involvement

SignificantDifferences

Between Brands

Complex Buying

Behavior

Variety Seeking

Buying Behavior

Few Differences

Between Brands

DissonanceReducing

Buying Behavior

Habitual Buying

Behavior



6

The marketer of a high involvement product must understand consumer‟s

information gathering and evaluation behavior. The marketer needs to develop

strategies that help buyer in learning about product‟s features and their relative

importance, and positioning of company brand on more important attributes.

The marketer must judiciously use promotions to communicate brand benefits.

Dissonance Reducing Buying Behaviour:-

Sometimes consumer is highly involved in the purchase but sees little difference

in brands. The high involvement is based on the facts the purchase is expensive,

infrequent, and/or risky. In this case, buyer will shop around to learn what is

available. If the consumer finds little difference, he may buy on the basis of

price or convenience. After the purchase, the buyer may notice certain

undesirable features or below expectation experience or may hear favourable

views about other brands. In this case consumer is likely to experience

dissonance. Dissonance is a state of consumer‟s mind when he experiences a

gap between an expected performance and a real performance of the product.

Consumer will then collects favourable information about his purchases and

develop positive beliefs about his choice which will reduce dissonance.

Variety Seeking Buying Behaviour: -

Sometimes the consumer shows low involvement behaviour but there is a

significant brand difference. Consumers show a high level of brand switching



7

behaviour. Consumers buy chocolates without considering any such variable

and for no reason switch brands to test the variety in the market. The brand

switching tendency is not due to dissatisfaction but due to need for variety.

Habitual Buying Behaviour:-

Many products are purchased with low involvement and without perception of

differences among different brands available. E.g. Salt. Consumer shows low

involvement in case of low cost, frequently purchased products. The consumer

decision making is based on brand familiarity rather than brand conviction. The

price, convenience or point of sale offer would play decisive role in buying.

Marketer would often induce product trial in such types of products. The

consumers usually do not evaluate the post purchase performance of such

products.

Stages In Buying Decision Process:-

Consumers pass through different stages during buying process. Marketer

would learn about the stages of buying process through four methods.

1. Introspective method: - They can about how they themselves would act for

purchasing.

2. Retrospective method: - They can interview recent buyers to collect

information about buying process.



8

3. Prospective method: - They can locate prospective customers and ask them

the process they are going through and their action in future.

4. Prescriptive Method: - They can ask customers to describe the ideal way to

buy the product.

Generally teenage buying decision process can be divided in to five stages: -

Problem Recognition

Information Search

Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase Decision and

Post Purchase Evaluation.

All consumers may not go through all of the five stages. E.g. Purchaser of low

involvement product would not go through all the stages. However, Buyer of

high involvement products would pass through all the stages.



9

Indian Textile Industry:

Indian Textile Industry is one of the leading textile industries in the world.

Currently it is estimated to be around US$ 52 billion and is also projected to be

around US$ 115 billion by the year 2012. The current domestic market of textile

in India is expected to be increased to US$ 60 billion by 2012 from the current

US$ 34.6 billion. Though was predominantly unorganized industry even a few

years back, but the scenario started changing after the economic liberalization of

Indian economy in 1991.

India textile industry largely depends upon the textile manufacturing and export.

It also plays a major role in the economy of the country. India earns about 27%

of its total foreign exchange through textile exports. Further, the textile industry

of India also contributes nearly 14% of the total industrial production of the

country. It also contributes around 3% to the GDP of the country. India textile

industry is also the largest in the country in terms of employment generation. It

not only generates jobs in its own industry, but also opens up scopes for theother ancillary sectors. India textile industry currently generates employment to

more than 35 million people. It is also estimated that, the industry will generate

12 million new jobs by the year 2010.

Various Categories:

Indian textile industry can be divided into several segments, some of which can

be listed as below:

Cotton Textiles

Silk Textiles

Woolen Textiles

Readymade Garments

Hand‐crafted Textiles

Jute and Coir



10

Current Facts on India Textile Industry:

o India retained its position as world‟s second highest cotton producer.

o Acreage under cotton reduced about 1% during 2008-09.

o The productivity of cotton which was growing up over the years has

decreased in 2008- 09.

o Substantial increase of Minimum Support Prices (MSPs).

o Cotton exports couldn't pick up owing to disparity in domestic and

international cotton prices.

o Imports of cotton were limited to shortage in supply of Extra Long staple

cottons.

Globalization of Indian Textile Industry

The initiation and development of globalization and Indian textile industry took

place simultaneously in the 1990s. The Indian textile industry is one of the

largest textile industries in the world and India earns around 27% of the foreign

exchange from exports of textiles and its related products. Further, globalization

of India textile Industry has seen a paradigm increase in the 'total industrial

production' factor of this Industry, which presently stands at 14%. Furthermore,

the contribution of the Indian textile Industry towards the gross domestic

product (GDP) of India is around 3% and the numbers are steadily increasing.

The process of globalization and Indian textile industry development was the

effect of rapid acceptance of 'open market' policy by the developing countries,

much in the lines of the developed countries of the world.

The globalization of the Indian textile sector was the cumulative effect of the

following factors -

Huge textile production capacity

Efficient multi-fiber raw material manufacturing capacity



11

Large pool of skilled and cheap work force

Entrepreneurial skills

Huge export potential

Large domestic market

Very low import content

Flexible textile manufacturing systems

The Indian textile industry consist of the following sectors -

Man-made Fiber

Filament Yarn Industry

Cotton Textile Industry

Jute Industry

Silk and Silk Textile Industry

Wool & Woolen Industry

Power loom Sector

An approximate number of textile manufacturing companies operating inIndia are given below:

Badges, emblems ribbons and allied products - 175

Bed covers, curtains, cushions and other draperies - 2471

Carpets and rugs - 270

Embroidery and embroidered garments, made ups and furnishing - 848

Fabrics and textiles - 3013

Yarns and threads - 1201

Jute products - 337

Kids apparel and garments -1052

Ladies apparel and garments - 2932



12

Men's' apparel and garments - 2936

Miscellaneous garments, textile and leather accessories - 1658

Yarns and threads - 1201

Wool, woolen garments, blankets and accessories - 468

Textile chemicals, dyeing and finishing chemicals - 239

What is Brand?

A brand is a product but adds other dimensions that differentiate it in some wayfrom other products designed to satisfy the same need.

A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design which is intended to identify

the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them

from those of competitors.

A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition.

When brand recognition builds up to a point where a brand enjoys a criticalmass of positive sentiment in the marketplace, it is said to have achieved brand

franchise. One goal in brand recognition is the identification of a brand without

the name of the company present.

Brand Elements

A variety of brand elements can be chosen that inherently enhance brand

awareness or facilitate the formation of strong, favorable, and unique brandassociations:

Brand Name

Logo

Symbol

Character

Packaging



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Slogan

Why do brand matter? To consumers

Identification of sources of product

Assignment of responsibility to product maker.

Risk reducer

Search cost reducer

Symbolic device

Signal of quality

Promise or bond with product or maker

Why do brand matter? To Manufacturer

Means of identification to simplifying handling and tracing.

Means of legally protecting unique feature.

Signal of quality

Means of endowing products with unique associations.

Sources of competitive advantage

Sources of financial returns



14

Textile Exports at a Glance

SectorTarget

2009-10

(Rs. in Crores/ US$ in Millions)

April-Feb. 2008-09 April-Feb. 2009-10% increase/

decrease of 2008-

09 over 2009-10

% targetachieved

Rs. US$ Rs. US$ Rs. US$ US$1.ReadymadeGarment

6250 23003.1 4746.4 22772.8 4946.7 -1.00% 4.20% 79.10%

2.CottonTextiles

4775 14701.8 3033.6 14302.9 3106.9 -2.70% 2.40% 65.10%

3.Man-madetextiles

1750 6153.4 1269.7 7521.2 1633.8 22% 28.70% 93.40%

4. Wool 500 1214.7 250.6 1513.3 328.7 24.60% 31.10% 65.70%

5. Silk

350 1995 411.6 2222.4 482.8 11.40% 17.30% 137.90%

TotalTextiles

13625 47068 9711.9 48333 10499 2.70% 8.10% 77.10%

6.Handicrafts

2350 5767.7 1190.1 4230.7 919-

26.60%-

22.80%39.10%

7. Coir 250 322.5 66.5 318 69.1 -1.40% 3.80% 27.60%

8. Jute 85 841.6 173.7 973.9 211.6 15.70% 21.80% 248.90%

Total 16310 54000 11142 53855 11699 -0.30% 5.00% 71.70%

Source : Foreign Trade Statistics of India (Principal Commodities & Countries)

DGCIS, Kolkata.

Technology in Garment industry

The garment industry in India is betting on technology as one of the major

growth factors for the industry. The Indian apparel industry, which took off in

the mid 60s, is worth around $15 billion now. The growth over the years has

been significant, and technology does have a role to play in that. In fact, the

industry has evolved gradually in terms of technology adoption and has reached

a critical mass today. The apparel technology solution market in India is over Rs

1,000 crore today and is growing regularly. Automated machines for cutting,

sewing, button-holes, CAD/CAM for pattern-making, etc, have brought down



15

the cost of production considerably. As a result, garment companies now focus

on technology to be productive and cost-effective at the same time. In terms of

advancements in automation, Mr Mahajan said: „„Today we even have under

bed trimmers which stitch and trim excess thread simultaneously. This means a

huge saving on threads and excess manpower.‟‟ There are automated machines

for stitching collars and cuffs, finishing machines, pressing machines, etc.

There are more than a thousand garment manufacturing units in the country

today, out of which less than 200 are big players while the rest are in the small

and medium enterprises (SME) segment. One of the major restrictions in terms

of using technology is the huge initial investment.

But, technology adoption doesn‟t come easy to this industry. For, at least an

investment of Rs 2 crore is required for automating a 100-machine garment unit.

Not only has the cost of technology been a deterrent, this has also placed India

in a position much below other countries such as China, Sri Lanka and Korea, in

terms of production efficiency.

Automation can bring down the total cost of production by at least 10 to 15 per

cent, out of which the saving on fabric alone would be 5 to 7 per cent, according

to most of the industry players.



16

COMPANY PROFILE – ADITYA BIRLA NUVO

Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., is the Aditya Birla Group's most diversified

conglomerate, with a turnover of Rs. 3860.62 crore for FY 2010. It is a leading

player in its key business segments, including viscose filament yarn (VFY),

carbon black, branded garments, textiles and insulators. Over the past three

years, Aditya Birla Nuvo through its subsidiaries has made successful forays

into insurance, IT services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), striking a balance between manufacturing, brands and services.

A leading player

:: The second largest producer of viscose filament yarn (VFY) in India

:: The largest branded apparel company in India.

:: The second largest producer of carbon black in India.

:: Life insurance joint venture, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Ltd, is India'ssecond largest private sector insurance company.

:: Insulators joint venture with Birla NGK Insulators Pvt Ltd is India's largest

and world's third largest producer of insulators.

:: Emerging player in high growth IT services and BPO sector.

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/viscose_filament_yarn.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/carbon_black.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/garments.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/textile.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/insulators.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/insurance.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/software.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/bpo.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/bpo.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/software.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/insurance.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/insulators.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/textile.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/garments.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/carbon_black.htm

http://www.indianrayon.com/products/viscose_filament_yarn.htm



17

Capacities

Business Capacity

Viscose Filament Yarn (VFY) 17,000 tpa

Caustic soda 41,975 tpa

Carbon black 170,000 tpa

Flax yarns 6,036 spindles

Wool combing 4,000 tpa

Worsted yarns 21,136 spindles

Synthetic yarns 50,208 spindles

Linen / fire retardant fabrics / other fabrics 53 looms

Insulators 36,000 tpa

BPO 1,656 seats

Expansion underway

Business Capacity

Caustic soda 31,025 tpa

Wool combing 4,000 tpa

Carbon Black 50,000 tpa

BPO 450 seats



18

Company Profile – Madura Garment

Madura Garments, Aditya Birla Nuvo's garments division, is a market leader in branded apparel. It offers a wide range of ready-to-wear clothes to cater to every

market segment. Its power brands are Van Heusen, Louis Philippe and Allen

Solly. Its popular brand is Peter England, and its youth brand is San Frisco.

Exclusive showroom space has been expanded to two lakh sq.ft including retail

formats such as 41 Planet Fashion and nine Trouser Town showrooms in India

and another nine Planet Fashions in the Middle East.

The thrust is on new product innovations. The Company is aggressively

marketing its new initiatives like superior-crafted suits under all the brands,

Allen Solly's women's wear and jeans, as well as leveraging its retailing and

brand strength though licensing in select areas such as leather goods, ties and

other accessories.

Madura Garments' fully fledged design studio at Bangalore, headed by a Europe

based designer, constantly works on innovations to stay in tune with changing

trends and customer aspirations, keeping brands refreshed and on the cutting

edge. Suits and jackets from the recently set up state-of-the-art manufacturing

facility stack up with the best-in-class global brands, including formal suits

crafted with Italian technology. The launch of Allen Solly women's wear has

also met with an overwhelming response.

Louis Philippe and Allen Solly were accorded the prestigious “Super brands”

status, which marks them among the 101 most powerful brands across

categories in India. Madura Garments was adjudged as the “Best Apparel

Company” in the Clothing & Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI)



19

awards. Allen Solly Women‟s Wear got the award for the best “Women‟s

Wear” brand.

Madura Garments’ key brands

:: Louis Philippe Louis Philippe's range of superbly crafted garments makes an exclusive fashion

statement that is accepted as a status symbol, recognized by its distinctive icon -

'The Upper Crest'. :: Van Heusen

Van Heusen has redefined corporate attire through continuous product

innovation and exclusive collections.

:: Allen Solly

Allen Solly popularized the Friday dressing concept in India. It has won the IFA

Images 2001 'Best Brand Award' in the readymade menswear apparel category.

With the launch of its women's wear in December 2001, Allen Solly has made a

successful foray into the growing women's work and casual wear market.

:: Peter England

This mid-segment shirt has effectively penetrated the mini metros. It has won

several awards, including 'Shirt of the Year 2000' and 'India's most admired

menswear brands 2001'.

:: SF Jeans Positioned as the 'bad boy of denim' with a slew of radically different designs

and fits, SF Jeans is targeted at the 18 to 21-year-old youth. SF Jeans are

available in multiple styles such as the 'Oil and Grease Collection' – a line of

denim that takes its inspiration from the garage mechanic's overalls – and the

'Permanently Creased Collection' – which has wrinkles and creases that

normally appear after years of wear. These jeans are available in boot cut, low

waist and belt less frayed styles.



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OPERATIONAL STRATEGY

Drivers to Growth

BEST PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY STRONG BRANDS – FURTHER STRENGTHENED BY BRAND

DEVELOPMENT

EXERCISES

TRANSFORMATION FROM SHIRTS BRAND TO LIFESTYLE

BRANDS

TRANSFORMATION FROM WHOLESALE TO RETAIL

ORIENTATION

ROBUST SUPPLY CHAIN - MANAGING MULTIPLE PRODUCT

CATEGORIES

AND MULTIPLE CHANNELS.

JUDICIOUS MIX OF OWN AND OUTSOURCED

MANUFACTURING

STRONG DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

CAPABILITIES

Mission is to be India‟s leading clothing company

1. By achieving World Class Standards

2. Quality, Customer Service, Design and Brand Equity

3. Through empowered and motivated employees

Madura Garments is unquestioned Indian market leader for branded men‟s wear

with sales of Rs. 548 crore in 2010 has maintained growth rate of 35-40% for

last many years.



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Company is pioneers of ready-to-wear in India

1. Louis Philippe launched in „89 the first national level up-market

men‟s shirt.2. Van Heusen launched in 1990, positioned as International

corporate wear .

3. Introduced concept of Friday Dressing with Allen Solly in 1995.

4. Launch of mid-priced Peter England in 1997 - currently the largest

selling shirt brand in India .

5. San Frisco Trousers - Great trousers that last - launched in 1999.

Also does Contract Exports of high value, high quality shirts to select privatelabels.



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Madura Garments now has essentially three businesses

Premium Brands

Mid Priced Brands

PeterEngland

Mid-priced shirt brand - the honest shirt. It is India’s largest shirtbrand.

SanFrisco

Recent foray into trousers. Mid-priced positioning as the "Hardworking trousers."

Byford Knitwear brand for Socks and T-shirts. Leading Internationalposition for under clothes

Contract Exports

All three businesses exhibit widely different characteristics

Segment Key Success Factors

Premium Brands Fashion, Innovation, Retail Image and Identity

Mid Priced Brands Distribution Reach, Replenishments, Brand Salience, Retail visibility

Contract Exports Price Competitiveness, Delivery response, Quota

LouisPhilippe

Up market top of the line brand. Enjoy "Upper Crest" statussymbol.

VanHeusen

Powerful contemporary corporate wear. It is one of the largestshirt brands in USA.

Allen Solly Smart Casual Line. It pioneered the "Friday Dressing" concept.



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Madura Garments is a virtual company with 1030 employees, Investment of Rs.535 crore and Sales Revenue of Rs. 845 crore.

COMPETITION

Tailor Made

Ready Made

1. Textile Mills integrating forward. e.g. Raymonds, Arvind, Bombay

Dyeing, Mafatlal, Siyarams, etc.

2. Garment Exporters focussing onto domestic market e.g. Zodiac,

Color Plus, Lerros, Weekender, Wearhouse, etc

3. Retail Chains bringing own Brands, e.g. Shopper ‟s Stop, Westside,

Pantaloon, etc.

4. Fabric Distributors diversifying into Garments, e.g. Crocodile, Pan

America, etc.

5. Other Localized competition e.g. Cambridge in Bombay, Turtle in

Calcutta, etc.

MEN’S READY-TO-WEAR INDUSTRY

Market size is estimated at Rs. 6000 crore (1999), Rs. 15000 crore by

2010.

Branded sector share is currently about 25% of market; expected to be

about 45-50% share by 2010.

Market is expected to grow at about 8-10% p.a. While branded formal

wear will grow at about 10-11%, Branded semi-formal/casual will grow

at about 20-22%.

Growth drivers

1. Emergence of large scale organized retailing

2. Change in consumer aspirations / lifestyles



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3. Launches in the Mid value / Economy Segments

Business Opportunities

1. Rapid shift on going from tailor-made to ready-made garments in

shirts and trousers.

2. Current readymade usage is 20% in shirts and less than 5% in

trousers.

3. Per capital clothing usage increasing in casual wear.

4. Urban women's wear will shift to western style clothing over the

next 10-15 years.



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About Peter England

Peter England as a brand has a rich heritage. It began in the year 1885 whenfoundation was struck for 5 storied building in Ireland. In 1888 Peter England

factory came in to being. It was during 1889-1902 that the company expanded

when it got the order for outfits for British soldiers for the Boer war. The order

was large and it demanded quality merchandise at Honest – to- goodness price.

The brand came to India in 1997. During that period there was a huge

potential for a mid segment shirts in the 60mn pieces Indian shirt market. The

industry was dominated by in store brands and the consumers have to

painstakingly check for the right shirt. The then owners of Peter England

(Indian Rayon) wanted to tap this segment. Thus, evolved the idea of a brand

that aims to shorten the buying process of the consumer.

Research also revealed that the consumers perceived premium shirts as

overpriced and there was a need for such a national brand. Also another insight

was that the market had a perception that good things happen to people who

wear good clothes.

Peter England was initially positioned as an “Honest Shirt”. The strategy

clicked and has to click because the product was very good and the price was

excellent. It just fit in to ones budget. The target market for the brand was the

24-28 ambitious and career oriented youth.

In order to make sure that the excitement remains, Peter England came

out with various ranges and varieties of shirts. The brand also extended to

trousers with the same positioning. Although some of the variants like English

Cottons compromised on quality, the brand still enjoys a good equity in the

targeted customer‟s min.



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In 2002 the brand made a slight makeover. The positioning changed to

“Honestly Impressive”. The aim is to make the brand more than just value for

money proposition but also as a lifestyle brand. It has maintained its value

proposition unchanged.

Peter England is a brand that clearly shows a marketer that it is possible

to sell... Honestly.

The Peter England People (PEP) brand is marketed through Peter England

Fashions and Retail, a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo, which is one kind of

specialty store.

The PEP brand, which is distinctly different from its more retail brand,

will be rolled out through 80 stores spread over 34 cities across India in the next

three to five years. After Mumbai, the next stop for launching the new retail

brand will be Bangalore, which will be immediately followed by Hyderabad and

Delhi by early June. And by the end of the fiscal, the company expects to have

10 such stores across different cities. Each store will be spread over 10,000 to

15,000 sq ft. PEP‟s hallmark will be the concept of a family store, where Peter

England brands of men‟s, women‟s and kid‟s wear will be on the shelves.

Peter England, the hallmark of honesty, started off with shirts and now

Comprises of the entire men's wardrobe containing the full range of

garments.

Popular for lifestyle brands.

The largest selling shirt brand in the country.

Owned by Madura Garments in India with a retail value of 130 crores.



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The Honest ShirtHonestly Impressive



28

Formal

Wears

Casual

Wears

Accessorie

sOther

Shirt

sTrousers Suits Ties

Sock

sUndergarments

Wallet

sBelts

T-

shirts

Denim

s

HalfSleeve

s

Full

sleeves

Half

sleeves

Full

sleeves

Color-A

Color-

B

Color-A

Color-

B

Small

Extra-large

Large

Medium

Smal

l

Extra-large

Larg

e

Medium

Categor

Sub-

Sub-

Stock Kee in

Peter England

specialty store



29

Product Range of Peter England

PRODUCT RANGE

Fashion apparel in 100% Cotton (Natural fibers)

Men’s wear

Formal – Casuals

Party wear – Shirts

Trousers

Denims

Chinos

Cargos-Shirts



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SWOT ANALYSIS1. Strengths

Extensive range of office and casual wear

Good quality label and branding

Contemporary designs, colors and price

Wide distribution , easy availability

Well-orchestrated merchandising

High market viability

Use of latest information technology for collaborative planning ,

forecasting and replenishment

2. Weakness

Product knowledge of the store persons is lower.

Very few customer prefers to go for specialty store (may be brand

loyal customers only). So specialty store format sometimes leads to

lower sales.

Pre- and Post- purchase uncertainty and anxiety over fit, quality,

shrinkage, durability etc. because of readymade garments.

3. Opportunity

Large educated and working class available in Pune is one of the

opportunities because their target market itself is youth.

They can also go for brand extension and store extension.

Increased disposable income of the working class.

4. Threats

Belief of Indian consumers-“ Premium shirt brands wer e

overpriced”, “good quality product at a great price”

Threat from the local vendors and other big players.



31

STORE INTERIORSThe principal objective of any retailer is to maximize its sales and customer

satisfaction, and to minimize the operational costs. Therefore, the interior of the

store should be designed in such a way that it serves this purpose. The store

interiors should be attractive. Peter England specialty store have considered two

parameters

The value of space

Space utilization and allocation

Overall designing of the store interior was good, but there is only one seating

arrangement provided. They can increase the no. of seating arrangement toincrease convenience level for the customers.

ATMOSPHERICS

Visual communication

From the above photographs it is



32

clear that specialty store of Peter England has a good visual communication

which involves communicating with the customers through graphics, signs and

certain theatrical effects inside the store.

Lighting and Fragrance

In the store lighting is used intelligently to highlight the merchandise and attractcustomers to specific departments in the store as shown into photo.

Some of the main objectives they have achieved with lighting are following:

Highlighting the displayed product.

Capturing customer‟s mood.

Masking the unattractive features or places of the store.

There is also a mild fragrance available into the store to influence the

purchasing decisions of the target market.

Colours and Music:

Instrument for fragrance



33

As shown into the photos they have used mild colours (like cream colour) for

ceiling and walls, so that customer can recognize different colours of various

apparels very easily. There is no any kind of music which perfectly matches

with the “Honestly Impressive” tagline of Peter England.

IT SYSTEM IN STORE

As shown into photo, they are using Bar-code reader to directly feed the

information into their system, so that they can manage the inventory properly.

They were using the software “Shopper -A Retail Solution”. This software is

directly connected to their warehouse and it automatically generates order

quantity by forecasting the demand.

Because of the above Bar-code reading technique, they are able to get the real

time information of various SKUs and also about the consumer preferences

which help them to schedule the production.



34

Aims and Objectives of the Project Work

The main aims and objectives of this project work are as follows: -

(i) To become familiar with the corporate environment.(ii) To study the importance of teenage buying behavior.

(iii) To get a field on experience to prepare a project on the study of importance

of teenage buying behavior in branded ready-made garment industry.

(iv) To find out probable limitations of the buying behavior models.

Limitations of the Study

First limitation of this project is the very short time limit.

A portion of the respondents are not cooperative.

The researcher is inexperienced.

Biasness or prejudice of some of the respondents regarding any sort of

the information which is required for such study.

Not much of importance was attached to this task by some of the

Respondents.

The sample size of the respondents is very small.

The method of sampling is judgement sampling.



35

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Meaning of Research:

Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. One can also

define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on

a specific topic. In fact, research is an act of scientific investigation. The

advanced learner s Dictionary of Current English lays down the meaning of

research as a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new

facts in any branch of knowledge. Redman and Mory define research as a

systematized effort to gain new knowledge.

Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a

technical sense. According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and

redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solution; collecting,

organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions;

and at last carefully testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the

formulating hypothesis. It is the pursuit of truth with the help of study,

observation, comparison and experiment. In short, the search for knowledge

through objective and systematic method finding solution to problem is

research.

Objectives of research:

The purpose of research is to discover answer to questions through the

application of scientific procedures. Through each research study has its own



36

specific purpose, we may think of research objectives as falling into a number

of following groups: -

1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or archive new insights into it.

2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or

a group.

Meaning Of Research Methodology:

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It

may be understood as science of studying how research is done scientifically. In

it we study various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying

his research problem along with logic behind them. It is necessary for researcher

to know not only the research methods/ techniques but also the methodology.

Research methodology has many dimensions and research methods do

constitutes a part of the research methodology. Thus when we talk of research

methodology we not only talk of research methods but also consider logic

behind the methods we use in context of our research study and explain why we

are using a particular method or technique and why we are not using others so

that research result is capable of being evaluated either by the researcher

himself or by others.

Research Process:

Before embarking on the details of research methodology and techniques, it

seems appropriate to present a brief overview of research process. Research

process consists of a series of action or steps necessary to effectively carry out



37

research and the desires sequencing of these steps. The following order

concerning various steps provides a useful procedural guideline regarding the

research process:

1. Formulating the research problem.

2. Extensive literature survey.

3. Development of working hypothesis.

4. Preparing the research design.

5. Determining sample size.

6. Collecting the data.

By observation.

Through personal interview.

Through telephone interview.

By mailing of questionnaires.

Through schedules.

7. Execution of the project.

8. Analysis of data.

9. Generalization and interpretation.

10. Preparation of the report.

Types of Research:

1. Descriptive research.

2. Analytical research.



38

3. Applied research.

4. Fundamental research.

5. Quantitative research.

6. Qualitative research.

7. Conceptual research.

8. Empirical research.

The above-mentioned are the various type of research, which a researcher can

apply in order to achieve one‟s desired objective. Therefore to achieve the

objectives of my research I have used descriptive research.

This will be based on proper Research design to meet the objectives of the

project study.

Sampling

It involves procedures that use a small part of population to make conclusion

regarding the whole population.

Sampling unit: Teen age boys and girls living in Local residential areas of

Asansol and restaurants, schools, colleges and shopping malls.

Sample size: 100

Sampling method: Judgment sampling.



39

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Age Group of Respondents Percentage

12- 13 years 13%

14-15 years 18%

16-17 years 37%

18-19 years 32%

Interpretation: 37% of t he customer is under the age group of 16-17yrs.

32% of the customer is under the age group of 18-19yrs.



13

18

37

32

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

12-13yrs 14-15yrs 16-17yrs 18-19yrs

Age group



40

Annual Income of the Respondents Percentage

Less than 3 lakhs 32%

3 lakhs – less than 6 lakhs 47%

6 lakhs and more 21%

Interpretation:

The above chart depicts the total number of customers divided on the basis of

their Annual Income. Analyzing the above pie chart it is easily seen that the

Annual income of maximum customer are more than 3 lakhs and below 6 lakhs.

The percentage is 47%. Another 32% of customers have Annual income of 6

lakhs and above and 21% of customers are below the range of 3 lakhs.

21%

47%

32%

Annual Income

Less than 3

lakhs

3 lakhs - less

than 6 lakhs

6 lakhs & more



41

1. HAVE YOU USED BRANDED T-SHIRT?

OPTIONSTOTAL NUMBER OF

RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

YES 71 71%

NO 29 29%

Interpretation:

A major amount of people (71%) said that they have used branded T-shirt.

71%

29%

Yes

No



42

2. ARE YOU CONSUS ABOUT PETER ENGLAND T – SHIRT?


RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

YES 89 89%

NO 11 11%

Interpretation:

A large amount of Respondents (89%) said that they knew about Peter

England.

89%

11%

Yes

No



43

3. HAVE YOU USED PETER ENGLAND EARLIER?

OPTIONS TOTAL NUMBER OFRESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

YES 63 63%

NO 37 37%

Interpretation:

A large amount of Respondents (63%) said that they knew about Peter

England.

63%37%

Yes

No



44

4. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLAN TO PURCHASE PETER ENGLAND T-SHIRT?

OPTIONS TOTAL NUMBER OFRESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

YES 77 77%

NO 23 23%

Interpretation:

77% Respondents said that they have planned to purchase Peter England.

77%

23%

Yes

No



45

5. WHICH TIME YOU MAY PREFER TO PURCHASE PETER ENGLANDT-SHIRT?


RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

Festive Time 62 62%

Special Occasions 21 21%

Special offer time 13 13%

Any time in the year 4 4%

Interpretation:

62% Respondents purchase Peter England in Festive time, 21% in special

occasion, 13% in special offer time and 4% any time.

62%21%

13%

4%

Festive Time

Special Occasion

Special offer time

Any time



46

6. ASSIGN A SCORE BETWEEN -1 TO +1 AGAINST A SPECIFICFEATURE IN CASE OF BOTH BRANDED AND UNBRANDED T-SHIRTS.

FEATURES BRANDED T-SHIRTSUNBRANDED T-

SHIRTS+1 0 -1 +1 0 -1

STYLE 85 13 02 23 32 45

COLOURAVAILABILITY

81 17 02 12 15 73

PRODUCT RANGE 80 19 01 18 30 52

LONG-LASTING 88 10 02 25 26 49

PRICE 41 22 37 69 29 02

RELIABILITY 91 08 01 11 22 67

Interpretation:

85% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are Stylish. 13% respondents are

thinking branded T-Shirts are average stylish. 2% respondents are thinking

branded T-Shirts are not Stylish.

81% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are available of different

colours. 17% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are average available of

0

50100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500RELIABILITY

PRICE

LONG-LASTING

PRODUCT RANGE

COLOUR AVAILABILITY

STYLE



47

different colours. 2% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are not

available of different colours.

80% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are having a wide product

range. 19% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are having an average

product range. 1% respondent thinks branded T-Shirts are not having any wide

product range.

88% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are long-lasting. 10%

respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are average-lasting. 2% respondents

are thinking branded T-Shirts are not long-lasting.

41% respondents are preferring branded T-Shirts though they are having a good

price. 22% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are having an average

price. 37% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are really costly.

91% respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are reliable. 8% respondents are

thinking branded T-Shirts are somehow reliable. 1% respondent thinks branded

T-Shirts are not reliable.

23% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are Stylish. 32% respondentsare thinking unbranded T-Shirts are average stylish. 45% respondents are

thinking unbranded T-Shirts are not Stylish.

12% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are available of different

colours. 15% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are average available

of different colours. 73% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are not

available of different colours.18% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are having a wide product

range. 30% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are having an average

product range. 52% respondent thinks unbranded T-Shirts are not having any

wide product range.

25% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are long-lasting. 26%

respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are average-lasting. 49%

respondents are thinking branded T-Shirts are not long-lasting.



48

69% respondents are preferring unbranded T-Shirts as they are having a low

price. 29% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are having an average

price. 2% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are having a high price.

11% respondents are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are reliable. 22% respondents

are thinking unbranded T-Shirts are somehow reliable. 67% respondents are

thinking unbranded T-Shirts are not reliable.



49

7. RANK THE FOLLOWING FEATURES OF PETER ENGLAND T-SHIRTSACCORDING TO YOUR OWN CHOICE.

Features Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 Rank 6STYLE 19 21 18 17 10 15

COLOURAVAILABILITY

18 23 26 15 09 09

PRODUCT RANGE 17 19 19 18 20 07

LONG-LASTING 20 15 14 16 18 17

PRICE 02 06 18 24 25 25

RELIABILITY 24 16 05 10 18 27

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Rank 6

Rank 5

Rank 4

Rank 3

Rank 2

Rank 1

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Rank 1 Rank 2

Rank 3

Rank 4

Rank 5

Rank 6

RELIABILITY

PRICE

LONG-LASTING

PRODUCT RANGE

COLOUR AVAILABILITY

STYLE



50

Interpretation:

19% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature style. 21% respondents

assigned rank 2 against the feature style. 18% respondents assigned rank 3against the feature style. 17% respondents assigned rank 4 against the feature

style. 10% respondents assigned rank 5 against the feature style. 15%

respondents assigned rank 6 against the feature style.

18% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature colour availability. 23%

respondents assigned rank 2 against the feature colour availability. 26%




respondents assigned rank 6 against the feature colour availability.

17% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature product range. 19%

respondents assigned rank 2 against the feature product range. 19% respondents

assigned rank 3 against the feature product range. 18% respondents assigned

rank 4 against the feature product range. 20% respondents assigned rank 5

against the feature product range. 07% respondents assigned rank 6 against the

feature product range.

20% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature long-lasting. 15%

respondents assigned rank 2 against the feature long-lasting. 14% respondents

assigned rank 3 against the feature long-lasting. 16% respondents assigned rank

4 against the feature long-lasting. 18% respondents assigned rank 5 against the

feature long-lasting. 17% respondents assigned rank 6 against the feature long-

lasting.

2% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature price. 6% respondents

assigned rank 2 against the feature price. 18% respondents assigned rank 3

against the feature price. 24% respondents assigned rank 4 against the feature



51

price. 25% respondents assigned rank 5 against the feature price. 25%

respondents assigned rank 6 against the feature price.

24% respondents assigned rank 1 against the feature reliability. 16%

respondents assigned rank 2 against the feature reliability. 5% respondents

assigned rank 3 against the feature reliability. 10% respondents assigned rank 4

against the feature reliability. 18% respondents assigned rank 5 against the

feature reliability. 27% respondents assigned rank 6 against the feature

reliability.



52

FINDINGS

This study is conducted only among teenagers.

All the teenagers are further classified into age groups and the

major response is provided by 16-17 years aged respondents.

Majority of respondents are belonging to annual income group 3

lakhs- less than 6 lakhs.

Majority of respondents are habituated with branded T-shirt.

Though a particular portion of the respondents have not used Peter

England T-shirts, but majority of them have purchased Peter

England T-shirt earlier.

Majority of respondents are so interested to purchase Peter England

T-shirt in future.

Majority of respondents are preferring festive time to purchase

Peter England T-shirts.

Only a small fraction of the respondents are preferring any time in

the year to purchase Peter England.

Majority of respondents are thinking branded T-shirts are more

stylish than Unbranded T-shirt.



53

Majority of respondents are thinking branded T-shirt are available

in more colours than Unbranded T-shirt.

Majority of respondents are thinking branded T-shirts are having a

wider product range in comparison with Unbranded T-shirts.

Majority of respondents are thinking branded T-shirts are more

reliable than Unbranded T-shirts.

The negative side of Peter England T-shirts is it’s price. A larege

portion of the sample avoids to purchase Peter England T-shirts

only because of its high price.

Majority of respondents have assigned the highest rank on Peter

England T-shirts against the feature of price.

A significant portion of the sample shows their non reliability on

Peter England T-shirts.



54

CONCLUSION

In order to survive and grow the organization has to delight the customers.

Consumers will be delighted if they get more than what they expect. Study of

consumer behavior helps in knowing their expectations and the sacrifices they

are ready to make in order to fulfil those expectations.

Study of consumer behavior assumes that consumers are actors in the market

place. Consumers play various roles in the market place. Starting from

information provider to consumer, from user to payer and to disposer,

consumers play roles in the decision process.

Different people play different roles in different stages of purchase. A purchaser

or customer may not be the same person for example a person who purchases a

product for the family may not be the consumer of the product.



55

Consumers may take the form of an organization or group. Decisions by

organizations and groups can be studied as organizational buying behavior or

group buying behavior. An enterprise-oriented decision making is

organizational buying behavior, family behavior can be termed as group buying

behavior. It is important to know how a consumer makes his decision regarding

buying, or not buying any product, service, idea, concept or thought.

Marketer needs to develop an understanding of how teen age consumers

actually make the buying decisions. He must identify who makes the buying

decision, the types of buying decisions; and steps in the buying process.

Ultimately the Purchase decision of a teen-ager involves six sub decisions:

A. Brand Decision (What To Buy?)- Here Peter England convinces customers

with the help of advertisements and celebrity endorsements.

B. Vendor Decision (Where To Buy?)- Here Peter England showroom near

Veteran Petrol Pump influences customers with the help of in-store display.

C. Quanti ty Decision (H ow Much To Buy?)- This decision is influenced by the

sales persons.

D. Quali ty Decision –

The quality of a Peter England T-Shirt and Perception of

teenagers are influencing this sub decision.

E. Timing Decision (When To Buy?) – Different types of offers provided by

Peter England, special occasions and willingness of the teenager influence this

sub decision.

&



56

F. Payment Decision (Cash Payment or Credit Payment) – The final sub

decision is making the payment. In today‟s techno savvy world cash free

electronic monet transfer mechanisms are becoming popular. The ability of a

teenager to pay successfully proceeds towards a positive sale outcome.

Thus purchase decision of a teenager in case of branded T-Shirt like Peter

England is ultimately produced dye to his or her commitment for a product.

SUGGESTIONS & RECOMENDATIONS

Researchers are suggesting teenage buyers are showing mainly two types of

behaviours – either they are influenced by social class and status or they are

deeply concerned about quality at a cheaper price. As a result detail discussion

of the factors influencing them is essential and this study will suggest organized

retail giants like Peter England a particular roadmap to success.

The consumer decision process explains the internal process as well as

individual behavior for making product or service decisions. The consumption

process is influenced by external factors like cultural, social, personal, and

psychological factors.

Influence of Cultural Factors:

Culture, subculture and social class are particularly important in buying

behavior.



57

Culture: - Culture is the fundamental determinant of a person‟s wants and

behavior. Culture refers to the traditions, taboos, values and basic attitudes of

the whole society within which an individual lives. The growing child acquires

a set of values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors through his or her family

and other key institutions. E.g. A child growing up in India is exposed to the

values like tolerance, Equality, Sacrifice, love for the family¸ respect for the

elders and guru etc. Culture teaches an individual the acceptable norms of

behaviour and tells him the right or wrongs. Cultural values affect how the

business is conducted. Culture also affects consumption behavior. Culture

influences can be seen in the food habits and dressing style of people. It also

influences communication, attitudes and values that influence consumption

patterns. Culture influences are highly conspicuous in communication

messages. Use of colors, symbols, and language and message sources reflect

culture. The main aim behind it could be to tune their messages according to the

cultural specifications of various regions that they operate in. Culture values are

passed on from one generation to the next.

Subculture: - Each culture consists of smaller subcultures that provide more

specific identification and socialization for their members. Subcultures include

nationalities, religions, and geographic regions. When subcultures grow large

and affluent enough, companies design specialized marketing programs to serve

them. Such programs are known as diversity marketing. E.g. In diverse country

like India, people from different region show distinct difference in their food



58

habits and clothing styles. Also the consumption pattern is also affected by

religious diversity.

Social Class:-

Social class refers to the hierarchical arrangements of the society into various

divisions, each of which signifies social status or standing. Social class is an

important determinant of consumer behavior as it affects consumption patterns,

lifestyle, media patterns, activities and interests of the consumers.

Social classes not only reflect income, but other indicators such as occupation,

education, area of residence. E.g. two consumers earning the same income may

differ considerably in lifestyle when one has professional qualification at the

post of graduate level and is employed at the senior management cadre of

multinational, while the other is self employed, with education confined to a

few years of schooling. Social classes differ in many characteristics.

Social classes show distinct product and brand preferences in many areas

including their lifestyles, they differ in media preferences, and there are also

language differences among the social classes. In addition to the cultural and

social factors, a consumer‟s behavior is also influenced by factors such as

reference groups, family, and social roles and status.

Reference Groups: -

An individual‟s attitude, value and behavior are influenced by different groups.

These groups are called reference groups and they have direct or indirect

influence on the individual. Buying behavior of consumers is largely influenced



59

by the reference group to which they belong or aspire to belong. Reference

groups are of two types:

Primary Reference Group:

This group is further divided into four subgroups namely (a) Membership

reference group: This is the group to which a person holds membership and has

frequent interactions with other members of group. He comes in regular and

informal contact with the members of this group and is directly influenced by

them. (b)Aspiration reference group: This is the group to which the individual

does not hold any membership bur desires to belong to that group. He tries to

copy the attitudes and behavior, including buying behavior of the members of

the group. (c) Disclaiming reference group: This is a group to which an

individual holds a membership but does not want to belong to and therefore, all

his actions would be opposed to that of the group. He tries not to be influenced

by the attitudes, values and behavior of the members of this group. (d)

Avoidance group: This is the reference group to which an individual does not

hold any membership. He tries to resent the values and beliefs of such a group.

Secondary Reference Group:-

Secondary groups include religious groups, professional associations and trade

unions with which the interaction of customer is formal and infrequent. Every

reference group has its own set of opinion leaders. Opinion leaders are

perceived as people with special skills, knowledge, personality etc. Opinion

leaders influence actions or attitudes of others informally. Marketers should



60

identify the opinion leaders of their target group for specific product/s and then

they should target their marketing efforts towards these role models. The

marketer can use the opinion leader to communicate the message through its

promotion and advertising campaigns.

Family: -

A family is defined as two or more persons related by blood, marriage or

adoption and reside together. A family is a small reference group but it is

prominent in influencing consumer behavior. Families go through various

stages of lifecycle, each stage creates different demands for different products

and buying behavior of the members is greatly influenced by the stage of the

family lifecycle. E.g Consumer demands of a bachelor are different from those

of a newly married couple.

Members of a family exert a strong influence on the buying decision. The

husband, the wife, and the children play different roles while purchasing

expensive products and services and these roles vary from country to country.

E.g. the major buying decisions in Indian family are taken by the parents. Joint

decisions are taken by the husband and wife for purchasing expensive products

and services. Therefore marketers should be interested in the roles played by the

members and the relative influence each member exerts on the buying

decisions. Marketer tries to adjust their marketing mix to influence the decision

of the decision maker in the family.

Personal Factors: -



61

There are different personal factors, which affect the buying decision process.

These factors, such as the age, sex, lifecycle stage, occupation, economic

conditions, personality, etc. are unique to everyone.

Age and lifecycle stage: -

Changes in the society have led to the creation of different categories like

couples marrying late in life, childless couples, single parents, etc., besides the

traditional lifecycle stages which included young singles, married couples and

lone survivors. Over the lifecycle stages, people use different products and their

demand for goods and services keep changing. People at different ages will

have different tastes on food, clothes, furniture and recreation. Hence marketers

should determine the needs of their target markets and introduce different

products and marketing efforts targeted at different stages.

Occupation and financial status: -

Occupation and income level of a person have a major impact on his savings

and buying behavior. E.g. A blue collar worker will indulge more in purchasing

clothes, shoes, etc. which he can wear to work. Similarly, a company‟s

chairman may buy clothes, accessories, and other products and services that suit

his lifestyle. The financial condition of an individual such as his disposable his

income, savings, his ability to buy costly products and services on installments

and bear the interest rates, etc. will have significant influence on his buying

behavior.

Lifestyle: -



62

An individual‟s way of leading his life will determine his lifestyle. Factors such

as work life, interests, social groups, etc. influence the lifestyle of an individual.

Psychological Factors: -

Psychological factors that influence consumer buyer behavior are motivation,

perception, attitude and learning.

Motivation: - A motive is a strong urge that drives a person‟s activities towards

unfulfilled needs and wants. Consumers are influenced by a motive or a set of

motives when they have unfulfilled needs. Needs are the motivational elements

behind the purchasing behavior of the customers. One of the most widely

known theory, hierarchy of needs, was proposed by Abraham Maslow explains

why people are driven by particular needs at a particular times.

According to Maslow needs are classified as shown in the following hierarchy.

(a) Physiological needs

(b) Security needs

(c) Social needs and esteem needs

(d) Self actualization needs.

Consumers tend to satisfy their needs on the basis of the intensity or

requirement of the needs. For example, physiological need is the most basic

need and hence, an individual would satisfy it first. Satisfaction of one need

leads to emergence of higher level unfulfilled needs. Needs are general in nature

but wants arise out of the desire to fulfil the needs in a specific way. For

example, food can be classified as a need but eating a particular dish or at a



63

particular food joint are a want. Wants that are conditioned by certain motives

are known as buying motives. Marketers must work to create these wants in the

customers and target/position their product in such a way as to invoke desire in

the customer to fulfil these wants.

Perceptions: Perception is defined as the process by which an individual selects,

organizes and interprets stimuli into meaningful thoughts and pictures.

Customers base their perception on their needs, wants, past experiences and

something that they consider to be true. For example, a subscriber/ reader who

read a particular newspaper or journal might perceive it to give the true picture

of the happenings around him. Perceptions of a person are affected by many

factors like reality, sense, risk, etc.

• Customers perceive their environment through the sense of touch, smell, taste,

hearing, etc.

• Customer‟s buying decisions are also influenced by the risk factor involved.

For example, does the customer perceive the product to be safe, does he find it

worth in spending the time shopping, and does he think that the price is worth

the amount paid for? Marketers can address these problems though appropriate

marketing communication strategies.

• Understanding the customer‟s perception helps the marketer position their

product better than that of the competitors, it helps them develop the right store

image, product quality, price, distribution channel etc.



64

Hence marketers must make an effort to understand the perceptions of the

customers and adjust their marketing mix accordingly.

Beliefs and Attitude:

A belief is a descriptive image or thought that an individual holds about

something. People acquire beliefs and attitudes through experience as well as

learning. The beliefs and attitudes held by people, in turn, influence their buying

behavior. A person‟s attitude is a set of his feelings and the way in which he

reacts to a given idea or thought. Attitudes can be positive, negative or neutral.

Customer attitudes are based on their past experiences with the products and

through their interaction and relationship with their respective reference groups.

Customer‟s attitude can have a major impact on a firm‟s marketing efforts. For

example, a customer with a negative attitude towards a company or its product,

does not only stop purchasing the product but is likely to influence, by

appealing, his reference group to refrain from buying the same.



65

REFERENCES

Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong, 11th edition,

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www.peterengland.com

www.maduragarments.com

www.indian-textile.com

www.marketshare.com

http://www.peterengland.com/

http://www.maduragarments.com/

http://www.indian-textile.com/

http://www.marketshare.com/

http://www.marketshare.com/

http://www.indian-textile.com/

http://www.maduragarments.com/

http://www.peterengland.com/

the perception of teenage consumers about branded t-shirt

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