MARKETING RESEARCH PROJECT ON

CONSUMERS PERCEPTION ABOUT BATHING SOAPS

NEHA GOSAIN (112E) RISHABH JAIN (112E) ANNU YADAV (112E11) SHUBHKARAN SINGH (112E38) MOHIT GARG (112E36) PRANAV SINGH (112E37)

MBA CLASS OF 2014

AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL AMITY UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH SECTOR 125, NOIDA - 201303, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA 2013

Submitted to: Prof. Dr. S. K. Laroiya

DECLARATION

Title of Project Report: Consumers perception about bathing soaps . We declare -

(a) That the work presented for assessment in this Report is our own, that it has not been previously presented for another assessment and that my debts (for words, data, arguments and ideas) have been appropriately acknowledged.

(b) That the work conforms to the guidelines for presentation and style set out in the relevant documentation.

Date :

CERTIFICATE

T h i s i s t o hereby certify that Neha gosain, Rishabh jain, Annu yadav, Shubhkaran singh, Mohit garg, Pranav singh , students of Masters of Business Administration at Amity Business School; Amity University Uttar Pradesh have completed the Project Report on Analyzing the consumer behavior towards bathing soaps under my guidance.

Prof. Dr. S. K. Laroiya

Acknowledgement: We take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude and deep regards to our guide Professor Dr. S. K. Laroiya for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout the course of this research project. The blessings, help and guidance given by him from time to time shall carry us a long way in the journey of life on which we are about to embark. And finally, we are thankful to Almighty, our parents and colleagues for their valuable advice and constant encouragement without which this project would not have been possible.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

Prof. S. K. Laroiya Marketing Research March 12th, 2013 SUB -Marketing Research Project on Consumers perception about bathing soaps. Respected Sir, We have the pleasure of submitting the final Report to examine consumer perception about bathing soap. The Group has studied the ground realities on ways consumers perceive fast food, advertisements and various brands popularity. We have also suggested some recommendations to increase sales, advertisement recall and promotional strategy effectiveness. We thank you for entrusting us with this responsibility. Yours sincerely, NEHA GOSAIN (112E) RISHABH JAIN (112E) ANNU YADAV (112E11) SHUBHKARAN SINGH (112E38) MOHIT GARG (112E36) PRANAV SINGH (112E37)

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To know the customer perception towards the bathing soaps : The study was undertaken to study the customer perception about the bathing soaps, whether or not people are comfortable in buying the costly bathing soaps or not. To find out the preference of customers in relation to bathing soaps: The study tried to bring out the details about customers soap buying habits. And also difference in buying habits of males and females. To know the most important factor that a customer thinks of before going to purchase a bathing soap: The study aimed at bringing out the most important factor that is considered by the general people in order to choose a bathing soap . The most important factor can be anything from fragrance ,cost to medical use. To know the consumption pattern of the customer: The study aimed at deriving inferences about the general consumption pattern of the customer Like what and how much people use in a month in terms of bathing soap . To find the consumption pattern of the customer of different age groups according to their profession. To know the role of promotional tools: The study tries to bring out the most effective way through which a bathing soap company can promote itself in order to spread the maximum awareness amongst the customers. The study covers various ways such as newspaper critics, friends, colleagues, etc. It tries to bring out the most effective means of getting heard by the general public.

Introduction to Research Methodology Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. It is a scientific and systematic method of searching for pertinent knowledge on a specific subject. It is an art of scientific investigation. It is an academic activity and comprises of the following steps: Defining and redefining problems Formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions Collecting, organizing and evaluating data Making deductions and reaching on to conclusions

Carefully testing the findings and conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis Accepting or rejecting the formulated hypothesis based on the conclusions Providing a significantly confident solution for the pre-defined problem stated above. Research is thus an original contribution and an addition to the existing stock of knowledge to ensure its advancement and application to problem solving. There are various methods and ways in which research can be conducted and are referred to as the research methodology. Thus, Research methodology is the process used to collect information and data for the purpose of making business decisions. It may include publication research, interviews, observations, experiments, surveys and other research techniques. It may also include both present and historical information. It is used to give a clear cut idea as to what is being carried out in the research. It starts right from the selection of the topic and extends upto execution and finally recommendations and conclusions from the final research.

Research Design A research design is a detailed blue print used to guide a research study towards its objectives. Its a series of decisions taken together comprising of a master plan or a model for the conduct of a research on consonance with the research objectives. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve the marketing research problems. A research design is a master plan which specifies the steps and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information. The choice of a research design largely depends on the objectives of the research and how much is known about the problem and these objectives prior to the actual conduct of the research by the researcher. The overall research design for any particular project may include one or more types of research designs as part(s) of it. Traditionally there are three types of research designs namely exploratory research design, descriptive research designs and causal research designs. Exploratory Research Design: It is an unstructured and informal research that is undertaken to gain background information about the general nature of the research problem under consideration. It is conducted when the researcher does not have sufficient knowledge about the problem and needs additional, new or recent information. The researcher knows very little about consumer reaction to market stimuli to permit the drawing of a sound hypothesis. This type of research design is very flexible and versatile. Descriptive Research Design: It is a more structured, pre-planned and formal research in which information is clearly defined and there is prior formulation of specific hypothesis. It is undertaken to provide answers to questions of who, what, where, when and how but not why and these studies collect data for a definite purpose. It does not show a direct cause and effect between the variables under study. It can be of two types: cross sectional studies, which measure a unit from the sample at only one point in time (e.g. Sample surveys), and, longitudinal studies, which repeatedly draw sample units of a population over time. Causal Research Design: This type of research design is most appropriate when it is necessary to show that one variable causes or determines the values of the other variables. It includes understanding a problem in terms of conditional statements of the form If X, then Y.

The research design adopted in this market research project is a descriptive research design. Descriptive research was adopted to describe the characteristic like attitude, perception, and consumption pattern. Other issues that were studied under the descriptive research design included determining the most effective means of promotion or advertising, and also the effect of age and feature of product on the general behavior. Also how the consumption pattern changes as the consumer profile (here, age) changes. Under the descriptive study, out of cross-sectional design and longitudinal design, in the study the former one has been employed. And also to diversify more under cross-sectional design, in the study single cross-sectional design has been used. The defining feature of a cross-sectional study is that it can compare different population groups at a single point in time. Think of it in terms of taking a snapshot. Findings are drawn from whatever fits into the frame. The benefit of a cross-sectional study design is that it allows researchers to compare many different variables at the same time. We could, for example, look at age, gender, and with little or no additional cost. One of the types of cross-sectional designs in which only one sample of respondents is drawn from the target population, and information is obtained from this sample once. These designs are also called sample survey research designs.

Research instruments This is one of the most important step in the market research project because it determines the most efficacious way to collect information that is anticipated to provide answers to the research questions it involves determining how are we going to collect our data whether the instrument we are using satisfies all our research objective. We must also keep in mind that the information given by our respondents should be kept private and confidential At first a marketer needs to know that what type of research instrument exist in the market. The various instruments namely are:1. Questionnaires or Surveys Structured or unstructured

2. Psychological tools Laddering questions techniques, In-depth interviews, 3. Qualitative measurements

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4. Mechanical devices Auto traffic machines, scanners, people meter, pupil meter, Psych galvanometer, voice pitch analyzer Therefore after analyzing each one of the above research instrument We have used Questioner as our research instrument as it covers all the main functions of our research. It also translates our research objective quite effectively and helps to speed up the process of data analysis. Sample scheme As it is not feasible to collect data from all the whole population we take a sample from it. This sample is a representative of the whole population Target population- The target population must be defined keeping in mind the research objective and also the product on which the research is done. In this project our target population is the youth of India, in the age group of 1638 years. Sampling frame Once the target population is defined then researcher has to begin searching for a suitable list to serve as the sampling frame. Its a list of population members used to obtain a sample. The sampling frame which we used in this marketing research project are1. 2. 3. 4. Students in Amity University Respondents in housing society Respondents as employees of bank and school List of our Relatives and friend

Sample selection method In this project we have used Probability sampling which basically says that there is a equal probability assigned to each member of our target population further breaking down probability sampling in to Simple random sampling which means that each member of the population has an identical chance of being selected into the sample Also we have used Non- Probability sampling and in this we have gone through convenience sampling wherein we selected our friends, relatives, and classmates etc. to be a part of the questionnaire survey.

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Sample size It refers to the number of elements of the population which are selected in the sample drawn from it. In our research we have taken a sample size of 363 respondents who were interviewed in person. Sample coverage We have chosen the target population of delhi/ ncr to be a part of our sample. Data collection method We have used survey method as it is the most efficient and economical way to collect data. There are different type of survey method among which we have selected the following 1. Person Administered surveys: In this, an interviewer reads questions to the respondent and records his or her answers. It helps us in providing the feedback from the respondents thus developing a rapport with them. It also helps in quality control and offers more adaptability or flexibility. 2. Telephone Administered surveys: It includes telephonic interviews, systematic random digit dialing and random digit dialing 3. Self-Administered Surveys: In this, the respondent completes the survey on his or her own. It helps in reducing the cost and there is no interviewer. This can be further done in the following ways.

4. Drop-Off Survey: The questionnaires are left with the respondents to be filled out. The administrator may return later to pick up the completed questionnaire or it may be mailed in.

5. Computer assisted online survey: In this, the computer technology plays an essential role in the interview work. Either the computer assists in the interview or interacts directly with the respondent. It is fast, conducts error free interview, uses picture, videos and graphics and provides real time capture of data. In computer assisted we have used Internet Survey, in this case, the computer acts a medium through which the potential respondents are approached and by which respondents also return their questionnaires. The questioners are made in Google docs and are thus transferred via internet to various respondents via Facebook and other social network websites.
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Software used Software is any set of machine readable instructions mostly in the form of a computer program that directs a computers processor to perform specific operations. The software used in this research is IBM SPSS Statistics v19. It is a software package used for statistical data analysis. (SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)

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Data analysis

What brand of bathing soap do you use presently?

LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL OTHERS:-

Brand of soap you presently use? Frequency LUX DOVE CINTHOL Valid LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363 Percent 21.5 32.8 13.8 9.4 4.7 17.9 100.0 Valid Percent 21.5 32.8 13.8 9.4 4.7 17.9 100.0 Cumulative Percent 21.5 54.3 68.0 77.4 82.1 100.0

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OBJECTIVE: To know preference of customer in brands. INFERENCE: 32.8% people use dove followed by lux with 21.5% usage.

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2. How many bath soaps do you personally require every month? 1 2 3 4

Number of soaps you personally require in a month Frequency 1 2 Valid 3 4 Total 67 147 115 34 363 Percent 18.5 40.5 31.7 9.4 100.0 Valid Percent 18.5 40.5 31.7 9.4 100.0 Cumulative Percent 18.5 59.0 90.6 100.0

OBJECTIVE: To know the usage amount of customer in a month INFERENCE: 40.5% people use 2 soaps followed by 3 with 31.7 % usage.
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3. How did you get to know about this brand? Friends/Neighbors TV Newspapers Any other source (Please Specify) -

How did you get to know about the brand? Frequency Friends/Neighbours TV Valid Newspaper Otherr Source Total 76 197 52 38 363 Percent 20.9 54.3 14.3 10.5 100.0 Valid Percent 20.9 54.3 14.3 10.5 100.0 Cumulative Percent 20.9 75.2 89.5 100.0

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OBJECTIVE: To know the best way of advertisement for soaps . INFERENCE: 54.4% of users use soap after getting influenced by the TV commercial.

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4. Why have you chosen/selected this specific brand? Cost Foamy Fragrance Color/Transparent Glycerin Content Medicinal Any other
Why have you chosen this soap? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Cost Foamy Fragrance Colour/Transparent Valid Glycerine Content Medical Any Other Total

37 64 128 27 55 41 11 363

10.2 17.6 35.3 7.4 15.2 11.3 3.0 100.0

10.2 17.6 35.3 7.4 15.2 11.3 3.0 100.0

10.2 27.8 63.1 70.5 85.7 97.0 100.0

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OBJECTIVE: To know the attribute on which selection of soap is done . INFERENCE: 35.3 % users select the brand on the basis of fragrance. 5. Rank the following features according to the importance, 1 being the most important feature and 9 being the least important. Cost Availability Usage Rate Fragrance Lather Color/Transparency Moisturizer Deodorizer Medicinal Use
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Rank the features according to importance (Cost) Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 69 43 38 25 34 39 30 30 55 363 Percent 19.0 11.8 10.5 6.9 9.4 10.7 8.3 8.3 15.2 100.0 Valid Percent 19.0 11.8 10.5 6.9 9.4 10.7 8.3 8.3 15.2 100.0 Cumulative Percent 19.0 30.9 41.3 48.2 57.6 68.3 76.6 84.8 100.0

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Rank the features according to importance (Availability) Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 31 47 53 49 38 45 47 36 17 363 Percent 8.5 12.9 14.6 13.5 10.5 12.4 12.9 9.9 4.7 100.0 Valid Percent 8.5 12.9 14.6 13.5 10.5 12.4 12.9 9.9 4.7 100.0 Cumulative Percent 8.5 21.5 36.1 49.6 60.1 72.5 85.4 95.3 100.0

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Rank the features according to importance (Usage Rate) Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 32 42 43 44 48 35 55 42 22 363 Percent 8.8 11.6 11.8 12.1 13.2 9.6 15.2 11.6 6.1 100.0 Valid Percent 8.8 11.6 11.8 12.1 13.2 9.6 15.2 11.6 6.1 100.0 Cumulative Percent 8.8 20.4 32.2 44.4 57.6 67.2 82.4 93.9 100.0

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Rank the features according to importance (Fragrance) Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 67 45 59 57 42 40 12 22 19 363 Percent 18.5 12.4 16.3 15.7 11.6 11.0 3.3 6.1 5.2 100.0 Valid Percent 18.5 12.4 16.3 15.7 11.6 11.0 3.3 6.1 5.2 100.0 Cumulative Percent 18.5 30.9 47.1 62.8 74.4 85.4 88.7 94.8 100.0

Rank the features according to importance (Lather)

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Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 22 41 47 53 58 41 37 25 39 363

Percent 6.1 11.3 12.9 14.6 16.0 11.3 10.2 6.9 10.7 100.0

Valid Percent 6.1 11.3 12.9 14.6 16.0 11.3 10.2 6.9 10.7 100.0

Cumulative Percent 6.1 17.4 30.3 44.9 60.9 72.2 82.4 89.3 100.0

Rank the features according to importance (Colour/Transperancy)

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Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 15 31 27 41 30 56 54 60 49 363

Percent 4.1 8.5 7.4 11.3 8.3 15.4 14.9 16.5 13.5 100.0

Valid Percent 4.1 8.5 7.4 11.3 8.3 15.4 14.9 16.5 13.5 100.0

Cumulative Percent 4.1 12.7 20.1 31.4 39.7 55.1 70.0 86.5 100.0

Rank the features according to importance (Moisturizer)

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Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 64 41 34 42 40 32 56 35 19 363

Percent 17.6 11.3 9.4 11.6 11.0 8.8 15.4 9.6 5.2 100.0

Valid Percent 17.6 11.3 9.4 11.6 11.0 8.8 15.4 9.6 5.2 100.0

Cumulative Percent 17.6 28.9 38.3 49.9 60.9 69.7 85.1 94.8 100.0

Rank the features according to importance (Deoderizer)

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Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 33 46 32 33 40 42 40 72 25 363

Percent 9.1 12.7 8.8 9.1 11.0 11.6 11.0 19.8 6.9 100.0

Valid Percent 9.1 12.7 8.8 9.1 11.0 11.6 11.0 19.8 6.9 100.0

Cumulative Percent 9.1 21.8 30.6 39.7 50.7 62.3 73.3 93.1 100.0

Rank the features according to importance (Medical Use)

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Frequency 1 2 3 4 5 Valid 6 7 8 9 Total 59 22 24 20 33 34 32 31 108 363

Percent 16.3 6.1 6.6 5.5 9.1 9.4 8.8 8.5 29.8 100.0

Valid Percent 16.3 6.1 6.6 5.5 9.1 9.4 8.8 8.5 29.8 100.0

Cumulative Percent 16.3 22.3 28.9 34.4 43.5 52.9 61.7 70.2 100.0

6. What is your opinion about the soap on the following factors?

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(Please mark 1=Excellent,2=Very Good, 3=Good, 4=Average and 5=Poor for each feature.)

Grade Cost Usage rate Availability Fragrance Foamy Thick Lather Moisturizer Deodorizer Medicinal benefits
Descriptive Statistics N Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Cost Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Usage Rate Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Availability

Excellent Very Good Good Average

Poor

Mean 2.20 2.29 2.04 2.07 2.33 2.52 2.26 2.30

363 363 363

Your opinion about the soap 363 on the basis of Fragrance Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Foamy Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Thick Lather Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Moisturizer Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Deoderizer Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Medical Benefits Valid N (listwise) 363 363 363 363

363

2.74

363

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OBJECTIVE: To know about the compatibility of soap . INFERENCE: mixed response.

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7. What is the average price you have paid in recent months for soap? 10 - 20 20-30 30 - 50 50 and above
Average price you have paid in recent times Frequency 10-20 20-30 30-40 Valid 40-50 50 and above Total 15 79 101 66 102 363 Percent 4.1 21.8 27.8 18.2 28.1 100.0 Valid Percent 4.1 21.8 27.8 18.2 28.1 100.0 Cumulative Percent 4.1 25.9 53.7 71.9 100.0

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OBJECTIVE: To know the average expenditure of customer on soaps in a month .

INFERENCE: 50- above is found to be the average expenditure.

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8. Is the brand economical to use? YES NO

Is this brand economical to use? Frequency Yes Valid No Total 307 56 363 Percent 84.6 15.4 100.0 Valid Percent 84.6 15.4 100.0 Cumulative Percent 84.6 100.0

OBJECTIVE: To know whether the customer is economically satisfied with the brand or not . INFERENCE: customer is highly satisfied with the brand they are using.
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9.Will you recommend others to use the same brand? YES NO

Will you recommend others to use this brand? Frequency Yes Valid No Total 325 38 363 Percent 89.5 10.5 100.0 Valid Percent 89.5 10.5 100.0 Cumulative Percent 89.5 100.0

OBJECTIVE: To know whether they are going to recommend this brand to others or not . INFERENCE: a major portion said yes they will recommend the brand.

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10. What is your age? Below 20 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 Above 60

Age Group Frequency Below 20 20-29 30-39 Valid 40-49 50-59 above 60 Total 14 246 59 32 8 4 363 Percent 3.9 67.8 16.3 8.8 2.2 1.1 100.0 Valid Percent 3.9 67.8 16.3 8.8 2.2 1.1 100.0 Cumulative Percent 3.9 71.6 87.9 96.7 98.9 100.0

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OBJECTIVE: To know about the age group that use maximum soap. INFERENCE: 20-29 is the major part of the total sample.

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CROSS TABULATION

Brand of soap you presently use? * Age Group Crosstabulation Count Age Group Below 20 Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 5 5 3 0 0 1 14 20-29 42 85 35 23 12 49 246 30-39 13 18 9 8 3 8 59 40-49 14 6 2 2 2 6 32 50-59 2 4 0 1 0 1 8 above 60 2 1 1 0 0 0 4 Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

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BRAND OF SOAP AND THE GENDER

Brand of soap you presently use? * Gender Crosstabulation Count Gender Male Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 46 49 40 23 13 35 206 Female 32 70 10 11 4 30 157 Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

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AGE GROUP AND THE AVERAGE PRICE PAID

Age Group * Average price you have paid in recent times Crosstabulation Count Average price you have paid in recent times 10-20 Age Group Below 20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 above 60 Total 1 5 3 4 1 1 15 20-30 2 57 11 6 2 1 79 30-40 5 62 25 7 1 1 101 40-50 1 45 9 9 1 1 66 50 and above 5 77 11 6 3 0 102 Total 14 246 59 32 8 4 363

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BRAND OF SOAP AND EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Brand of soap you presently use? * Educational Qualification Crosstabulation Count Educational Qualification 10th Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 4 2 0 0 2 1 9 12th 9 4 2 0 2 4 21 Graduate 29 51 30 20 8 26 164 Post-Graduate 36 62 16 14 5 33 166 Other 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

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BRAND OF SOAP AND THE PROFESSION

Brand of soap you presently use? * Profession Crosstabulation Count Profession Government Private Employee Sector Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE 1 3 21 39 10 11 5 19 105 SelfAny Employeed Businessman Student Other 8 6 5 6 1 4 30 4 3 1 3 1 1 13 36 63 30 13 8 37 187 8 5 4 0 1 3 21 Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

CINTHOL 0 LIRIL 1

LIFEBUOY 1 OTHERS 1 Total 7

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BRAND OF SOAP AND THE FEATURES ON WHICH BRAND IS CHOOSED

Brand of soap you presently use? * Why have you chosen this soap? Crosstabulation Count Why have you chosen this soap? Cost Brand of soap you LUX presently use? DOVE 14 4 Glycerine Any Foamy Fragrance Colour/Transparent Content Medical Other 15 33 5 6 0 5 64 38 31 25 13 3 18 128 2 11 5 5 1 3 27 3 33 3 4 0 12 55 6 4 3 3 8 17 41 0 3 0 0 2 6 11 Total 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

CINTHOL 9 LIRIL 3

LIFEBUOY 3 OTHERS 4 Total 37

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BRAND OF SOAP AND THE AWARENESS

Brand of soap you presently use? * How did you get to know about the brand? Crosstabulation Count How did you get to know about the brand? Friends/Neighbours TV Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL 18 16 11 8 46 79 24 18 8 22 197 Newspaper 10 17 10 7 2 6 52 Otherr Source Total 4 7 5 1 6 15 38 78 119 50 34 17 65 363

LIFEBUOY 1 OTHERS Total 22 76

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AVERAGE PRICE PAID AND THE ECONOMICAL SATISFACTION

Average price you have paid in recent times * Is this brand economical to use? Crosstabulation Count Is this brand economical to use? Yes Average price you have paid in 10-20 recent times 20-30 30-40 40-50 50 and above Total 15 73 83 60 76 307 No 0 6 18 6 26 56 Total 15 79 101 66 102 363

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BRAND OF SOAP , AVERAGE PRICE PAID AND THE ECONOMICAL SATISFACTION

Brand of soap you presently use? * Is this brand economical to use? * Average price you have paid in recent times Crosstabulation Count Is this brand economical to use? Average price you have paid in recent times 10-20 Brand of soap you presently use? LUX LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 20-30 Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 30-40 Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 40-50 Brand of soap you presently use? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total Yes 4 2 1 8 15 26 10 20 6 5 6 73 16 30 11 12 2 12 83 12 20 10 6 3 9 60 3 1 0 2 0 0 6 7 5 4 1 0 1 18 0 4 0 1 0 1 6 No Total 4 2 1 8 15 29 11 20 8 5 6 79 23 35 15 13 2 13 101 12 24 10 7 3 10 66

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50 and above

Brand of soap you presently use?

LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS

9 35 5 3 4 20 76

1 14 0 1 2 8 26

10 49 5 4 6 28 102

Total

Total

Brand of soap you presently use?

LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS

67 95 46 29 15 55 307

11 24 4 5 2 10 56

78 119 50 34 17 65 363

Total

CHI SQUARE TEST

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This method can be used for test of independence. It tells us that whether the obtained data is independent or dependent. We conducted this test on combination of questions to check whether what has been asked by the respondents is independent of each other not. Brand and age of customer. Null Hypothesis: use of soap and age of customer are independent of each other. Alternate Hypothesis: use of soap and age of customer are not independent of each other.
Brand of soap you presently use? * Age Group Cross tabulation Count Age Group Below 20 LUX DOVE Brand of soap you presently use? CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 5 5 3 0 0 1 14 20-29 42 85 35 23 12 49 246 30-39 13 18 9 8 3 8 59 40-49 14 6 2 2 2 6 32 50-59 2 4 0 1 0 1 8 above 60 2 1 1 0 0 0 4 78 119 50 34 17 65 363 Total

Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

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Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases

26.671a 29.843 1.981 363

25 25 1

.373 .230 .159

a. 22 cells (61.1%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .19.

From the table above age group of 20-29 is the prominent user of soaps and they prefer dove the most. In this test we are testing whether the age and the brand used is independent of each other or not. Since it is a two tailed test and the value of p is .373 which is greater than the standard value of .025, hence we will reject the alternate hypothesis in favour of null hypothesis i.e. the age and brand used is independent of each other.

Brand and age of customer. Null Hypothesis: choice of brand and advertisement are independent of each other.
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Alternate Hypothesis: choice of brand and advertisement are not independent of each other.
Brand of soap you presently use? * How did you get to know about the brand? Crosstabulation Count How did you get to know about the brand? Friends/Neighbour TV s LUX DOVE Brand of soap you presently use? CINTHOL LIRIL LIFEBUOY OTHERS Total 18 16 11 8 1 22 76 46 79 24 18 8 22 197 Newspaper 10 17 10 7 2 6 52 Otherr Source 4 7 5 1 6 15 38 78 119 50 34 17 65 363 Total

Chi-Square Tests Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 49.260a 45.435 3.690 363 df 15 15 1 Asymp. Sig. (2sided) .000 .000 .055

a. 5 cells (20.8%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.78.

From the table above it is proved that TV commercials plays a very important role in choice of brand. In this test we are testing whether the advertisement and the brand used is independent of each other or not. Since it is a two tailed test and the value of p is .000 which is smaller than the standard value of .025, hence we will reject the

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null hypothesis in favour of alternate hypothesis i.e. choice of brand and advertisement are not independent of each other. Brand and age of customer. Null Hypothesis: choice of soap is independent of features of soap. Alternate Hypothesis: choice of brand is dependent on the features of the soap.
Brand of soap you presently use? * Why have you chosen this soap? Crosstabulation Count Why have you chosen this soap? Cost Foamy Fragrance Colour/Transparent Glycerine Medical Any Content Other LUX DOVE Brand of soap you presently use? CINTHOL LIRIL 14 4 9 3 15 33 5 6 0 5 64 38 31 25 13 3 18 128 2 11 5 5 1 3 27 3 33 3 4 0 12 55 6 4 3 3 8 17 41 0 3 0 0 2 6 11 78 119 50 34 17 65 363 Total

LIFEBUOY 3 OTHERS Total Chi-Square Tests 4 37

Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 133.089a 131.929 33.645 363

df 30 30 1

Asymp. Sig. (2sided) .000 .000 .000

a. 16 cells (38.1%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .52.

From the table above it is proved that features of soap plays a very important role in choice of brand. In this test we are testing whether the choice of brand and the features are independent of each other or not. Since it is a two tailed test and the value of p is .000 which is smaller than the standard value of .025, hence we will reject the
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null hypothesis in favour of alternate hypothesis i.e. choice of brand is dependent on the features of the soap. Independent Sample T test Null Hypothesis: There is no difference in the mean of males and females that they buy a soap on the basis of same features. Alternate Hypothesis: There is a difference in the mean of males and females that they buy a soap on the basis of same features.
Group Statistics Gender Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Cost Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Usage Rate Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Availability Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Fragrance Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Foamy Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Thick Lather Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Moisturizer Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Deoderizer Your opinion about the soap on the basis of Medical Benefits Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female N 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 206 157 Mean 2.08 2.35 2.30 2.29 2.05 2.02 2.10 2.04 2.29 2.38 2.48 2.57 2.35 2.13 2.28 2.32 2.77 2.70 Std. Deviation .999 1.018 .847 .777 .854 .843 .937 .919 1.008 1.047 1.044 1.057 .995 1.153 1.021 .982 1.319 1.174 Std. Error Mean .070 .081 .059 .062 .060 .067 .065 .073 .070 .084 .073 .084 .069 .092 .071 .078 .092 .094

Conclusions and Findings :

Dove is the most favorite brand. Many people tend to use 2 soaps in a month. Most people spend an expenditure of 50-above Rs. while buying soaps.
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 Cost and fragrance are the two most important attributes. Medical benefits of soap came into limelight. TV commercials plays a important role in increasing the awareness about the brands. People are highly satisfied with the brands they are using and are ready to recommend the same. Buying behavior of male and female is different.

Buying behavior of students and working people is different. Age group of 20-29 is the major user of soaps.

Feature does affect the buying behavior. Advertisement affect the buying behavior. Use of soaps and the age group are not interrelated.

Appendix (Attached Questionnaire):

We request you to attempt all the questions so as to help us arrive at authentic results. The data collected here in will be purely used for academic purpose. Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.

QUESTIONNAIRE
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Please express your frank opinion on all the following questions concerning your preference of brand in Bathing Soap by checking the most appropriate alternative(s) and others as well.

1. What brand of bathing soap do you use presently? LUX DOVE CINTHOL LIRIL OTHERS: YES NO 3. 1 2 3 4
2.

Is the soap an imported brand?

How many bath soaps do you personally require every month?

4. How many bath soaps do you buy for your household every month? 1 2 3 > 3 Do you change from one brand of soap to another? (If no, redirect to question no. 7) YES NO
5.

6. How often did you change brands in the last 6 months? Once Twice Many Times How long you have been using this specific/particular brand? Since last 1 month Since last 6 months
7. 64

 Since last 1 years Since last 2 years Over 2 years How did you get to know about this brand? Friends/Neighbors TV Newspapers Any other source (Please Specify) 8.

Cost Foamy Fragrance Color/Transparent Glycerin Content Medicinal Any other

9.

Why have you chosen/selected this specific brand?

10. Rank the following features according to the importance, 1 being the most important feature and 9 being the least important.
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. 11.

Cost Availability Usage Rate Fragrance Lather Color/Transparency Moisturizer Deodorizer Medicinal Use

What is your opinion about the soap on the following factors? (Please mark 1=Excellent,2=Very Good, 3=Good, 4=Average and 5=Poor for each feature.) Grade Features Cost Usage rate Availability Fragrance Foamy Excellen t (1) Very Good (2) Good Averag e (3) (4) Poor (5)

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Thick Lather Moisturizer Deodorizer Medicinal benefits 12. What is the average price you have paid in recent months for soap? 10 - 20 20-30 30 - 50 50 and above 13. Is the brand economical to use? YES NO 14. Will you recommend others to use the same brand? YES NO Please answer the following informational questions concerning yourself and your profession.
15.

What is your name?

16. What is your gender? MALE FEMALE

17. What is your age? Below 20 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 Above 60 18. How many members are there in your family? 2 - 3
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4 - 5 6 - 7 Above 7 19. What is your educational qualification? 10th 12th Graduate Post-Graduate Other 20. What is your profession? Government Employee Private Sector Self-employed Businessman Student Other

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