A study on customer attitude towards branded casual wears with reference to students pursuing graduation and post graduation

Executive summary In the globalised era, the apparel and accessory segment in India, like many other traditional product segments, is undergoing an astounding change of perception. While it continues to enjoy the position of being an enhancer of beauty, the new-age consumer perceives fashion as a must, manifesting the wearers attitude, personality and lifestyle. The present study seeks to e amine the attitude of !"" respondents, about the casual wears offered by most of the popular brands. The respondents were selected by convenience sampling techni#ue. The relevant data on awareness about different brands, factors considered while purchasing the clothes and buyers opinion about the #uality of branded clothes were collected with the help of a structured #uestionnaire. The results of two-way $%&'$ table shows that there is a significant effect of brand name over the purchase of casual wears being purchased by students pursuing graduation and post graduation.

Introduction:

Fashion is now an important new sales driver in India, and domestic and international brands are scrambling to adjust their designs to cater to the Indian market. A host of variables - the buying occasion, the wearing occasion, the economic strata of the target segment and the effect of regional and religious influences on all of them are now being juggled to find the winning mix. ith mounting western influence, and a focus on revival of traditional Indian fashion elements, diversity in India sees new faces. !he Indian fashion stage is a reflection of deep cultural influences, the consumer shift in the new economic scenario, and changing social perceptions. It indicates the birth of new and distinct target groups that ride on various influences to set new trends. "nderstanding these influencers and the various target group characteristics are keys to setting foot in the Indian fashion industry. A huge shift is underway from spending on necessities such as basic food and clothing to choice-based spending on categories such as branded clothes, lifestyle and restaurants. #ouseholds that can afford discretionary consumption will grow from $ million today to %& million by '('). !he comparative research over the years shows that long-established spending attitudes are already changing rapidly. *randed clothes are becoming de rigueur for the wealthiest Indians. +hristian ,ior, -ouis .uitton and !ommy #iliger already have a presence in the country. /ucci, Armani and .ersace are on their way. As the seismic wave of income growth rolls across Indian society, the characteristics of consumption are changing, and will continue to change dramatically over the next '( years. Fashion awareness is increasing as well. 0ow fashion is no more a monopoly of the starlets or just confined to rich people. 1ven common college going boys and girls or men and women

working in a corporate environment, follow the latest trends and wear designer attire as daily office wear or casual wear, unlike a decade ago.

Brand consciousness among youth:

2*rand3 is almost an overrated word now4 it3s not enough for Indians any more to just be wearing something with a recogni5able name tag. ith increase in purchasing power and options available in the market, the consumer is going through a natural progression, fast moving up from a lower segment to a higher one. Availability of ade6uate upgrade options in super premium and affordable luxury segments today has helped these segments to grow in most categories. ith the emergence of a new class of very affluent young Indians, who are ready to spend money to be considered classy and elite, India is no more a testing ground for premium and luxury brands, but a lucrative market with explosive growth potential. 7edia and promotions have been the sole reasons for the brand awareness and consciousness among the /eneration 8. !his is the new trend that more and more young people are buying clothes which are of a particular reputed brand. hen they are out shopping in a chic shopping mall they are sure to visit one of the big brands to buy a pair of jeans or a shirt from the shop. !oday the youth are eager to shell out a fortune to buy branded cloths. !he common concept is that the clothing brands provide high 6uality and great comfort. And hence more and more people are becoming brand loyalist even though they have to give out 6uite a huge sum of money when he is making his purchases. 7ost people tend to go and buy which are highly reputed and have a brand value. *y brand value people mean by the 6uality, the price and the style. *eing brand conscious is the new fashion mantra which has caught on like forest fire. !he increased income levels help the young people to buy from big clothing brands with much ease and comfort. !he urge to look good and stylish has also induced the /en 9 to buy clothing brands which are supposed to be cool and :in:. It is not just the est who is brand conscious. India is not left behind in this race. ;ome of the popular clothing brands in India are< Allen ;olly, -ee cooper, .an heusen, =outons, -evi3s, and >eter 1ngland etc.

Statement of the problem:

Although expanding in the past five years, many researches about the buying behaviors of consumers have been conducted, but there are very few studies about consumer buying behavior towards branded clothes. !his topic deals with the study of youth3s preferences for branded clothes. +onsumer3s choice varies from brand to brand on the basis of 6uality, price, colour, style etc. the complications undergone to identify consumer3s reaction are many. !herefore, this study was conducted to know about the degree to which consumer preference varies with gender, 6ualification, family income, age and other characteristics.

Objective of the study:

!he purpose of this research was to investigate youths to examine if differences in their buying behavior for apparel exist. In addition, personal characteristics ?i.e., gender, age, family income, and 6ualification@ were investigated in relation to the purchase behavior of youths. Abjective behind this research are< !o study B analyse the brand preference of youth in buying branded apparels. !o identify the extent of brand awareness among youths.

!o study impact of personal characteristics on buying of youth regarding branded apparels. !o study the factors which influence the buying behaviour for branded apparelsC

Area of the study:

the study was conducted in *areilly ,istrict ?Dohilkhand region@ of the state "ttar >radesh. !he study area is both agriculture and industry oriented. !he familiarity of the researcher with the conditions of *areilly was one of the reasons for the purpose of this selection of study area.

Methodology:

the present research work is descriptive and analytical based on empirical observation and comprehensive survey. For analy5ing consumer3s preference towards branded apparels, the researcher developed a set of 6uestions relating to the objective of study. !hese 6uestions were reviewed by the subject experts. A pilot study was also conducted on a sample of E) respondents. ;ome modifications, additions and deletion of 6uestions are made according to the results of pilot study B suggestions of subject experts. !hen the final study was conducted on a sample of '(( respondents in the *areilly district.

Sampling:

In the first stage of sampling, the area for the study was finali5ed. *areilly district of "ttar >radesh was selected for the study based on the population and the si5e of the area. !he area was also selected because of its good connectivity to the major cities like 0ew ,elhi and -ucknow. 7ost of the leading brands in apparel industry have their showroom in the city. From the chosen area, the researcher selected '(( respondents, mainly students of graduation B post graduation and youths. !his sample was chosen on the basis of convenience sampling method. >ersonal interviews were also conducted with dealers and retailers of companies offering branded apparels. All popular brands have been taken into consideration.

Collection of data:

in this study, both primary as well as secondary data were collected in the *areilly region. For data collection, the researcher first created a good rapport with the respondents to get the ade6uate and reliable informations. !he 6uestions were explained to the respondents in vernacular language very smoothly. Desearcher clearly explained the purpose and meaning of the 6uestion wherever re6uired.

Analysis of data:

the collected data was classified, tabulated, codified, analy5ed and interpreted. !he collected data was then analy5ed with reference to each of the specific

objectives of the study. !he statistical tools used for the study are percentage analysis, A0A.A, and F-test. ;imple analysis is done on the basis of percentage to total of sample respondents. In order to test the hypothesis formulated !wo way A0A.A was applied. /ender influences buying motives in consumer market too. 7ales are more fre6uent in purchasing branded apparels than females is explained in table E. !"S#O$%"$&S B' S* $O, (, ., "$%"! Male +emale &otal "$%"! #"!C"$&A " 8/3 2/3 (003

ender wise classification of respondents:

$-MB"! O+ !"S#O$%"$&S (20 10 .00

&able (?source( primary data@

!he buyers can be males and female respondents. As the male members who form F)G revealed that they were the more fre6uent buyers of branded clothes. ;ample si5e included H)G of female population.

Income wise classification of respondents:

buying preference also depends on the income level of consumers. >eople from #igh income group purchase costlier products to match their status, but people from low income groups mostly buy cheaper products to match their needs. !"S#O$%"$&S B' MO$&)*' I$COM" O+ +AMI*' MO$&)*' I$COM" O+ +AMI*' (, -#&O !s, ./000 ., ./0004/0000 2, Above !s, /0000 &otal &able .)source( primary data7 S* no, $-MB"! O+ !"S#O$%"$&S 10 50 /0 .00 #"!C"$&A " 2/3 603 ./3 (003

Degardless of the social economic status, people are attracted towards brand preferences. &(G of total respondents are earning in between Ds. ')((( to Ds. )((((. *ut only ')G respondents are earning more than Ds. )(((( per month while H) ) respondents are earning below Ds. ')((( per month. It was found that majority of the respondents earning enough income to buy branded apparels.

Classification according to "ducational 9ualification:

6ualification of an individual plays a vital role in the way that a person wants to live. It affects the buying behaviour of the consumer towards any product or service. Iualification of respondents in the sample is as given in table H. !"S#O$%"$&S B' "%-CA&IO$ S* $O, (, ., 2, :-A*I+ICA&IO$ $-MB"! O+ !"S#O$%"$&S 1. 85 80 .00 #"!C"$&A " 283 263 203 (003

!A%-A&" #OS& !A%-A&" #!O+"SSIO$A** ' :-A*I+I"% &O&A* &able 2 )source( primary data@

"$%"! A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" O+ &)" !"S#O$%"$&S:

/ender influences buying motives in consumer market too. >urchasing is dominated not only by males but also by females. !he data collected through 6uestionnaires is classified as per the /ender of respondents in following table &. "$%"! A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" S* no , (, ., end er Allen solly *ee cooper *evi;s &(?H(.JG@ '(?'$.)G@ F(?H(G@ <outons &)?H&.FG@ ')?H).JG@ J(?H)G@ =an heusen E)?EE.)G@ $?EE.&G@ 'H?EE.)G@ &otal EH(?F)G@ J(?H)G@ .00>(0037

Male E' ?%.'HG@ E$?EH.$G@ +emal )?J.E&G@ E'?EJ.E&G e @ &otal EJ?$.)G@ H(?E)G@ &able 6 )source( primary data@

As stated in table &, apparels by K=outonsL were preferred by H&.FG male respondents and H).JG female respondents. -evi3s was preferred by H(.JG male respondents B '$.)G female respondents. -ee cooper brand was used by EH.$G of male respondents B EJ.E&G of female respondents. An the whole, majority of male and female respondents used apparels of =outons B -evi3s brands. !he brand preference of the customers based on their /ender classification was tested using the two-way analysis of variance ?!wo-way A0A.A@. !he two null hypothesis framed for this purpose are as follows< E. #(< there is no significant difference in the different brands as preferred by the consumers of different /ender groups. ? between column@ '. #(< there is no significant difference in the perception of consumers of different /ender groups regarding brand preference. ?between row@ !he two-way Anova table for testing these two hypothesis is given below<

"$%"! A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" ? &wo4way A$O=A &able S*, $o, E. Source of variance Sum of s9uares EE(% HF( E(J (/18 %egrees of freedom ?c-E@ & ?r-E@ E & @ Mean s9uare 'JJ.') HF( 'F.J) +4 ratio E(.HF EH.&F

*etween +olumns ?*rand preference@ '. *etween rows ?/ender@ H. Desidual error &otal &able / )source( primary data@

E. !he variance ratio for brand preference is E(.HF, and the critical value for F is F.H$ as the calculated value is more than critical value, and it is significant. !he null hypothesis is rejected. !herefore, there is significant difference between the /ender and brand preference. '. !he variance ratio for /ender is EH.&F, the critical value of F is J.J(, as calculated value is more than critical value, and it is significant. !he null hypothesis is rejected. !herefore, there is significant difference in the perception regarding brand preference of consumer based on /ender classification.

"$%"! A$% +AC&O!S I$+*-"$CI$

S* no , (, ., end er Colour #rice H)?EJ.)G@ '&?E'G@ )%?'%.)G@ :uality )(?')G@ H(?E)G@ $(?&(G@

B!A$% #!"+"!"$C"
Style H(?E)G@ E(?)G@ &(?H(.JG@ &otal EH(?F)G@ J(?H)G@ .00>(0037

Male E) ?EE.)G@ +emal (F?HG@ e &otal 'E?E(.)G@ &able 8 )source( primary data@

!he above table shows that &(G of the respondents purchase one brand because of its 6uality while HEG of them select the brand on the basis of style of the apparel. 0ear about H(G of the respondents give preference to price while purchasing the apparel, while E(G of respondents choose apparels by its colour. "$%"! A$% +AC&O!S I$+*-"$C-I$ B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" ? &wo4way A$O=A &able S*, $o, E. Source of variance *etween +olumns Sum of s9uares %FE %egrees of freedom ?c-E@ Mean s9uare H'(.HH +4 ratio E$.$&

?Factors influencing *rand preference@ '. *etween rows ?/ender@ H. Desidual error &otal &able 8 )source( primary data@

H &)( )E (68. ?r-E@ E H 1 &)( EJ 'F.&

E. !he variance ratio for factors influencing brand preference is E$.$&. !he critical value for F is %.'$, as the calculated value is more than the critical value, it is significant. !he null hypothesis is rejected. !here is a significant difference in the factors influencing brand preference of consumers. ,ifferent factors influence differently the brand preference of consumer. '. !he variance ratio for factor influenced brand preference is 'F.&, the critical value for F is E(.E'$, as the critical value is more than the critical value, it is significant. !he null hypothesis is rejected. !here is a significant difference between the gender of consumer and factor influencing brand preference.

I$COM" A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" O+ &)" !"S#O$%"$&S:

Income influences buying motives in consumer market too. *uying preference depends on the income level of consumers. 7ore income group of people mostly purchases the costlier products to match their status. *ut lesser income group of people mostly buy cheaper products to match their needs. !he data collected through 6uestionnaires is classified as per the Income of respondents in following table ). I$COM" A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" S* no , (, Income level>!s,Amont h7 -p to ./000 Allen solly *ee cooper E(?E&.'$ G@ EF ?'(.(G@ E( ?'(.(G@ HF?E$.(G@ *evi;s <outons =an heusen &?).JEG@ J?$.J)G@ E'?'&.( G@ 'H?EE.) G@ &otal J( ?H).(G@ $(?&(.(G @ )( ?').(G@ .00>(00 37

$ ?EE.&G@ ., ./< to /0< $ ?E(.(G@ 2, Above /0< E&?'$.( G@ &otal H(?E).( G@ &able 1 )source( primary data@

'(?'$.)J '$?&(.(G@ G@ '&?H(.(G@ ')?HE.') G@ $ ?EF.(G@ F ?E'.(G@ )'?'F.(G@ )%?'%.)G@

As stated in table J, apparels by K=outonsL were preferred by lower and middle level income group people whereas higher income level group people generally prefer .an heusen. !he brand preference of the customers based on their income level was tested using the twoway analysis of variance ?!wo-way A0A.A@. !he two null hypothesis framed for this purpose are as follows<

H. #(< there is no significant difference in the different brands as preferred by the consumers of different income levels. ? between column@ &. #(< there is no significant difference in the perception of consumers of different income groups regarding brand preference. ?between row@ !he two-way Anova table for testing these two hypothesis is given below<

I$COM" A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" ? &wo4way A$O=A &able S*, $o, E. Source of variance Sum of s9uares H(H.H' %H.HH &E(.F$ 501,22 %egrees of freedom ?c-E@ & ?r-E@ ' $ (6 Mean s9uare J).$H &F.FF) )E.HH) +4 ratio E.&JJE E.E((

*etween +olumns ?*rand preference@ '. *etween rows ?Income@ H. Desidual error &otal &able 5 )source( primary data@

E. !he variance ratio for brand preference is E.&JJE, and the critical value for F is H.$HJ$ as the calculated value is less than critical value, and it is not significant. !he null hypothesis is accepted. !herefore, there is no significant difference between the income and brand preference. '. !he variance ratio for /ender is E.E((, the critical value of F is &.&)%(, as calculated value is less than critical value, and it is not significant. !he null hypothesis is accepted. !herefore, there is no significant difference in the income level and perception regarding brand preference of consumer.

"%-CA&IO$A* :-A*I+ICA&IO$ A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" O+ &)" !"S#O$%"$&S: 1ducational 6ualification of individual plays a vital role in
the purchase of any goods or services. *uying decisions, analysis and evaluation of various products available in the market differ from one individual to another based on their 6ualification. !he data collected through 6uestionnaires is classified as per the educational 6ualification of respondents in following table %. "%-CA&IO$A* :-A*I+ICA&IO$ A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" S* no , "ducational 9ualificatio n Allen solly *ee cooper *evi;s <outons =an heusen &otal

(, ., 2,

raduate #ost graduate #rofessiona lly 9ualified &otal

% ?E'.)G@ E'?EJ.F& G@ $?EH.HHG@ '%?E&.)G@

E'?EF.FJ G@ E(?E&.J( G@ J?EE.FFG@ '%?E&.)G@

E$?').(G@ '(?'%.&E G@ ''?HF.FF G@ F(?H(G@

'&?HH.HH G@ E$?'F.&J G@ E)?').(G@ )J?'$.)G@

%?E'.)G@ $?EE.JFG @ $?EH.HHG @ ')?E'.)G @

J'?HFG@ F$?H&G@ F(?H(G@ .00>(003 7

&able @ )source( primary data@ As stated in table %, apparels by K=outonsL were mostly preferred by graduates. hile K-evi3sL was most preferred by >ost graduates B professionally 6ualified respondents. An the whole, majority of respondents used apparels of =outons B -evi3s brands. !he brand preference of the customers based on their educational 6ualification was also tested using !wo-way A0A.A. !he two null hypothesis framed for this purpose are as follows< E. #(< there is no significant difference in the different brands as preferred by the consumers having different educational background. ? between column@ '. #(< there is no significant difference in the perception of consumers having different educational 6ualification regarding brand preference. ?between row@ !he two-way Anova table for testing these two hypothesis is given below< "%-CA&IO$A* :-A*I+ICA&IO$ A$% B!A$% #!"+"!"$C" ? &wo4way A$O=A &able S*, $o, E. Source of variance Sum of s9uares H$).HH E&.%H )J.(J 6/1,22 %egrees of freedom ?c-E@ & ?r-E@ ' $ (6 Mean s9uare %F.HH J.&F) J.EH& +4 ratio EH.)( E.(&F

*etween +olumns ?*rand preference@ '. *etween rows ?/ender@ H. Desidual error &otal &able / )source( primary data@

E. !he variance ratio for brand preference is EH.)(, and the critical value for F is H.$HJ$ as the calculated value is more than critical value, and it is significant. !he null hypothesis is rejected. !herefore, there is significant difference between the brands preferred by customers of different educational 6ualification. '. !he variance ratio for /ender is E.(&F, the critical value of F is &.&)%(, as calculated value is less than critical value, and it is not significant. !he null hypothesis is accepted. !herefore, there is no significant difference in the perception regarding brand preference of consumer based on educational 6ualification.

+I$%I$ S A$% Sconducted-

"S&IO$S:

following are the findings of the study

E. ;tudy shows that in tier II cities of western ".>. like *areilly, consumers ?both male and female@ purchase products primarily on the basis of 6uality and price. Again study shows males of such cities are more brand conscious than females. '. !he study reveals that income has a significant effect on the brand preference of consumers as in such cities most of the people either belong to middle or upper middle class. !herefore most of the consumers prefer brands like =outons and -evi3s as these brands are having products in all price ranges. H. ;tudy also indicates that brand preference of customer do not change with their educational background but definitely there are other factors as mentioned in first point, due to which some brands are preferred over others. *ased on above findings, following are some suggestions

CO$C*-SIO$: