A

Project

On

A STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF

CUSTOMERS FOR READY TO EAT FOOD ITEMS

Being Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Degree of

M.B.A. LL.M / M.B.L

For the Course

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Gaurav Sharma Dr. Archi Mathur

M.B.A- LL.M / M.B.L Faculty in charge,
Semester- II. Marketing Management.

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR
2011
Project Title:

A Study of the behavioural pattern of customer for ready to eat food items

In todays competitive world the practical study forms an important part in each and every
professional course. The MBA is a course in which the theoretical knowledge is backed by
the practical study. That study is in the form of different projects which are undertaken
during the MBA LL.M course. Here I am preparing a project on a THE STUDY OF THE
BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF CUSTOMER FOR READY TO EAT FOOD ITEMS as
a part of MARKETING MANAGEMENT subject.

INTRODUCTION:
Consumer behaviour in the world of marketing is very necessary to judge for the success of
the product. Ready-to-eat food especially market segmentation based on food-related
lifestyles can be applied to develop proper marketing strategies. Today's companies work in a
war zone of rapidly changing competitors, technological advances, new laws, managed trade
policies and diminishing customer loyalty. In today's world of cutthroat fierce competition,
customer satisfaction is very essential to not only exist but also to excel in the market.
Today's market is enormously more complex. Henceforth, to survive in the market, the
company not only needs to maximize its profit but also needs to satisfy its customers and
should try to build upon from there. Consumers' satisfaction is the ultimate aim of any
business concern. Merely selling the product should not alone be the objective of the
business. More than that, they must concentrate on how to satisfy the consumers regarding all
aspects of the product such as price, quality, utility derived, package etc. No sales can be
effective without knowing the desires and needs of consumers. Manufacturers must collect as
much information as possible from the consumers relating to their tastes and preferences
towards different products. Then only they can design and make products up to the
expectation of the consumers. The popularity of ready-to-eat packed food now is no longer
marks a special occasion. People want value for time, money in terms of quality and variety.
The food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India and it is the ranked fifth
in terms of Production, Consumption, Export and Expected growth.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Ready meals are fully cooked and ready to eat with a shelf life that ranges from few months
to 3 years. They are one of the fastest growing areas of the food market in both developed and
developing countries. A demand of ready meals is growing continuously everywhere globally.
Though the demand for the ready meals is increasing in the global market, the supply is still
not satisfactory. The main relevance of conducting this research is to study the consumers
attitude and behavior towards ready to eat meals and measure the growth opportunities by
evaluating the various factors leading to their growth. The study indicates that the strategy of
the marketer in ready meals is to inform and educate consumers regarding the absence of
preservatives in their food, price reduction keeping quality intact and increasing variety of
ready meals along with increasing the quantity for different cuisines. The study starts with the
Introduction followed by Executive Summary, objectives of the study, Research methods
used, Data Analysis and collection, conclusion, recommendations and lastly the Bibliography.

IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

The relevance and importance of understanding the consumer behaviour is rooted in the
modern marketing concept, it means that the manufacturers attention has switched over from
the products to the consumers and specially concentrated on the consumer behavior, the
manufacturers possess no control over the behaviour of consumers. The marketing
programmes and policies depend upon the consumer behaviors. If one makes out the
marketing programme neglecting the consumer behaviour, one will naturally invite failure. A
careful study of consumer behaviour will facilitate the marketer in determining the size, form,
style, color, package, brand etc. Consumer behaviour is dynamic. Therefore, it is necessary to
continuously study, analyze and understand it and monitor this understanding to the
marketing. So that effective decision can be taken in respect of product, price, promotion and
distribution. Hence, it is the duty of business concern to study various factors to understand
the behavioral pattern of consumers towards a particular product.

OBJECTIVES:
Attitude has been defined as a persons overall evaluation. A consumers attitude has been
considered as an important concept for the business practices since it is clearly shown in
behavioral studies that it plays an important role in consumers buying behavior.

1. To find out the acceptability of ready to eat food items in the Indian Market.
2. To identify & analyse the factors responsible for the purchase of ready-to-eat food
items.
3. To formulate marketing strategies to make ready-to-eat food items successful in the
Indian market.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Identifying the right methodology for research is an important undertaking, which can never
be under estimated, as it has to be consistent in providing an understanding of the research
questions.
Marketing research is the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis,
dissemination, and use of information for the purpose of assisting management in decision
making related to the identification and solution of problems (and opportunities) in
marketing.

So the following tools and techniques of research are used:

Selection of research method.
Data Collection.
1. Secondary Data.
- Questionnaire Administered to the sample Respondents.
- Primary Data Collected.
Data tabulated and analysed.
Recommendations.

TENTATIVE CHAPETERIZATION: -

Executive Summary

Objectives

Research Methodology

1) Importance of Consumer Behaviour.

2) Ready-to-eat food items.

3) Data Tabulation.

4) Data analysis.

5) Conclusion.

6) Suggestions.

Annexures
 Limitations (If any)

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Kotler Philips, Marketing Management, Prentice Hall of India.

2. Grant McCracken (1986),Culture and Consumption: A Theoretical Account of the

Structure and Movement of the Cultural Meaning of Consumer Goods, Journal of
Consumer Research, Vol.:13.

3. Kuznesof S, Tregear A, Moxey A. (1997) Regional foods: a consumer perspective.

British Food Journal, 99 (6).

4. Business Insights, Growth strategies in meal solutions, http.

globalbusinessinsights.com/content/rbcg0044m.pdf.

5. Naresh K. Malhotra (2004), Marketing Research- An applied orientation.

6. www.itc.com