To study the consumer behavior related to

bathing soaps, shower gels and other bathing

essentials
Group 5

Submitted by Roll Number Submitted to

Saloni Mohan 221127 Prof. Sanjay Chandwani

Shruti Pal 221140 FORE School of Management
Srishti Narang 221149
Supriya Sharma 221153
Vaibhav Ahuja 221160
Vipul Sachdeva 221170
Acknowledgement
We take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my
guide Prof. Sanjay Chandwani for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of this thesis. The blessing, help and
guidance given by him time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey of life on
which we are about to embark. We also take this opportunity to express a deep
sense of gratitude to all the survey respondents and interviewees.

We are obliged to all the interviewees for the valuable information provided by them
and the valuable time spared for us. We are grateful for their cooperation during the
period of our assignment.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................... 1

Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6

Household care....................................................................................................................... 6

Personal Care ......................................................................................................................... 6

Food & Beverages.................................................................................................................. 7

Personal Care Industry ............................................................................................................... 7

Oral Care ..................................................................................................................... 8

Hair Care ..................................................................................................................... 8

Skin Care ..................................................................................................................... 8

Cosmetics .................................................................................................................... 9

Literature review ...................................................................................................................... 10

Research methodology ............................................................................................................. 17

Research Design................................................................................................................... 17

Problem Definition............................................................................................................... 17

Objectives of study .............................................................................................................. 17

Sampling Plan ...................................................................................................................... 17

Description of the tests used ................................................................................................ 18

Measuring instrument .......................................................................................................... 18

Validity and Reliability of Instrument ................................................................................. 18

Data Interpretation and Analysis ............................................................................................. 19

Cross Tabulations Analysis...................................................................................................... 26

Qualitative Analysis ................................................................................................................. 32

Findings and Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 34

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 35

Limitations ............................................................................................................................... 36
Future Research Directions ...................................................................................................... 36

Works Cited .............................................................................................................................. 38

Internet Sites ............................................................................................................................ 41

Annexure .................................................................................................................................. 42

Qualitative research sample ................................................................................................. 42

Survey................................................................................................................................... 46
Figure 1: Growth Drivers for FMCG Industry ............................................................................. 6
Figure 2: FMCG Industry ............................................................................................................ 7

Table 1: Purchase Approach .................................................................................................... 19

Table 2:Perception on attributes ............................................................................................. 19
Table 3: Purchase Intention ..................................................................................................... 21
Table 4: Present Bonding with the brand ................................................................................ 21
Table 5: Most common bathing essentials .............................................................................. 22
Table 6: Likeliness to buy the brand ........................................................................................ 22
Table 7: Point of Purchase ....................................................................................................... 23
Table 8: Frequency of usage of shower gel ............................................................................. 24
Table 9: Monthly expenditure on bathing essentials .............................................................. 24
Table 10: Decision Maker......................................................................................................... 25
Table 11: Influencer ................................................................................................................. 25
Table 12: Role of Advertisements ............................................................................................ 25
Table 13: Advertisments .......................................................................................................... 26
Table 14: Cross tabulation 1 .................................................................................................... 27
Table 15: Cross tabulation 2 .................................................................................................... 28
Table 16: Cross TAbulation 3 ................................................................................................... 30
Table 17: Cross Tabulation 4 .................................................................................................... 30
Table 18: Cross Tabulation 5 .................................................................................................... 31
Abstract
This study was aimed at identifying which bathing essential products are being used by
consumers and understanding the perception of consumer towards different brands of
products. The objective was to identify the factors that influence their purchase decision. It
has been quite useful to understand how factors like gender, income level etc play a role in
influencing purchase decision of the consumer.

The methodology of the study is based on primary as well as secondary data. Both
quantitative and qualitative research has been carried out. This research gave some important
insights related to consumer behaviour. People now have a clear distinction of products for
their specific needs i.e. different products for different body parts or skin. Over the years,
shower gel has taken a good market as a many people are switching from soaps to shower
gel. Also, while choosing products or product preference, there is a clear distinction between
males and females. For males, the 3 most important attributes are Brand, Price and Germ
removing property. For females, the top attributes are Brand, Skin protecting ability,
Fragrance. Consumers who are skin conscious are more likely to buy shower gels and are
relatively less price sensitive. In case of other bathing essentials, consumers do not change
their brands very often. People using shower gels are more experimental with their brands in
comparison to other bathing essentials. Shower gel currently has low brand loyalty.
Moreover, consumers like to try new products because as a category it has low awareness.
The consumers feel satisfied with the brand that they are currently using in terms of the brand
and fragrance. However, the attributes on which the respondents felt dissatisfied are
complexion enhancing ability, price, moisturizing property and skin protecting
ability. Majority of the respondents said that they play the role of key decision maker in the
purchase. For bathing essential products, when an individual makes a purchase for
himself/herself, the purchase decision is based on the brand of the product, followed by its
price. When a mother plays the role of key decision maker in the family for buying bathing
essential products, the major factors considered while making the purchase are brand name
and fragrance. However, if the father is the key decision maker in the family, price plays a
key role in the purchase decision. Other important factors considered by him are packaging,
promotional offers and the brand name. Advertisements play a very important role in
influencing the purchase decisions. Consumers these days look for messages and themes in
advertisements other than information about the product attributes. The monthly expenditure
on bathing essentials indicates that bathing is still a low involvement category in the Indian
market.
Introduction
With a population of over one billion, India is one of the largest economies in the world in
terms of purchasing power and increasing consumer spending, next to China. The Indian
FMCG industry, with an estimated market size of ~`2 trillion, accounts for the fourth largest
sector in India. The sector is characterized by strong presence of global businesses, intense
competition between organized and unorganized players, well established distribution
network and low operational cost. Availability of key raw materials, cheaper labor costs and
presence across the entire value chain gives India a competitive advantage.

Figure 1: Growth Drivers for FMCG Industry

Household care
On account of convenience of usage, increased purchasing power, aggressive advertising and
increased penetration of washing machines, the urban market prefers washing powder and
detergents to bars. Household Care category recorded robust volume and value growth during
the last decade through focused innovation in the portfolio to provide greater consumer value.

Personal Care
The personal care products (PCP) market in India is estimated to be worth ~USD 4 bn p.a.
Personal hygiene products (including bath and shower products, deodorants etc.), hair care,
skin care, colour cosmetics and fragrances are the key segments of the personal care market.
Each of these segments exhibits its unique trends and growth patterns.
 Figure 2: FMCG Industry

Food & Beverages

Food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India, ranking fifth in terms of
production, growth, consumption, and export. The packaged food segment is dominated by
milk, sweet and savoury snacks and processed poultry. The total soft drink (carbonated
beverages and juices) market is estimated at ~USD 1 billion. The market is highly seasonal in
nature and predominantly urban.

Personal Care Industry

Indian cities dominate a new catalogue of the world's fastest-growing 100 cities in terms of
urbanization, with three cities in top the 10. The personal care market in India has been
growing at 13 per cent per annum. The personal care product market is valued at USD 5.7
billion; its wellness service market was assessed at USD 2.9 billion.

The personal care industry is directly aligned to the demographics of the region that it serves.
With the median age at 25 years, India is among the worlds youngest nations, as compared
to 43 years in Japan and 36 years in the US. In addition, the countrys population base of 1.2
billion is estimated to rise to 1.5 billion by the end of 2030. Urbanization will also increase
by 45 per cent in the next 30 years. In recent times, Indian consumers have been looking for
newer shopping experiences and products. India is a growing market for baby products, bath
products, eye and facial makeup, fragrances and perfumes for men and women, hair care and
color (including shampoo, oil, cream, dry and liquid dyes), oral care, shaving, and skin care.
The growth is driven by increasing per capita income, by rapid urbanization, by aspirations
among young Indian to look as good as local and global celebrities and by greater awareness
about self needs. However, the low market penetration of many personal care products offers
room for growth.

Personal care products are further divided into four categories:

 Oral Care
Indian oral care industry, over the last few years, has been one of the fast
growing FMCG sectors. The oral care industry is segmented into five categories which
include toothpaste, toothbrush, toothpowder, mouthwashes; others oral care products such as
dental flosses and oral care chewing gum.

In 2013, the market leader in the oral care segment is Colgate-Palmolive India Ltd with 46%
value share because of the strong presence of its Colgate brands in rural India along with
urban India. The reasons for the growth of the industry include increasing awareness of oral
care products, increasing penetration in rural market and expanding product portfolio of
leading companies. Companies operating in oral care are trying to increase awareness by
educating consumers about good dental hygiene via TV advertisements as well as urging
them to brush twice a day.

Hair Care
Hair care market is fragmented with Hindustan Unilever Ltd maintaining the lead with a
value share of 17% in 2013. The company has well-established presence and wide
distribution network across the country with a wide portfolio of brands.

Leading manufacturers are adding men-specific brands and variants in their hair care
portfolio over the forecast period. In addition, they are focusing on advertising their brands
with new claims to increase the perceived value. The new launches and advertisements are
persuading consumers to try new brands including those with new claims such as salon-like
hair. The growing popularity of hair care treatments like hair spa and deep nourishment in
salons is supporting the trend even further.

Skin Care
Skin care market includes products like cleanness facial masks, loners, moisturizers,
sunscreen, tanning sets and lotions, skin lighteners, serums and exfoliants. Driven by the
commercials and new claims on the product packaging, consumers have started to pay more
attention to their skin care needs. In addition, many consumers are switching from mass to
masstige brands which were claimed to be better quality than mass brands and were priced
lower than premium brands. Most companies started to introduce such masstige brands to
remain competitive. For example, Hindustan Unilever Ltd introduced new range of skin care
products including serums under its brand Lakm Absolute in 2014.
 Cosmetics
The growth of the cosmetic industry in India is mainly driven by increased purchasing power
and rising fashion awareness due to media and other exposures amongst the
people. Grooming has become an increasingly important part of people's mindset.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd maintained its lead with a value share of 30% in 2013. Leading
manufacturers are focusing on introducing bright and neon shades in all colour cosmetics,
especially nail polishes, lipsticks and lip gloss which continued to be the most bought
products in 2013.
Literature review
Bathing is an integral part of daily routine in every Indian's life. That a bath keeps us healthy
through personal hygiene is a well-known fact. Soaps, Shower gels, shampoos are considered
to be bathing essentials for any individual. According to Indianmirror.com, Soap had become
a necessity for the moneyed class by around 1937. Today the Indian soap industry includes
about 700 companies with combined annual revenue of about $17 billion. Indian per capita
consumption of soap is at 460 gms per annum. The major players in the soap industry are
HLL, Nirma and P&G. The popular brands include Lifebuoy, Lux, Cinthol, Liril, Rexona,
and Nirma. Premium soaps are estimated to have a market volume of about 80,000 tonnes.
This translates into a share of about 14 to 15%. However, by value it is as much as 30%.
Soaps are categorized into men's soaps, ladies' soaps and common soaps. There are few
specialty soaps like the Glycerine soaps, sandal soaps, specially flavored soaps, medicated
soaps and baby soaps. Specialty soaps are high valued which enjoy only a small share of the
market in value terms. The market is growing at 7% a year. Soap is primarily targeted
towards women, as they are the chief decision-makers in terms of soap purchase and for
medicated positioning like germ killing and anti-bacterial are marketed to families. Indian
Soap Industry volume is Rs 4,800-crore. For the purpose of gaining a competitive edge,
Indian companies are now relaunching their brands with value-additions to woo consumers
across India. The aim is to meet the evolving needs of customers.

There has been a lot of research on the subject of FMCGs, its components, the consumer
behaviour towards it and the purchasing patterns. The Fast Moving Consumer Goods
(FMCG) sector is very important for Indian economy. This sector touches every aspect of
human life. The FMCG companies are now encashing that opportunity. With changing
lifestyles, there is huge potential and definitely there is lot of money in rural India.
Companies use various means and channels to influence the buying behaviour of a customer
(Gupta & Mittal). A consumer sets a frame of references in his/her mind to choose or
purchase a product or service of same or different brands or producers. They try to fit the
goods and services in these frames of references. If they do not fit they reject the things.
Many of these reference points are subconscious because they are deeply imbedded in the
subconscious mind. It is important to have knowledge of assumptions and beliefs held by
consumers. For example, it was observed that buyers perceived that TV commercials
followed by print advertisements and word of mouth plays a significant role for taking the
decision to purchase these FMCGs (Kundu, 2013). Advertisers often believe that positive
emotional message directly stimulates the customer toward the use of the brand while
negative emotional message will give the same result by an alternate route. It is up to the
market circumstances that which appeals/appeal should be chosen and which one should be
dropped. The field of advertising is very broad and diverse. There are two commonly
observed purposes of advertisements that are to inform and to influence (Jayswal & Shah,
2012).Advertisements help create strong brands. Because of the significant intangible value
of brands, building and managing brand equity had become a priority for companies of all
sizes in a wide variety of industries and markets (Mohan & Sequeira, 2012). In their research
paper, Mohan & Sequeira looked into questions such as Does awareness of the brand by
consumers play an important role in building brand equity of FMCGs? Is brand awareness a
different construct for brand equity of FMCGs or should it be combined with brand
association? Brand awareness is the degree of familiarity among consumers about the life and
availability of the product. It is measured as ratio of niche market that has former knowledge
of brand. Brand awareness includes both brand recognition as well as brand recall. It was
observed that most of the people both from illiterate & literate groups prefer branded
products with the belief that quality is assured as the manufacturers are reputed companies.
For Example: Colgate Tooth Paste, Head & Shoulder shampoo (Jain & Sharma, 2012).

Soaps:

One of the most essential bathing product is soap. Thus, analysing consumer behaviour with
respect to usage pattern of bathing soaps is quite important (Taneja, 2013). In his study,
Taneja understood the customer attitude of the different strata of people in the India society.
He observed that the usage in the market is affected by income, gender and advertising tools
and thus all these factors must be taken into consideration while designing any marketing
strategy. He also studied the growing trends in Indian men and women population. Both male
and female consumers form a major segment of buyers of beauty products and personal care
products in India. Indian women are becoming increasingly more beauty conscious. The
increased purchasing ability of women households helped them to spend more on personal
grooming. He suggests that the consumption patterns of consumers in India is changing. The
probable reasons being more spending power, better education and access to various brands
and products, due to migration abroad and the TV boom. The readiness to experiment is
reported to be growing among the consumers in India. The consumers have also become
globalized in their thinking and are ready to indulge in some impulsive shopping. There is
also considerable research on brand loyalty of bath soaps. Krishnamurthy and Raj suggests
that brand loyal customers are less price sensitive (Krishnamurthy & Raj, 1991).
Dhanalakshmi and Ganesan in their research said that the frequency of toilet soap might
vary due to the individual hygiene practice. Many brands of toilet soaps are available in the
market of many different prices. People buy toilet soap according to their own capabilities. In
the same price range there are also many brands. So, all the time people have to make
purchase decision among many brands. At the time of making purchasing decision, people
might consider various factors. People might buy same brand repeatedly. They can switch
among few brands or they can switch in lots of brands. (Dhanalakshmi & Ganesan, 2013).
Nowadays, as a marketing strategy to increase brand loyalty, the toilet soaps are being
positioned as beauty soaps. This is to attract and identify with more female customers
(Wijesundera & Abeysekera, 2010).

Marketing Mix factors for brand loyalty of toilet soaps and related FMCG products:

(Kotler & Armstrong, 1989)

According to Kotler & Amstrong, influencing factors for purchasing behaviour are marketing
mix & personal characteristics. Most of the studies have shown marketing mix factors have a
relationship on the purchasing behaviour of the consumer.

Price

The price of the product may differ based on the economic conditions & consumer
perceptions. It could influence the perceived value of a brand. Many consumers use price as
an indication of the quality of the brand which is an important factor in purchasing decision

Place

Many companies takes the advantage of a strong distribution channel to keep the brand in a
strong position. They use different places such as super markets, high end groceries & retails
to sell the brand. These selling points are also categorized based on the scale of the operation
& the ultimate objective of the shareholders.

Promotion

Different kinds of promotional activities are essential in modern marketing to keep & grow
the market share. The promotions can be done as ATL & BTL promotions such as sales
promotions, public relations, personal sellings, TV & Radio advertisements. The four main
elements of promotion mix are advertising, sales promotion, public relations & personal
selling. The major objective of advertising can be inform, persuade, or remind through the
mass media. In a first purchase situation consumers will have to rely on advertising in order
to decide whether to buy or not. (Nilson, 1998)

Product
The product characteristics such as package, ingredients, and fragrance of beauty soap play a
significant role. The attributes are evaluated by the consumer based on his/her own values,
beliefs, past experience (Peter & Olson, 1990). A research suggested that consumer brand
selection of soaps is firstly based on the fragrance in Bangkok (Kumnoonsate, 1983)

Demographical Factors

The impact on demographical factors also plays a significant role in consumers buying
behaviour. Age group is an attribute which has a direct impact on persons attitude towards a
brand. In the beauty soap categories age group is used to define the targeted market segment.
Based on the maturity the preference for beauty soap or any other product may vary. The
education level of a person also influence in the decision making process. A well educated
person may analyze the ingredients in particular beauty soap but less educated person may
not, due to lack of knowledge. Income level of a person has a direct impact on the purchasing
of a product. When the income levels rises naturally people tend to buy more luxury/premium
products. The income affects the type of goods that consumers are likely to buy (McConnell
& Brue, 1999). Since the demographical factors help to identify the target groups, the
relationship between brand and the demographical factors should be analysed.

Age:

Age is a factor which plays a vital role in purchasing behaviour of beauty soap, because it is
considered as a criterion in the segmenting process. As an example some beauty soaps are
targeted to females age between 16-24 years & some other brands are targeted to age
between 16-45 years. Therefore each brand has its own targeted market. The purchasing
behaviour in age categories may be similar & or vice versa.

Income Level

Income implies the purchasing power of a consumer. Because purchasing of a lower grade or
a highly premium brand is decided based on the income level of the consumer. Even though
there is a requirement to purchase a premium brand the income level of a consumer may not
support it. Hence income and consumption are positively related. Generally when the income
rises, consumers increase their purchases & consumption. But this is not applicable for
inferior goods. Further more income also affects the type of goods that consumers are likely
to buy (Onkvisit & Shaw, 1994)

Education
Based on the education level of a person buying behaviour could vary. A well-educated
consumer may read the ingredients of beauty soap before the buying decision is made. At the
same time consumer with a lesser education level may decide to buy the product due to the
attractiveness of the package. Hence analysis of the relationship of education level and the
brand is very important.

Marital Status

Consumers buy products over their lifetime. Buying behaviour will be shaped by the family
life cycle, which defines the marital status and life time as young single, young married,
middle-aged single, middle aged divorced, older married, and so on. For a example
unmarried consumer may have been using brand X, but after that consumer got married she
may be using brand Y because of the influence of her daughter.

Occupation

The occupation of a consumer could vary during the life cycle or else may be occupied in the
same occupation until retired, besides field of occupation also may be different during the life
cycle. It enables the consumer to build up different types of reference groups around.
Moreover it has a relationship with the income level, attitude, interest and life style of the
consumer. Hence above factors results in various buying patterns (Guiltian & Joshep, 1991).

Skin Type Factors

Since beauty soap is applied directly to the skin brand selection may occur due to the nature
of the skin. Because some brands may harmful to different skin types depending on the
ingredients included in the soap. Therefore consumer may pay a special attention to the skin
type, when the brand is purchased. Skin types can be categorized as oily, dry, mixed, normal
& sensitive.

Social Factors

The social factors refer to the influences made by the consumers reference groups such as
the family & friends. The weight & powerfulness of the influence may vary depending on the
significant of the relationship between the consumer and the reference group. Reference
groups can influence the beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of a consumer in different
circumstances. As result of that purchasing behaviour and brand preference could get
changed of a consumer. Consumers are more likely to be influenced by word-of-mouth
information from members of reference groups than advertisements or sales people in terms
of benefit, selecting or changing brands. (Stanton, 1991)
 Family

The family includes you, children, spouse and close relations. Therefore the impact generated
by the family is substantial in the buying decision. A great deal of family interaction happens
before the purchase decision is made, especially an expensive product or a personal care
product that the family often uses together such as liquid soap (Onkvisit & Shaw, 1994). The
family is generally a primary decision making unit with complex and varying pattern of roles
and functions (Engel, 1995). Hence the influence made by the family members should be
analysed.

Friends & Others

The influence of friends and other parties such a presenter/sales person also plays a vital role
in the purchasing behaviour of consumers. These friendship groups are classified as informal
groups since they are with lack of authority levels. The options and preferences of friends are
an important influence in determining the products or brands selecting, especially to a single
person, who live alone. Hence friends and other interacting parties can be considered as
influences to a consumer when a product is purchased.

Substitute Product Factors

There could be an impact of substitute products on the consumers purchasing behaviour of

beauty soap. For an example most of the countries has got adopted to shampoos, shower gels
& liquid soaps. Instead of buying a beauty soap in bar format consumer could buy it in the
liquid format by considering the convenience of use. Beside it could happen on eagerness
basis to use a different format of soap and could continue it through out if the consumer is
satisfied with the product. Hence it is important to assess the relationship between bar soap
brand and the related substitute products.

Brand Preference

A brand can be a label of ownership, name, term, design, or symbol. Further brand can be
product, service or concept. Brand preference is measure of brand loyalty in which
consumers will choose a particular brand in presence of competing brands. Also it can be
defined that the degree to which consumers prefer one brand over another. A greater brand
loyalty among consumers leads to greater sales of the brand (Howard & Sheth, 1969). Brand
loyalty leads to certain marketing advantages such as reduced marketing costs, more new
customers and greater trade leverage (Aaker, 1991). Quality products not as in a trialand
personal habits thus influence this situation because consumers prefer risk reduction in
familiar (Nilson, 1998). Hence analyzing the brand preference of consumers is an interesting
area for the marketers to develop the marketing strategies for their brands.

Shampoos

Shampoo is a cosmetic used for the purpose of removal of dirt, environmental pollutants and
other unwanted particles accumulated in the hair. Shampoo belongs to Fast Moving
Consumer Goods category under marketing concept. Women are very much concerned about
beauty and thus use shampoo as one of their hygiene practices.

Nowadays, multiple brands of shampoos are available in the market. Women are known to
use more amount of shampoo than men and thus they can also be dynamic with their
purchase habits. (Karnam, Reddy, & Rao, 2014). It was studied about consumer switching
behaviour with regard to shampoo brands and found that the impact of packing, price rise in
current brand, scheme of brands, impact of advertisement etc are the reasons of switching
behaviour of shampoo consumers (Thapa, 2014).

Consumer behaviour towards shampoo brands in Nagpur city was studied. The study
concluded that consumer awareness towards shampoos is less and per capita consumption of
shampoos is very less in India. (Arora & Akarte, 2012)

There was a study about consumer attitudes towards use of shampoos at sirsa city and found
that male frequency in using shampoo is very less compared to females. (Sharma & Shallu
Mehta, 2012)

The male consumer behaviour in purchasing skin care products in Thailand was studied and
revealed that beliefs, self-image, and attitudes of male consumers have role in their purchase
behaviour. (Himani Sharma; Shallu Mehta, 2012).

Karnam, Reddy & Rao concluded that shampoo marketers must try to educate consumers for
increasing frequency of their usage. (Karnam, Reddy, & Rao, 2014)
Research methodology

Research Design
The methodology of the study is based on primary as well as secondary data. Both
quantitative and qualitative research has been carried out.

Problem Definition
The choice of a bathing essential product is a conscious and involved decision for consumers.
Consumers have become increasingly aware about their skin and hair care needs. Also,
consumers are looking forward to improving their personal hygiene. Nearly, all bathing
essential products cater to the personal hygiene need of the consumers. Bathing essential
products mainly include soap, shower gel, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, body scrubs etc.
For a marketer of these products, it is essential to understand what a consumer purchases,
what factors affect and influence their purchase, how frequently, when and from where the
purchase is made. This study aims to understand the different aspects of consumer behaviour
towards various bathing essential products.

Objectives of study
The study was aimed at fulfilling the following objectives:

To identify which bathing essential products are being used by consumers

To identify the perception of consumer towards different brands of products
To identify the factors that influence their purchase decision
To understand the consumer buying behaviour in case of bathing essentials
To understand how factors like gender, income level etc play a role in influencing
purchase decision of the consumer

Sampling Plan
In all 229 respondents were chosen from different age groups for the questionnaire
(Quantitative Research). The qualitative research was done with a group of 10 people who
belong to SEC A, B and C with the help of structured & unstructured interviews &
discussions.

Convenient Sampling is used for quantitative research and judgemental sampling is used for
qualitative research.
Description of the tests used
Cross tabulations were calculated on the response generated. A chi squared test was then
perform to different combinations in order to understand the associations of the combinations

Measuring instrument
The study depends mainly on the primary data collected through a well-framed and structured
questionnaire and in depth interviews to elicit the well-considered opinions of the
respondents. The measuring instrument used for quantitative research is questionnaire (refer
to appendix) and the measuring instrument used for qualitative research is in depth
interviews.

Validity and Reliability of Instrument

Validity and Reliability of the questionnaire was tested by carrying out a pilot test.
Data Interpretation and Analysis
Purchase Approach

The table below depicts the personality type of the respondents in relation to purchasing
bathing products. The table depicts that 44 per cent of the respondents show a conservative
approach when they are buying bathing essentials. They prefer to buy well-known brands.
Also, nearly half of the respondents surveyed said that they try new brands occasionally,
while only 7 per cent change their brands of bathing essentials very often.

Table 1: Purchase Approach

# Answer Bar Response %

1 Always Conservative (Buy only well-known 0.442478 100 44%
brands)
2 Experimental at times (Buy new brands at time ) 0.486726 110 49%
3 Always risk taking ( Buy new brands very often) 0.066372 15 7%
4 Others (Specify) 0.004425 1 0%
Total 226 100%

Perception on all the attributes

The opinion of the respondents on the various attributes of their favourite brand like
fragrance, price etc., was obtained. This is provided in the following table.

Table 2:Perception on attributes

# Answer Bar Response %

1 Fragrance 0.57485 96 57%
2 Shape 0.047904 8 5%
3 Brand 0.706587 118 71%
4 Price 0.431138 72 43%
5 Germs removing property 0.335329 56 34%
6 Moisturizing property 0.371257 62 37%
7 Complexion enhancing 0.155689 26 16%
ability
8 Skin Protecting ability 0.508982 85 51%
9 Packaging 0.077844 13 8%
10 Deodorizing effect 0.251497 42 25%

The table above tabulates the attributes important for respondents while making a purchase
decision. It is observed that the most important attribute for consumers is the brand of the
product.
Top Five Attributes in the order of their importance to the consumer are listed as follows:

Brand
Fragrance
Skin protecting ability
Price
Moisturising property

Majorly, the purchase of a bathing essential product is driven by its brand name and its
perception in the minds of the buyer. The second most important attribute to the consumer is
the products fragrance, followed by skin protecting ability. However, Price as an attribute is
not as important to the consumers as the brand name or features like skin protecting ability or
fragrance. Thus, the consumers are ready to pay a price premium to be assured that the
product they are buying is of a good brand and that the product protects their skin. Factors
like moisturising property, germ removing property and deodorizing effect are moderately
important for the consumers.

Also, as the consumers have now become more aware, they place least importance to factors
like the shape and the packaging of the product.

Brand Preference of Respondents

Soaps

The survey showed that Dove is being used by nearly 1/4th of the respondents. Dove, though
is a premium category soap, is being preferred by maximum number of respondents, followed
by Dettol and Pears. Lux is being used by only seven per cent of the respondents. Medimix,
which lies in the herbal soap category, is used by only three per cent of the respondents.

As also discussed above, skin protecting ability and germ removing property are important
attributes that consumers consider while they are purchasing bathing essentials. Here also, we
can observe that soaps under this category like Dettol is preferred by 22 per cent of the
respondents. However, none of the respondents uses Lifebuoy which is among the major and
one of the oldest players in this category of soaps.

Shower Gels

The most preferred brand in shower gels is Palmolive, followed by Adidas and Nivea. Also,
shower gels by Park Avenue and The Body Shop are being used by six respondents each.

Face Wash
The most preferred brand in face wash category is Himalaya, followed by Clean and Clear
and Garnier. Lakme and Nivea that are relatively new entrants in this category are being
preferred by only 2 and 4 per cent respondents respectively.

Shampoo

Loreal, Dove and Head & Shoulders are the three most preferred brand of shampoo. Also,
Tresemme which is a new entrant in this category is being used 9 per cent of the respondents
(mentioned by 9 per cent of the respondents in the others category).

Purchase Intention

The table below presents the intention of the respondents to buy the same brand of
soap/shower gel/ shampoo/face wash as they are currently using.

Table 3: Purchase Intention

Answer Bar Response %

Very Likely 0.432099 70 43%
Very 0.006173 1 1%
Unlikely
Undecided 0.104938 17 10%
Likely 0.45679 74 46%
Unlikely 0 0 0%
Total 162 100%

As we can observe from the table above, 89 per cent of the respondents are willing to buy the
same brand of bathing essentials in their next purchase. This implies that they are satisfied
with their current brands in terms of important attributes like the brand, fragrance etc..

Present Bonding with the brand

The table below presents how satisfied are the respondents with the various attributes of their
current brand of bathing essential.

Table 4: Present Bonding with the brand

# Question Dissatisfied Somewhat Neutral Somewhat Satisfied

Dissatisfied Satisfied
1 Fragrance 3 5 34 59 66
2 Shape 3 5 56 48 55
3 Brand 1 6 24 44 92
4 Price 2 14 40 63 48
5 Germs removing 3 8 50 65 41
property
6 Moisturizing 3 13 44 63 44
 property
7 Complexion 7 17 67 47 29
enhancing ability
8 Skin Protecting 3 12 49 64 39
ability
9 Packaging 2 11 46 63 45
10 Deodorizing effect 0 16 34 66 51

Most Common Bathing Essentials

The results show that though shower gels have captured a considerable size of the market,
soaps are still used by majority of the Indian population. The rise in usage of shower gels is
significant but they still have to go a long way to tap the lower middle class perhaps.
Important point to be noted here is that people have finally started differentiating between
skin care, face care and hair care. Earlier, people used to buy a common soap to clean their
face, body and wash their hair. Now, times have changed. People have started using shampoo
and face wash on a large scale. They have started recognising the fact that the face is delicate
as compared to the rest of the body and hence, it demands extra care. Similarly, soap is too
harsh to be used on hair. With the rising consciousness among people related to healthy skin,
the usage of scrubs can also be seen distinctly.

Table 5: Most common bathing essentials

2. Which of the following products do you use while bathing ? (You may tick more than one
option)
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Soaps 0.730088 165 73%
2 Shower Gels 0.420354 95 42%
3 Face Wash 0.707965 160 71%
4 Shampoos 0.774336 175 77%
5 Scrubs 0.225664 51 23%
6 Others (Specify) 0.017699 4 2%

Likeliness to buy the brand

Table 6: Likeliness to buy the brand

17. How likely is that you will buy this brand next
time?
# Answer Bar Response %
2 Very Likely 0.432099 70 43%
3 Very Unlikely 0.006173 1 1%
4 Undecided 0.104938 17 10%
5 Likely 0.45679 74 46%
 6 Unlikely 0 0 0%
Total 162 100%
On being asked the likeliness of the customers to buy their present brand next time, majority
of them showed a high positive probability. This shows that the respondents were loyal to the
brand mostly and rarely attempted to experiment. This further shows that customers consider
their existing brand as good and only a few others can match it. This means that brands
continuously need to continuously explore the new benefits possible for their customers and
deliver it fast.

Point of Purchase

Table 7: Point of Purchase

18. Where do you purchase the products

from?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Nearby Kirana Store 0.271605 44 27%
2 Big retail Outlets e.g: Big Bazar 0.265432 43 27%
3 Departmental Store 0.358025 58 36%
4 Cosmetic Store (Exclusive Outlets) 0.08642 14 9%
5 Online 0 0 0%
6 Others (specify) 0.018519 3 2%
Total 162 100%

When the respondents were questioned about their regular point of purchase for soaps,
majority of them gave departmental store as their answer, followed by kirana stores and big
retail outlets like Big Bazaar. Very few of them were reported to buy their bathing essentials
from cosmetic stores whereas quite surprisingly, none of them admitted to shopping online
for bathing products. This shows that the promotion plan options made available at the big
retail outlets do attract the customers. Also, a customer looks for both, ease of purchase as
well as promotion plans while buying the bathing products. Instead of going separately to buy
them, people prefer to make their purchase along with other household items. This study has
also shown that online shopping websites still need to work a lot to make bathing as a regular
purchase category for their customers.

Usage

Few questions related to usage which were asked from the respondents gave insights
pertaining to:

Frequency
 The results reveal that people generally buy soap/shower gel once in a month. Also,
the consumption of soap leads people to buy soap more than once in a month
sometimes and there are also some customers who fail to keep a track of their
monthly purchase of soap. This could be because it is a low cost product. Few
respondents also admitted that they alternate between soap and shower gel.

Table 8: Frequency of usage of shower gel

11. How often in a month do you purchase shower

gel?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 once a month 0.394366 28 39%
2 once in two months 0.366197 26 37%
3 alternate between soap and gel 0.098592 7 10%
4 3 months and more 0.140845 10 14%
Total 71 100%

Monthly Expenditure on Bathing Essentials

Table 9: Monthly expenditure on bathing essentials

12. How much do you spend on bathing products in a

month?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Below Rs. 100 0.053892 9 5%
2 Rs. 101 - Rs. 300 0.491018 82 49%
3 Rs. 301 - Rs. 500 0.275449 46 28%
4 Rs. 500 and above 0.179641 30 18%
Total 167 100%

Nearly half of the respondents said that they spend somewhere in between Rs 100 to Rs 300
on bathing products in a month. This further proves that bathing is still a low involvement
category in the Indian Market.

Purchase Decision

With respect to the purchase decision, the respondents were asked a few questions which
gave valuable inferences related to:

Decision Maker
Majority of the respondents said that they play the role of the key decision maker in
the purchase of their bathing products. This shows that people are conscious of their
need for a healthy and refreshing skin and are more inclined towards making an
 informed choice. The next close answer was mother which was given by 8% of the
respondents.

Table 10: Decision Maker

8. Who takes the decision while buying the

product?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Mother 0.084577 17 8%
2 Father 0.029851 6 3%
3 Self 0.850746 171 85%
4 Others (specify) 0.034826 7 3%
Total 201 100%

Influencer

Table 11: Influencer

9. Who influenced you to buy this brand?

# Answer Bar Response %
3 Family 0.15493 22 15%
4 Peers 0.232394 33 23%
5 Advertisement 0.5 71 50%
6 others (specify) 0.112676 16 11%
Total 142 100%

On being asked about what influenced them to buy the existing brand, half of the respondents
gave advertisements as the answer followed by peers. Hence, it can be concluded that the role
of media and advertising in todays world cannot be ignored. The first opportunity for a
courtship between a brand of soap and a consumer mostly comes through mass media
advertisements. Consumers are made aware of the benefits that a brand of soap offers through
advertisements and whatever brand advertisement appeals to their rational and emotional
purchase motives well eventually wins their hearts.

Role of Advertisements

Table 12: Role of Advertisements

15. How do you find the advertisements of your brand?

# Answer Bar Response %
1 Appealing 0.526946 88 53%
2 Neither appealing nor unappealing 0.461078 77 46%
3 Unappealing 0.011976 2 1%
Total 167 100%
When the respondents were asked about the appeal quotient of advertisements of their
respective brands, more than half said that they found the advertisements appealing.
However, a close 46% said that they found their brands advertisements to be neither
appealing nor unappealing. So, it can be said that though advertisements play a huge role in
influencing the customers, it cannot be the only reason driving the purchase decision. On
being asked about how much importance the customers gave to the different components in
an advertisement, majority of them said that they gave importance to messages/themes. So, as
mass media advertisements play a key role, soap brand marketers need to invest in them in
order to influence consumers. Point-of-Purchase promotion options made available by
modern retail outlets should not be considered at the sacrifice of conventional advertisements
and can only be used for supplementing the stimuli from advertisements. Besides, the
elements like visuals, theme, and messages etc influence consumers opinion to a large
extent. Hence, a popular celebrity can never make up for the loss of appeal in message or
anything similar. The marketers need to lay appropriate focus on all the elements of
advertisements.

Table 13: Advertisments

16. Which of the following appeals you most in the

advertisement?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Celebrity/Models 0.179641 30 18%
2 Messages/Themes 0.640719 107 64%
3 Visuals 0.359281 60 36%
4 Humour 0.233533 39 23%
5 Music 0.149701 25 15%
6 Others 0.035928 6 4%

Cross Tabulations Analysis

In the second part of the analysis we have used cross tabulation and Chi square test for the
analysis data collected. Responses were collected using snowball method as discussed in the
methodology section. Using qualtrics online software we had generated a questionnaire
which was floated across using various social networking mediums. Through the responses
generated we have calculated the following cross tabulations.

A chi-squared test, also referred to as chi-square test or test, is any statistical hypothesis
test in which the sampling distribution of the test statistic is a chi-squared distribution when
the null hypothesis is true.
Purpose of using a chi square test is to basically understand the association between the two
variables

So, the hypothesis was

Ho = No association between the variables (means equal)

H1 = Association between the variables (mean unequal)

Through the p value which is the significance value we can accept or reject the null
hypothesis and hence establish a relationship. If observed p < 0.05 the null hypothesis is
rejected i.e. there is association between the variables.

When conducting survey analysis, cross tabulations (also referred to as cross-tabs) analyze-
survey-result are a quantitative research method appropriate for analyzing the relationship
between two or more variables. Cross tabulations provide a way of analyzing and comparing
the results for one or more variables with the results of another (or others). The axes of the
table may be specified as being just one variable or formed from a number of variables.

In many research reports, survey results are presented in aggregate only meaning, the data
tables are based on the entire group of survey respondents. Cross tabulations are simply data
tables that present the results of the entire group of respondents as well as results from sub-
groups of survey respondents. Cross tabulations enable you to examine relationships within
the data that might not be readily apparent when analyzing total survey responses.

Cross tabulation 1 below relates age to the bathing essentials. Here, we wish to understand
whether there is any relationship between the bathing essentials used and the age group of the
individual.

Table 14: Cross tabulation 1

Which of the following products do you use while bathing? (You

Cross Tabulation 1 may tick more than one option)

Soaps Shower Face Shampoos Scrubs Others Total

Gels Wash (Specify)
Please specify 15-25 87 52 89 99 27 2 122
the age group 26-35 23 16 27 29 10 0 35
you belong
to. 36-50 2 2 1 3 1 0 3
Above 1 0 1 2 0 0 2
50
Total 113 70 118 133 38 2 162
The table above highlights following points:-

Bathing essentials are now considered and categorized into large number of variants. People
have become conscious about all the different categories and hair care is considered a very
important part of bathing essential. Soap or Shower gel together formed a major portion.
However over years shower gel has taken a good market as a lot of people switch from soaps
to shower gel.

Soap, Face wash and Shampoo are all equally essential components. There is a clear
distinction about the different products for different body parts and skin types.

Cross tabulation 2 helps us in analyzing the relationship between the gender and the product
attributes that is whether males prefer different products than females and what are the
attributes of judgment for both the categories.

For males the 3 most important attributes are Brand, Price and Germ removing property
where as for females the top attributes are Brand, Skin protecting ability, Fragrance are very
close. Males are more concerned about the germ removing property almost 50% males have
ranked it whereas on the contrary only 20% females have ranked it. Also men prefer
deodorizing affect almost three times more than women.

Females are more concerned about their skin so skin protecting ability and moisturizing
effect are given high ranking among women in comparison to men.

Also the p value here is 0.000 which means that null hypothesis is not accepted. Hence, using
chi square test we can conclude that there is relationship between gender and choice of
attributes as clearly observed in the table.

Table 15: Cross tabulation 2

Cross Tabulation 2 Please specify you Gender

Male Female Total
How Fragrance 58 35 93
important Shape 6 1 7
are the 69 46 115
Brand
following
factors in Price 42 27 69
your Germs removing 42 13 55
purchase of property
the product? Moisturizing property 28 33 61
(pick top 3) Complexion enhancing 12 13 25
ability
Skin Protecting ability 42 43 85
Packaging 10 3 13
Deodorizing effect 31 8 39
 Total 95 67 162

Cross tabulation 3 basically helps us to understand which attributed are important for which
bathing essential product. That is while purchasing shower gel which factor is important and
for soap which hold importance.

For soaps 40% of the consumers are price conscious while for face wash almost 50% of
consumers are price conscious. Hence we can clearly see that the consumers give less
importance to price when care for face is involved and hence the involvement is very high
and also the loyalty.

Consumers who are more concerned about skin protecting ability and are skin conscious are
more probable to buy shower gels as almost 62% consumers have voted for skin protecting
ability for shower gels in comparison to 45% consumers for soap. Hence, the market for
shower gel is becoming more popular as consumers have become more skin conscious during
present times. This trend is observed in males as well.
 Table 16: Cross TAbulation 3

Cross tabulation 3 Which of the following products do you use while bathing ?
(You may tick more than one option)
Soaps Shower Face Shampoos Scrubs Others Total
Gels Wash (Specify)
Fragrance 65 46 71 76 22 1 96
How Shape 6 5 4 5 1 0 8
important are Brand 84 48 87 97 27 0 118
the following Price 56 30 1 63 16 0 72
factors in your Germs 40 26 43 49 9 0 56
purchase of removing
the product? property
(pick top 3)
Moisturizing 44 29 46 51 21 1 62
property
Complexion 17 13 21 20 9 0 26
enhancing
ability
Skin 53 44 65 73 21 2 85
Protecting
ability
Packaging 10 5 9 10 2 0 13
Deodorizing 31 18 28 31 9 0 42
effect

Table 17: Cross Tabulation 4

Which of the following most describes your personality in

relation to purchasing bathing products ?
Always Experimental at Always risk Others Total
Conservative times (Buy new taking ( (Specify)
(Buy only brands at time ) Buy new
well known brands very
brands) often)
Soaps 85 72 10 1 168
Which of the Shower 27 61 8 1 97
following Gels
products do Face 71 82 9 1 163
you use while Wash
bathing ? (You Shampoos 80 86 10 1 177
may tick more Scrubs 17 28 6 0 51
than one
Others 2 2 0 0 4
option)
(Specify)
Total 101 112 15 1 229
Cross Tabulation 4 helps us in mapping the personality to the bathing essential used, for
example we have here analyzed the relationship between the bathing essential and the
personality type the individual thinks he belongs to.

From the table we can clearly observe following:

People using shower gels are more experimental with their brands in comparison to other
bathing essentials. Shower gel currently has low brand loyalty and consumers like to try new
product because as a category it has low awareness , people with experimental behavior are
shifting from soap to shower gels and hence shower gel is capturing market of soap.

While in case of other bathing essentials consumers do not very often change their brands
they might change at times .

Cross tabulation 5 analyses the attributes used for purchase by different influencers, for eg,
what do mothers look in the product while purchasing and how is that different from the
factors that the individual himself looks while purchasing.

Table 18: Cross Tabulation 5

Decision Maker
Cross Tabulation Mother Father Self Others Total
Fragrance 12 2 81 1 96

Shape
2 1 5 0 8
Brand 12 2 103 1 118
Price 10 2 59 1 72
How important are
the following factors Germs removing property
9 1 45 1 56
in your purchase of
Moisturizing property 6 1 55 0 62
the product? (pick
Complexion enhancing
top 3)
ability 2 1 23 1 27
Skin Protecting ability 9 1 75 1 86
Packaging 3 2 8 0 13
Deodorizing effect 6 0 35 1 42
Total 18 5 142 3 168

From the following table we can clearly observe that:

When it comes to self-decision making most of us prefer brand, fragrance and skin protecting
ability over price. So when it comes to decision making for purchasing a product for
ourselves we go for brand rather than price and the
While in case of Mother there is a slight difference mother go for brand as well as fragrance
while making a decision, so for a mother product should have a good brand with fragrance as
these are the two most important factors and then comes the price. If decision maker in
family is mother products will be more likely to have feminine properties.

If decision maker in family is father so while purchasing a product, price, brand, packaging
and fragrance are the most important factors. Father try to purchase a product which can meet
the need of family as well considering price and packaging (offers). As for them bathing
essentials product has low involvement.

Qualitative Analysis
SEC A

People belonging to this category well recognize that face, body and hair have
different needs. Hence, it is a must to use different products for all three.
People are not blindly influenced by brands. They give adequate importance to the
attributes of a product. Ex: appearance, fragrance etc.
Even in advertisements, the influence of the central theme is seen the most.
People belonging to this category are more experimental in nature and are open to
trying new brands which promise to fulfil their aspirations.
There has been a sudden shift from soaps to shower gels. Hygiene is one of the
reasons other than the mildness of shower gels.
Products like scrub and loofah are also used by these people.
Soap is used by them mostly because it is quick and convenient. So, there is also a
category within which uses both soaps and shower gels.
Other than using shampoo, majority of the respondents also use conditioner for hair
care.
It was found that a person who is loyal towards a particular brand of shampoo may
not be using the face wash of the same brand.

SEC B

After conducting in depth interviews, it was found that this category is highly
influenced by advertisements.
They recognize the need for hygiene and hence, give importance to germ removing
properties of a soap brand.
 Brand loyalty is high towards the brands which have been associated with the desired
properties for years. Ex: Lifebuoy is associated with germ removing properties, Dettol
is treated like an antiseptic product and Lux is treated as beauty soap.
In the younger generation, people were conscious of their complexion and aspired to
look fair.
They believed that Lux which has long been known as the beauty secret of celebrities
can help them to look fair.
This category treats hair care, body care and hand care separately and uses different
products for each.

SEC C

With the help of focus group discussions, it was observed that people belonging to
this category are not very particular about bathing and body care.
They do not distinguish between skin care and hair care. Hence, they use a common
soap for bathing, cleaning hands, washing their hair and also for washing clothes.
These people are not influenced much by brands and put traditional products like kali
mitti or local soaps to daily use.
According to them, soaps are meant for those who have sensitive skin or are prone to
diseases.
They do not think that soaps provide any great benefits.
Findings and Conclusions
Hair care is considered a very important part of bathing essential.
Over the years, shower gel has taken a good market as a many people are switching
from soaps to shower gel.
People have a clear distinction of products for their specific needs i.e. different
products for different body parts or skin.
While choosing products or product preference, there is a clear distinction between
males and females:
For males, the 3 most important attributes are Brand, Price and Germ removing
property. For females, the top attributes are Brand, Skin protecting ability, Fragrance.
Consumers who are skin conscious are more likely to buy shower gels and are
relatively less price sensitive.
In case of other bathing essentials, consumers do not change their brands very often.
People using shower gels are more experimental with their brands in comparison to
other bathing essentials. Shower gel currently has low brand loyalty. Moreover,
consumers like to try new products because as a category it has low awareness.
Decision Making for bathing essentials
o Majority of the respondents said that they play the role of key decision maker
in the purchase.
o For bathing essential products, when an individual makes a purchase for
himself/herself, the purchase decision is based on the brand of the product,
followed by its price.
o When a mother plays the role of key decision maker in the family for buying
bathing essential products, the major factors considered while making the
purchase are brand name and fragrance. However, if the father is the key
decision maker in the family, price plays a key role in the purchase decision.
Other important factors considered by him are packaging, promotional offers
and the brand name.
Advertisements play a very important role in influencing the purchase decisions.
Consumers these days look for messages and themes in advertisements other than
information about the product attributes.
The monthly expenditure on bathing essentials indicates that bathing is still a low
involvement category in the Indian market.
Conclusion
This report has provided important insights about the consumer behaviour of people
towards bathing essentials. People belonging to different sections of society have varied
aspirations and needs depending upon their income level, gender and occupation. Through
this study, it can be inferred that brand loyalty towards a bathing product is dependent
upon a lot of factors which eventually impact the purchase decision.
Limitations
The present study intends to examine the consumer behaviour towards bathing products and
the influence of product attributes and advertisements on brand preferences and brand
loyalty. It also covers customers' involvement in the bathing category depending upon ones
age, gender, profession and income level.

The study, however, has the following limitations:

The study has been done by taking each product attribute as independent of other
attributes, hence their interdependence, if any is ignored.
As the study is conducted in only Delhi, the findings and suggestions of this empirical
study may not be representative of the universe.
There may be a chance of individual's experience dominating the interpretation of the
data.
Some discrepancies may have occurred due to random sample method used.
Since, bathing is a category which is personal to the respondents; they may not have
given their exact views or hidden some information deliberately.
A better insight could have been achieved if the area of coverage would have included
more number of cities.
The survey is slightly skewed because most of the respondents belong to a young age
group.
The survey does not take into account the brand loyalty of a respondent towards
different products separately. For example: A person may be loyal towards his chosen
brand of shampoo but not so particular about his bathing soap.
The time constraint existed throughout the study due to which lesser number of in
depth interviews were conducted than planned.
Resource constraint in terms of transportation, money etc.
Sample size is too small to come to any concrete conclusion thus discrepancies in the
result could appear due to the same.

Future Research Directions

By working on the above mentioned limitations and by putting in more time, the scope of this
project can further be widened.

The study can also include consumer behaviour towards hand sanitation.
It can also explore in depth the reasons behind the attraction of customers towards
shower gels.
 Similarly, the study can also be used to analyse what companies need to do in order to
increase the shower gel penetration in rural India.
It can also be used to infer the reason as to why consumers are loyal towards the soap
of a particular brand but not its shampoo or vice versa.
The research work can further include why personal care in India is more about facial
care and does not give the same importance to body care, on the whole.
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Internet Sites
1. http://www.business-standard.com/content/b2b-chemicals/increasing-personal-care-
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2. http://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-consumer-market.aspx
3. http://reports.dionglobal.in/Actionfinadmin/Reports/FDR0108201343.pdf
4. http://gyananalytics.com/ipci.pdf
5. http://www.euromonitor.com/hair-care-in-india/report
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7. http://www.euromonitor.com/oral-care-in-india/report
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9. http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol14-issue4/J01446572.pdf?id=7380
Annexure

Qualitative research sample

1. Name: Vinita Pal (HR Manager)

Age: 29

SEC A

Uses shower gel because of hygienic concerns.

Low brand loyalty; tries new brands.
Features like fragrance, appearance play a major role in purchase decision.
Advertisements are a major source of creating awareness about new products
Example: tried Tresemme shampoo after watching its advertisement. Similarly, tried
Lux Shower Gel.
In Tresemme Shampoo advertisement, Salon-style hair was the driver to buy the
product

2. Name: Shivani Jain (Professional)

Age: 22

SEC A

Very conscious about what product to be used on skin.

Uses Dove soap and Dove shampoo.
Very Brand loyal.
Using Dove since 7-8 years.
Bought Dove after watching the Ph-test advertisement on Dove.
Will not buy any other soap or shampoo if Dove is not available at a shop.
Uses Shower gel occasionally (while using loofah). Likes to bath conventionally
using soap. Considers it convenient and quick.

3. Name: Anamika Saini (IT Professional)

Age: 23

SEC A

Uses different products for face and rest of the body

 Very particular about using Himalaya face wash but does not feel any inclination
towards using shampoo by the same brand
Uses soap because it saves time
Conditioner is a must for hair care

4. Name: Pawan (Guard)

Age: 26

SEC B

Baths every day.

Using lux since the time he had moved to Delhi from his village.
At home Neema sandal is used since forever.
Has used shampoo rarely.
Lux because the focus is fairness.
Also remembered Aishwarya Rai from advertisement.
Uses fair and lovely regularly.
Has separate toilet soap for washing hands lifebuoy.
Quoted ' lifebuoy kitanu (germs) ko kaat ta hai '.
If Lux not available then will buy something else. But lifebuoy cannot be replaced.
Shampoo - Clinic Plus regularly. Understands that soap is not for hair.

5. Name: Panditji (Canteen Manager)

Age: 50

SEC B

Very particular about bathing with his brand of soap.

Baths every day, sometimes twice a day. Uses Dettol.
If Dettol not found, lifebuoy next best thing.
Focus is hygine. Gave example of how we use Dettol after wounds etc .Hence, Dettol
soap will have the same properties.
Watches TV so probably influenced by ads too.
 6. Name: Shamili Sarkar (Maid)

Age: 29

SEC B

Use of lifebuoy or Dettol. Reason perceived benefits and Word of Mouth.

Considers Dettol because of its germ fighting ability and prickly heat treatment.
Not very brand loyal might switch to another brand if its not available in store.
She is the decision maker in her family for soap purchase.
She started using shampoo after coming to urban area. She uses Clinic All Care and is
very brand loyal for the shampoo.
Her daughter uses Dove. Reason Advertisement. Influencers- School friends.
Extremely brand loyal. Only replaces Dove with Lux if Dove is unavailable.

7. Name: Gyan Singh Negi (Maintenance employee)

Age: 52 yrs

SEC B

Very similar profile to canteen guy.

Using Lifebuoy for the last 8 yrs. 2 sons use other soaps which he couldnt recall.

8. Name: Ranjit (Room Cleaning)

Age: 25 yrs

SEC C

Doesnt bath everyday. On an average 5 days a week.

Baths because of sweating and health.
Using Lifebuoy and is fairly brand loyal too.
Influenced by Lifebuoy ads when he used to watch tv at his village but couldnt recall
the ad properly.
No shampoo. Uses soap only.
 9. Name: Shyam Singh(Fruit seller)

Age: 40 yrs

SEC C

Baths everyday.
Uses soap once in a week and sometime once in 2 weeks.
Uses 555 soap for everything including bathing and washing clothes.
If not this, then goes for Lifebuoy even though the rate is higher.
Quoted ' sabun toh unke liye hai jinki twacha (skin) kamzor hoti hai '.
Gave example of how he used kaali mitti to take a bath in his village.
Has an income of about 25-30K so money is not the issue. He doesnt think soap has
any great benefits.
Survey
What is your skin type ?

o Normal
o Sensitive
o Oily
o Dry
o Combination
o I don't know

Which of the following products do you use while bathing ? (You may tick more than one option)

Soaps
Shower Gels
Face Wash
Shampoos
Scrubs
Others (Specify)

Which of the following most describes your personality in relation to purchasing bathing products ?

Always Conservative (Buy only well known brands)

Experimental at times (Buy new brands at time )
Always risk taking (Buy new brands very often)
Others (specific)

Which brand of soaps do you currently use?

Dove
Lux
Cinthol
Pears
Lifebuoy
Dettol
Santoor
Medimix
Others(specify)

Which of the brands of shower gels you currently use ?

Nivea
Palmolive
Cinthol
Adidas
Park Avenue
Boutique
others (Specify)

Which brand of facewash do you currently use?

Clean and clea

Pears
Ponds
Lakme
Nivea
Garnier VLCC
Himalaya
Neutrogena
others (Specify)

Which brand of shampoos do you currently use ?

Loreal
Garnier
antene
Himalaya Ayur
Dove
Sunsilk
Park Avenue
 Head and Shoulders
Clinic All Clear Clinic Plus
Others(Specify)

Who takes the decision while buying the product?

Mother
Father
Self
Others (specify)

Who influenced you to buy this brand?

Family
Peers
Advertisment
others (specify)

How often in a month do you purchase soap?

Once
Twice
Not definite
more than two times

How often in a month do you purchase shower gel?

once a month
once in two months
alternate between soap and gel
3 months and more

How much do you spend on bathing products in a month?

Below Rs. 100

Rs. 101 - Rs. 300
Rs. 301 - Rs. 500
Rs. 500 and above

How important are the following factors in your purchase of the product? (pick top 3)

Fragrance Shape Brand Price

Germs removing property Moisturizing property Complexion enhancing ability
Skin Protecting ability
Packaging
Deodorizing effect

What is your opinion on the above mentioned parameters when mapped to your brand?

Dissatisfied Somewhat Neutral Somewhat Satisfied

Dissatisfied dissatisfied
Fragrance Shop
Brand Price
Germs
removing
property

Moisturizing
property

Complexion
enhancing
ability

Skin Protecting
ability
 Deodrizing
effect
Packaging

How do you find the advertisements of your brand?

Appealing
Neither appealing nor unappealing
Unappealing

Which of the following appeals you most in the advertisement?

Celebrity/Models
Messages/Themes
Visuals Humour Music
Others

How likely is that you will buy this brand next time?

Very Likely
Likely
Undecided
Unlikely
Very Unlikely

Where do you purchase the products from?

Nearby Kirana Store

Big retail Outlets e.g: Big Bazar
Departmental Store
Cosmetic Store (Exclusive Outlets)
Online
Others (specify)

Please specify you Gender

Male
Female

Please specify the age group you belong to.

15-25
26-35
36-50
Above 50

Specify your Occupation.

Business
Salaried (public)
Salaried (private)
Student
Home maker

Please specify your monthly family income?

Below Rs.20,000
Rs 20,000- 40,000
Rs. 40,001-60,000
Above Rs. 60,000