FIELD EXERCISE: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Product Category assigned: Low involvement product between Rs.150-300

Consumer survey on Choice

AN ANALYSIS

1. a) Profile of the consumer surveyed:

The consumer that I have chosen for my research on understanding their behaviour and
choice is Dr. Madhubala Bhandari. She was originally from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and
moved to Mumbai after her marriage. Having lived in Mumbai for 10 years, she now calls
herself a proud Mumbaikar.
She is 35 years of age and has two kids, boys aged 5 and 2. She has taken a sabbatical from
her field of medicine and is now a homemaker, efficiently managing her household. There
are 6 members in her household: her mother-in-law, her husband, her brother-in-law, her
two kids, and herself.
The income of the interviewee’s family is 30 lakh per annum, with two primary earning
members. The Socio-Economic Classification that her household belongs to is A1 where the
primary wage earner of the family is a Post-Graduate Professional and the household has
around 10 of the 11 items in the list of durables.

b) Reason for selecting the consumer:

The reason why I chose Dr. Madhubala Bhandari for this product is that she is the
homemaker of the house. She is very experienced, both in age as well as in her responsibility
as primary caretaker of her family. As a mother of two kids, her decision had a direct impact
of her children and thus it was pertinent that every decision that she takes for the household
be well thought and planned. So, interviewing a middle age mother from the urbane city of
Mumbai would enable me to understand better the rational of the homemaker’s decision
and what goes behind a purchase for the household, even if it is a low priced and low
involvement product.
Brands also target moms in their marketing strategies most often and I wanted to get an
insight as to why and how brands cater to new moms.

1. Data Collection process:

The interview was conducted at an appointed time and place. It was a personal face to face
interview and it went around for 20 minutes. During the 20 minutes, I explained to her my
purpose of the interview and then went on to ask her questions about the product and her
decision making process. I had recorded the interview with the interviewee’s consent and
the recording helped me analyse and understand consumer choice well, as I listened to the
interview 2-3 times.
The interview went on smoothly and my interviewee was able to answer most of the
questions. She took her time to understand the question and gave appropriate responses to
them. The interview experience was something new for me and it was an enlightening
experience.
2. Individual and Group Factors affecting Consumer Choice
The interview process explained to me that consumer choice for a product is influenced by a
wide variety of factors.
The interviewee explained to me her behaviour while choosing to buy the product, a
casserole, of medium size which is usually priced between Rs. 250-320.
She explained to me her triggers in buying that product and what were the things that she
had to consider in that process.
There were individual factors like her personal preference which included the design of the
product and its colour, size and durability, her preference for particular brands and the
overall usage of the product in her household. Her lifestyle also impacted her decision.
The group factors impacted her choice heavily as she was triggered to buy the product after
she saw its use in the house of a friend. Her reference groups included her immediate family
and her group of friends. The family’s nutritional needs played a role in the decision.

3. Implications:
After my in-depth interview with a consumer, a mother of two kids, I understood the
decision making process that goes behind her choices and purchases. My learnings included
how a single consumer’s decision to buy a certain choice of product influences other in their
reference group, especially immediate family and close group of friends.
As a marketer, I understand the impact that the decision maker, purchaser and the user of
the product may not be the same person and thus, it is important that I target the decision
maker and purchaser of the product first, rather than the direct users. This is especially
relevant in products of baby care and household, because it is usually the mothers and
homemakers who decide and buy a product and it becomes habit for the entire household.
As mothers are also very cautious about what they give to their children, quality becomes of
paramount importance. My consumer was ready to pay the price for a quality good. Thus, in
my marketing strategy, I should focus on the quality benefits of the product rather than its
price.
Another implication as marketer would be to focus on the aesthetic features of the product
like design, colours and overall appearance of the product because consumers do look for
the getting their money’s worth both in terms of usage and beauty.
Consumers look for a market where they get a wide variety of options before zeroing on a
final product, thus my product should be positioned in the popular and crowded markets of
the city that gets consumers from different income strata, gender, professions and age
groups.
I have understood that consumers are usually brand loyal and thus, it is important to satisfy
their needs and desires satisfactorily. One time investment in the marketing of the product
and satisfying an individual will give me a consumer for life.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW:
• Date of the interview:
9th July, 2018 at 6.30pm

• Introduction of the interviewee:

Dr. Madhubala Bhandari, aged 35, from Mumbai, Maharashtra is my subject for the
interview. She has two kids and is currently a homemaker. She is responsible for the
household decisions and the running of the house is heavily dependent on her.

• Introduction of the Product:

The product that the interviewee chose to discuss in the interview is a casserole. It is a large,
deep dish which is used a serving vessel to keep food hot and fresh. It is common item of
popular use in most Indian families.

Ref:(H) i.e. me, Harshita, the interviewer and (M) i.e. Madhubala Bhandari, the interviewee

• Steps towards the decision making:

(H)-Who is the decision maker? The buyer? The influencer?
(M)- I am the decision maker who took the decision to buy the product alone based on my
needs.
The buyer was also me, as I went out to the market to buy the product after careful
considerations
I was influenced by my group of friends, in whose home I saw the use of the casserole and
its convenience. Advertisements of the product in both print media and digital media
influenced my choice of the product. The users of the product were me and my family. The
casserole is essentially a kitchen ware and of common use by everyone in the household to
make serving convenient.

(H)- What need did the product satisfy?

(M)- There was a need of a casserole in my house, because it will be convenient for me. The
food will be fresh, hot. It would be helpful for my kids also, as they could open the lid and
serve themselves. As a mother and homemaker, I have to multi task and balance a lot of
activities. Thus, I could prepare the food and store it in the casserole, keeping it fresh and
hot. Also, my old casserole was broken and not functioning properly and hence I needed to
replace it too.

(H)- What characteristics of the product were important?

(M)-The size of the product, its design, and colour and storage capacity was important
considerations. I looked for the quality of the product; its durability and ability to retain the
freshness of the food were the most important characteristics I was looking for.
(H)- Have you bought and used a casserole before? Was this a first time decision? Did you
review your previous decisions? Was this a casual decision or a careful one?
(M)-Yes, I have used a casserole before but it broke and hence I needed a new one. This was
not a first time decision for me as I am used to taking household decisions and also buying
kitchenware is a commonality.
It was a careful decision obviously because the item impacted my kids. My kids are my
priority and the need was serious. The convenience it brought to my kids, and the freshness
and hotness of the food all had to be carefully planned.

(H)- How much time did you take to decide the product? Was the amount of time spent
appropriate for the decision?
(M)-I spent around 15-20 minutes in deciding on the product of my choice. I spent time
looking at the different brands, the designs, the colour, size and overall quality of the
product. I think that I had spent an appropriate amount of time in buying the product,
because it gave me the opportunity to consider all options and choose the best one.

(H)- What triggered the decision to buy the product?

(M)- The use of the casserole at a friend’s house and the comfort it got triggered me to buy
the product for myself.

(H)- Did you collect any information to buy the product? How much information was
collected and from where? What sources were used?
(M)-I went and bought the bought the casserole on my own, only depending on buying the
market after personal examination.
I went to around 2-3 shops enquiring about the different brands of casseroles available in
the market. I asked the shopkeepers for information about the warranty of the product, its
usage, durability, size, etc. I was satisfied with the information I got as the shopkeepers
cooperated with my, showed my variety of items and gave my information I needed.
Television commercials and print media advertisements also gave my information about the
use and designs of the product.

(H)- When in the process was the information collected?

(M)-I collected information after deciding to buy the product based on my urgent needed. I
first decided to buy a casserole, and then went to the market to look for different brands
and designs and then bought the product.

(H)- Where did you buy the product and why?

(M)-Being a Mumbaikar, I straightaway went to Crawford Market. It is a market with many
sellers and there are many shops, which keep products of many brands. It gives convenience
as you get all your items at one place.

(H)- What is important for you? Where to buy or what to buy?

(M)- Being fond of shopping, I would say where I buy the product becomes more important
for me. Even though Crawford Market is far from my home, I go there and collectively buy a
lot of things that I needed and which were pending since long time.
So, even though I went to buy a casserole, there were other things that I bought for myself
and my home.

(H)- Did the timing and climate also influence your decision making process?
(M)-Yes, timing like holiday time for my kids, or school days, influenced my decision making
process. The climate of the time was crucial too since in the rainy season, I want my food to
be fresh and not let it become soggy.

(H)- At what price did you buy the product? Did you bargain?
(M)- I bought the product at Rs. 280. It was originally priced at Rs. 320 but I bargained for it.
This is the usual range of the medium sized casseroles in the market. Large sized ones were
priced for Rs.450

(H)- What size of casserole were you looking for?

(M)-I was looking for a medium sized casserole that had enough storage capacity to store
around 10-12 parathas and if there is any vegetable to be stored, say around half a kg of
cooked lady’s finger.

(H)- How did your family members use the product?

(M)-The product was well used by my family members, all of them now found it convenient
and easy to store food and there was no need of heating food again and again. It was well
liked by kids especially who used it easily, where they served themselves food, even without
my help. I was very satisfied by my product

(H)- Can you describe your casserole for me?

(M)-My casserole was pink and white and had a floral print. I love both the colour pink and
flowers. It was very nice and even if it falls because of my kids, it does not break. I trust the
products of Milton and thus even when I went to the market, my first choice was Milton, but
I also looked at other options in the market. I am not fond of online shopping.

(H)- Any story?

(M)- I had gone for dinner to a friend’s house and there I saw that she was relaxed and
conversing with us easily. I asked her what about dinner and she said that it’s already
prepared and ready to be served hot. I was impressed as the food was fresh and hot and she
was also relaxed.

(H)- Price or quality, which is more important for you?

(M)- Price was important but it was secondary. I was looking for a casserole that met all my
needs satisfactorily and I was ready to pay the price for it.

(H)- How is the present product being used?

(M) – I have explained to everyone in my household, including my maids, about the usage of
the product, how it is to be handled and stored. And I am very satisfied as the product is
functioning well and everyone at home is very happy.
(H)- Would you go for the same brand again?
(M)- Yes, because I have been very happy with the usage of this product, as it is keeping the
food hot and fresh. It is durable, of proper size and good design. Its advertisements are also
good and they trigger in me the need to buy the product, being a woman
Even though it is priced low, I usually take my time to decide on a particular product, based
on its need, its quality, urgency, etc. All my decisions are well thought and I take my time in
deciding. I visit many shops, ask around, look for the product and then buy it.
Since this was a long lasting product, I had to devote appropriate time to buy it after careful
examination, in the market. I did not think about the product before shopping for it, it was in
the market that I devoted time and bought it. In the future, I probably won’t take that much
time as Milton has proved its quality to me and I trust it. But even then, I think I would still
take around 8-10 minutes to decide on the colour, size, etc. All said and done, I am a
satisfied customer of Milton.

HARSHITA JHAWAR
F024
MBA Ist Year
SBM, NMIMS, Mumbai