An Exercise on Consumer Behaviour

By: BIMAL KUMAR SAHOO PGP/15/009 Section- A

Product Type: A regularly used product/service costing less than Rs. 50/-(Low Involvement product) Product Selected: A bath soap (FMCG segment) Brand name: DOVE Cost of the Product: Rs. 32/- for 75 gms. Goal of the interview: To understand the decision process that governed the purchase of Dove and its implications/ use to a marketing manager.

Profile of the customer interviewed

Madhumita Swain is an Electrical Engineer and works as a GET (Graduate Engineer Trainee) at Reliance Infrastructures Ltd. in Mumbai. She is 22 years old and is unmarried. She belongs to a lower middle-class family from Bhopal and currently, she has no major liabilities towards them. Her father works in BHEL and her mother is a housewife. She has two elder sisters, both of whom are married and a younger brother undergoing his graduation in ISM, Dhanbad. She earns around 5.5 lacs per annum and shares a flat with 3 other colleagues at work. She is a shopaholic and likes fun in her life. She enjoys her work-place but has aspirations of doing an MBA. She gets herself involved in various social activities and loves travelling a lot.

Reasons for selecting the consumer

 Regular user of DOVE.  As she is shopaholic, she might be aware of most brands and products available in the market.  She is young and represents the female youth of India; hence her interest in daily-use FMCG segment goods might be high.  Being an engineer and working in a prestigious organisation, she might be rational in her decisions.

Data Collection
I had a telephonic interview with the customer. The conversation happened at around 8 PM on 10/07/2011 and lasted a little more than 35 minutes. Madhumita is a friend of my batch-mate during college and I began with introducing myself and then briefing her about the interview which was to follow next. She then told about herself and patiently answered to all the questions raised by me.

Some of the conversations during the Interview Me: Which soap did you use before DOVE? What influenced you to switch to Dove? Madhumita: Since a child and even till my graduation, I have been using Breeze toilet soap as suggested by my mother, but after I started earning, I felt to try a premium product. My elder sister suggested using Dove as she found it very soothing and free from chemicals. Even 2 of my flat-mates use Dove and are happy with it. I had used it once during my graduation but found it to be very expensive. But now that I can afford it, I appreciate the price I pay for the value I realise out of it.

Me: Have you seen the Ads by Dove? Did it have any impact on your decision to go for Dove? Madhumita: Oh! yes, I have seen them. They have always projected a sense of concern towards soft skin which every woman dreams of. The Ads are really nice and they quite rela to the caring, te chemical-free and tender product, they are offering. Obviously, they influenced my decision. Me: Did you collect more information before trying out Dove? Did you attempt to? Madhumita: No, the Ads and advice from my sister and friends were enough to convince me. Moreover, who cares for 32 bucks! Even a plate of Paani-puri is costlier than this. Me: What are the attributes of the product that you like the most? Madhumita: Well, they claim that the soap constitutes of 33.3% of cream and that is chemical-free. I needed a soap which will take care of my skin keeping it soft apart from keeping it clean. Being chemical free is such a boon. Moreover, the fragrance is also appropriate, neither too mild nor too strong. The packing and branding is also attractive. Me: Do you always buy Dove from retail marts? Madhumita: Not really. Although, there are special offers available in retail marts, I dont always buy from there. Infact, many a times I buy it from a medicine shop or a local grocery shop as per my convenience.

After analysing, the interview and the answers to the questions raised by me, I realised that the following factors affected the choice of the consumer in a great way:  Economic condition and Demographics- Till the consumer was at home, she used Breeze but when she moved to a new place and became economically stronger, she tried Dove.  Family and peer influence - The consumer was deeply influenced by her mother, sister and her friends in choosing the product at different instances.

 Advertisements and promotions- The advertisements depicting the product features played a major role in convincing the customer to go for Dove  Roles, status and Lifestyle- As the customer became independent, she wanted to go for a premium product.

 Price of product- The pricing made the product unreachable earlier but also gave an exclusive image.  Distribution - The accessibility and availability of the product made it easy for the customer to buy it.  Perceivable Product features- The salient features of the product catered to the want of the customer.

Implications in taking marketing decisions

Going by the concept of Marketing, the marketing decisions should first cater to first understand and then try to satisfy the needs, wants and demands of the customers. For the product to be successful, the promotion of the product depicting its key features should relate to the product itself which Dove has satisfactorily achieved. The pricing also plays a major role. It can be too expensive for some as well as can be a symbol of exclusiveness as well. Hence, pricing influences the target market segment. No matter what the promotion might be, family and peers do play a major role in decision making in case of Indian markets generally. The distribution of Dove seems adequate and is easily accessible and available.

Thus, the decision process that governed the purchase of Dove and its implications to a marketing manager was analysed critically.