A PROJECT REPORT ON Creating

Brand awareness for mermaid packaged

drinking water in corporate leading business

SUBMITEED TO MUMBAI UNIVERSITY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Masters of Management Studies (MMS)

Submitted by: SWAPNIL KHAWALE (Roll No.B-88)

Project Guide: Prof. RESHMA

YMT COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT

NAVI MUMBAI
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DECLARATION

I, Mr. Swapnil Khawalehereby declare that this project work entitled Creating brand awareness for Mermaid packaged drinking water in leading corporate business Have been carried out under the guidance of my faculty guided by Mrs ReshmaGhorpade This reports neither in full nor in part will ever be submitted for award of any other degree of either this university or any other university.

Swapnil Khawale

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. Swapnil Khawale student of YMT COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT,KHARGHARhas completed his field work report at Creating brand awareness for mermaid packaged drinking water in corporate leading business on the topic of SALES & PROMOTION and has submitted the field work report in partial fulfillment of MMS-Marketing (AICTE) of the UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI for the academic year 2010-12. He has worked under our guidance and direction. The said report is based on bonafide information.

Dr. C BABU Guide

Mrs.RESHMA GHORPADEDirector

Date:- / /2012 Place: -Navi Mumbai

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express our gratitude to all those who gave us the possibility to complete this Project. I want to thank the Management ofYmtCollgeOf Management for giving us the opportunity to commence this thesis. I deeply indebted to my Project guide Prof. ReshmaGhorpade

PREFACE

This project deals with the distribution strategies which is very important factor for any organization because every companys aim is to give the better services to satisfy customer needs and wants. Satisfaction level is the function of the difference between perceived performance & expectation. If the performance falls short of expectation the customer is dissatisfied. If the performance matches the expectation the customer is satisfied. If the performance exceeds the expectation the customer is highly satisfied or delighted. Thus, for customer centered companies are both a goal & a marketing tool. So, this project presents the matter in a precise & convincing manner. The subject in this project is in a more compact & in logical manner. I would like to put on record the debt I owe to my parents for their constant encouragement & support. This project could not have been completed without the co-operation & assistance of several kind-hearted souls i.e. my close friends who helped me at various stages by extending their active support. Last but not the least I am thankful to Mr. HarshilKamble (Business development executive) without his personal attention this project would have never seen the light of the day.

INDEX
Sr. No. Contents Page no. 1 Executive Summary 7 2 Introduction 8 3 Insight of Packaged Drinking Water 13 4Ps & Consumer habit & preference 17 5 Market categorization & segmentation 21 6 Analysis of Key account & Retail Sales 24 7 Research Methodology & competitors 31 8 Questionnaire 36 9 Analysis & Interpretation 39 10 Limitation 50 11 Findings and observation 51 12 Recommendations& Suggestion 52 13 Bibliography 55

Executive Summary Objective: The research was conducted for the SKU 1 liters & 500 ml Key account of Mermaid Packaged drinking Water. The main objectives of the research wereTo find out the Market Penetration of the packaged drinking water brands in the Key accounts in the allocated areas. To create awareness & improve the Mermaids market potential in the New Mumbai & Some part of the central Mumbai Market in Key account segments. To determine the user-nonuser status in allocated areas (Bhandup to Vashi). To ascertain the Buying Behavior of Key account consumers. To gauge the satisfaction level with the current packaged drinking water brand used. To assess the Price Sensitivity of the Key account consumers. A detail understanding of all the competitive brands of Mermaids packaged drinking water.

Research Methodology: Technique: Quantitative Instrument: Structured Questionnaire Method: Face-to Face Paper Pencil Areas Covered: Bhandup To Vashi Sample Size: 290Keys accounts Duration: 60 days

INTRODUCTION

Now around 100 companies sell an estimated 484 million liters of bottled water valued at around Rs. 230crore in the country annually. The tradition of bottled water and mineral water is not very old. Even in western countries the practice of bottled drinking water started in 1950s. The trend of having mineral water gained grounds in the market.Since ancient time people have used water from mineral springs, especially hot springs, for bathing due to its supposed therapeutic value for rheumatism, arthritis, skin diseases, and various other ailments. Depending on the temperature of the water, the location, the altitude, and the climate at the spring. It can be used to cure different ailments. This started the trend of using mineral water for drinking purpose to exploit the therapeutic value of the water. This trend started gaining momentum in mid 1970s and since then large quantities of bottled water from mineral springs in France and other European The concept of bottled has been quite prevalent in western countries due to greater health consciousness and higher awareness about health and hygiene countries are exported every year.

Dwarka Group Of Companies Established 15 years ago by our Chairman And FounderShri.Devprakash Rajput Genesis The foundation stone of the group was laid down by ShriDevprakash H. Rajput, the groups founder chairman in the year 1947 by starting a restaurant namely Subhash Punjab on National Highway No. 4 at Panvel. Today the group has transformed into a large conglomeration of companies owning landed assets to the tune of Rs. 100 crore and annual volume of Rs. 350 crore, having 25 dairy plants in all over Maharashtra. As if now our current employee strength is 739 which is 178 in Dwarka, 534 in Adecco, 10 in MHPL and 17 people in Shilpa Beverages. Dwarka Group is a closely held conglomeration of various companies primarily active in three verticals: Liquid Milk and Milk Products Hotels and Hospitality Beverages - Packaged Drinking Water

Expansion
Shilpa Beverages Pvt. Ltd., a company formed by the directors namely Mr. Kapil Rajput and Mr.Mithilesh Rajput is currently in business of Packaged Drinking Water. The company is operating from its state of the art bottling plant at New Panvel in Raigad District. The motive of the company is to provide quality product in all sizes at the best possible rates and make a unique brand name in the market through highgrade service and prompt response. The company began its entry into the packaged drinking water business by setting up distribution network for its brand OXYFRESH CLASSIC in the year 2005. In Sep 2010 Company Changes Name OXYFRESH CLASSIC to MERMAID

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Vision With packaged drinking water as its core product, the group also envisages to venture into large scale manufacturing of the entire gamut of CARBONATED SYNTHETIC DRINK AND NON CARBONATED READY TO DRINK FRUIT JUICES. The company is presently doing business in areas like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune and Ratnagiri district. The company has expansion plans to do the business on state level basis. The company also plans to setup its RETAIL DIVISION in metro cities of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pune as part of its forward integration programmed. Company also envisages setup a manufacturing unit of 20 LITRE JARS and SMALL CUPS in Mumbai specifically for Mumbai Region taking into consideration the huge requirement that the product has in the island city. Mission To create employment opportunities in the rural sector and absorbing local people by training them for required jobs. To create employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in Tier I, Tier II and Tier III Metro cities by installing retail booths in these cities. To provide value for money to the end consumers by serving them fresh, unadulterated product that is packed as per International Standards, at competitive prices. To create a mega brand and strengthen the groups operations in area of beverage industry through continual development, expansion and profitability.

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Values Integrity Leadership Teamwork Co-operation Quality Passion Openness Transparency

Journey of Dwarka Beverages

The launch of OXYFRESH CLASSIC was a phenomenal success due to strong distribution network and the expertise that the company had acquired. The company continued to expand the packaged drinking water business by extending its geographical limits in distribution, capturing town after town, district after district. Currently the brand is having its presence in Bombay, New Bombay, Thane, Raigad, Pune, Ratnagiri and Ahmednagar Districts. By the end of 2006 OXYFRESH CLASSIC had substantial presence and a very good penetration in market. This was the time that the promoters thought was ripe to venture into backward integration. Sales volumes required for profitable running of the unit were already there. The think tank of the company prepared a detailed blue print for the companys journey into backward integration. Together they setup a strong team of dedicated professionals department wise and thus began their new endeavor in March 2007. With all the required skills and people in place, the commissioning work of the unit began in April 2007 under the supervision of Mr. Mithilesh Rajput. With all its processes and Standard Operating Procedures tried and immaculately tested and refined the company achieved its objective of setting up its first unit well within time in March 2008.

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For carrying out such enormous scale of operations, the company has also created a strong team of professionals carefully chosen and picked up from their respective fields. These professionals were appointed as their respective head of departments after due consideration, deliberation and thorough market research.

The appointment of these professionals has brought in good corporate governance in the company and has converted it from a family owned business to a professionally managed organization.

INSIGHT OF PACKAGED DRINKING WATER INDUSTRY IN INDIA Water everywhere, not a CLEAN drop to drink! Who would have thought that there will be a day when sanitation of available water would be more of a concern than availability of water itself? Hygiene is of great concern to everyone today, and this is evident with the surging rise in the consumption of packaged/bottled water. India has 16 percent of the world's population, 2.5 percent of the land mass and 4 percent of the world's water resources. These limited water resources are depleting rapidly while the demands on them are increasing. Drinking water supplies in many parts of India are intermittent. Transmission and distribution networks for water are generally old and badly maintained, and as a result, are deteriorating. India is one of the biggest and most attractive water markets in the world. The boom time for Indian bottled water industry is to continue- more so because the economics are sound, the bottom line is fat and the Indian government hardly cares for what happens to the nation's water resources. Corporate control over water and water distribution in India is growing rapidly: the packaged water business is worth $250 million, and it's growing at a huge 40-50% annually. Around 1,200 bottling plants and 100 brands of packaged water across the country are battling over the market, overdrawing groundwater, and robbing local communities of their water resources and livelihoods. Most multi-national (MNC)
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companies view India as the next big market with a lot of potential and growth possibility. Several MNCs are waiting in the wings to expand a $ 287 billion global water market into India. There is a huge market being exploited by the packaged water industry, and it's growing at 40% per annum. With over a thousand bottled water producers, the Indian bottled water industry is big by even international standards. There are more than 200 brands, nearly 80 per cent of which are local. Most of the small-scale producers sell non-branded products and serve small markets. In fact, making bottled water is today a cottage industry in the country. There is investment worthy mid-cap companies in this segment. From being confined to the uppermost echelons of society, packaged water has now become a commonplace commodity and almost a necessity in metros. After witnessing historic growth in recent years, it has become a Rs 3,000-crore industry, one that is slated to only post healthy growth rates to become a Rs 10,000-crore business in just three years, The bulk water industry, or water in 12-, 20- and 25-litre packages, has also witnessed a parallel growth of Rs 700-1,000 crore. Basically, the market can be divided into two segments the retail consumer market where the pack sizes are 500 ml, one litre, 1.2/1.5/2-litre and fivelitre, and the household and institutional market, where the pack size is usually are 20- or 25-litre. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the governing authority on all quality and production regulations related to natural mineral water as well as packaged drinking water. The all-India market for packaged water is between $145 million (Rs. 8 billion) and $21 million (Rs. 10 billion) and is growing at the rate of nearly 40 per cent per annum. Even though it accounts for only 5 percent of the total beverage market in India, branded bottled water is the fastest growing industry in the beverage sector. While the single largest share in the mineral water market might still belong to an Indian brand -- Pearles $52 million (Rs. 2.5 billion) Bisleri brand has a 40 percent share -- multi-national corporations are not far behind. Nestle and Danone are vying to purchase Bisleri, and Pepsi's Aquafina and Coke's Kinley brands have been extremely successful in edging out many of the small and medium players to buy-outs and exclusive licensing deals. In less than two years since its launch, Aquafina has cornered 11 percent of the market and Kinley has almost a third of the market. News
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reports indicate that other MNCs like Unilever are also eying the market. DEMAND OF WATER WOULD NEVER GO DOWN & WATER WOULD NEVER BE OUT OF BUSINESS How is bottled water different from Tap Water? Consistent quality and taste are two of the principal differences between bottled water and tap water. While bottled water originates from protected sources - largely from underground aquifers and springs - tap water comes mostly from rivers and lakes Another factor to consider is the distance tap water must travel and what it goes through before it reaches the tap. In compliance with international regulations, bottled water is sealed and packaged in sanitary containers. If a bottled water product is found to be substandard, it can be recalled. This cant happen in case of tap water. According to regulations in the US, when bottled water is sourced from a community water system the product label must state so clearly. However, if the water is subject to distillation, de ionization or reverse osmosis, it can be categorized that way, and does not have to state on its label that it is from a community water system or from a municipal source

Types of Water
Package waters: Packaged waters, other than natural mineral waters, are waters for human consumption and may contain minerals, naturally occurring or intentionally added; may contain carbon dioxide, naturally occurring or intentionally added; but shall not contain added sugars, sweeteners, flavoring or other foods. Artesian water Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. Accordingly, drinking water is water that is sold for human consumption in sanitary containers and contains no added sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavors, extracts or essences). It must be calorie-free and sugar-free.

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Flavors, extracts or essences may be added to drinking water, but they must comprise less than one-percent weight of the final product or the product will be considered a soft drink. Mineral Water: Bottled water containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids may be labeled as mineral water. Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to this product. Spring water It is water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Spring water shall be collected at the spring or through a bore hole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. There shall be a natural force causing the water to flow to the surface through a natural orifice. The location of the spring shall be identifiable. Glacial (Glacier) water It is either the runoff directly from the natural melting of ice of glacier or water obtained from the melting of glacier ice at a bottled water operation. Prepared water Prepared water is substantially altered so that its composition is no longer characteristics of the defined origins. They have been rendered fit for human consumption or have passed through community water supply or have had the composition significantly changed. Purified Water Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes can be labeled as purified bottled water. Other suitable product names for bottled water treated by one of the above processes may include "distilled water" if it is produce

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4 Ps

Product Range

. Mermaid is available in 250 ml bottles, 500 ml bottles, 1 litre bottles, & 2litre bottles.

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Packaging The most critical aspect of our bottling process that sets us apart from the rest of the industry is the fact that our bottles remain untouched right through the rinsing, filling, capping and labeling operations. Filling Bottles are fed by an air conveyor from the blowing unit directly into the in-feed of the RFC. Our RFC equipment is neck run and it boasts of a monoblock unit, which means that every bottle is held by the neck automatically while being inverted, rinsed and sprayed with ozonated water at 2 bar pressure. After draining, the bottles are re-inverted and transferred to the filler. At the filler these bottles are straightened up and gradually lifted to the filling valves which open only when a bottle is placed under them. Filling is then done systematically through gravity.

Capping After the filling process the bottles are then transferred to the capping section. Here ozonated-water rinsed caps are screwed on the bottle with uniform torque. Since our water is ozonated all product contact parts are of 316L grade stainless steel and the rubber parts are of EPDM. (All components are water lubricated above the table top.

Labeling From the capping section the bottles are directly sent to the labeling section. All Mermaid bottles are labeled on a hot melt reel feed labeling machine. This machine allows each individual bottles to be spaced out and fed to the labeling station where precisely cut labels with a strip of hot melt glue at the leading and trailing edge, get rolled around the bottle. These labels are fed into the machine in a roll form too

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Quality Check From here on, the bottles go through an online check where qualified personnel inspect each bottle for any leaks or breakages. They are then packed into sturdy cartons which are dispatched to the market by our fleet of trucks. Place: It has its own distribution network as well as its distributors who comprehensively cover all the route thus making it possible to place Mermaids product in almost all the major retail & key out outlets. Although it has its reach in most of the outlets but due to exclusivity there are certain numbers of outlets which do not keep Mermaid products. Mermaid has more than 35 Distributors vehicles which cover all the major routes throughout the day & ensure that each & every retail&key outlet has sufficient stock for at least 2 days over& above demand. The distribution plays a very crucial role in the success of Mermaid Promotion: Mermaid being a generic name in the packaged drinking water segment is started advertising on Marathi commercial news channel. The major promotion is done by Mouth communication. Discounts are offered to the retailers along with their margins so that they push the product. Also Mermaid has a strong sales force which constantly strives on the field in an Endeavour to make new clients & place products in new outlets. The Distributors vehicles are covered by huge hoardings which have Mermaid add printed on them. These vehicle acts as a tool for outdoor promotion. Pricing: When it comes to pricing Mermaid is very rigid especially in 1 litre bottles. The price of 1 litre is Rs.15/- where as the price of other Skus like 250 ml, 500 ml, & 2litre is Rs 6, 10,15 & 20 respectively. Huge discounts are offered on both 1 litersbottle as well as the other Skus only when consumption is in bulk. Of all the SKUs of
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Consumer habits and practices

Consumers are growing more health conscious and are more careful of their drinking habits. Brand loyalty is very low as all the products taste the same so they can buy just any product which is on Availability in the chilled form and brand awareness is a crucial role in purchase decisions. While there is no aversion to consumption of mineral water by any age group, this product is mainly consumed by the people in the age group of 20-35 years who have less attraction of soft drinks or other synthetic drinks whereas youngsters look in for soft drinks and fruit beverages to quench their thirst. Visibility is another factor that should be taken care of by the companies as consumers are not very brand loyal and consume whatever is in front of them. Consumers often drink bottled water as an alternative to tap water. They think it tastes better (no chlorine taste) and perceive it to be safer and of better quality. They also look for security: food scandals inindustrialized countries and waterborne diseases in developing countries greatly influence consumers attitudes. Consumers buy bottled water to feel well and to lose weight. Bottled water is perceived as a healthy alternative to other beverages. Thus, for the aerated beverages bottled water offers a potential threat. Moreover, increasing urbanization, causing declines in tap-water quality, can also explain the popularity. Because it is untreated, natural mineral water is perceived as "natural" by city dwellers looking for genuineproducts. Higher living standards and auto usage enable people to easily bring home more and heavier bottles of water. At the office, a bottle of water is now a common sight on the desk, next to the computer and the telephone. Drinking bottled water is a sign of a rise in the social scale. Above all, bottled water has become a huge marketing process
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Market categorization
The market initially had only one SKU of 1 litre this was followed a by a number of smaller and bigger SKUs. Base on this SKU we can divide the entire market into two segments

Each of these consumption markets has a number of SKUs under it. Some of ht most consumed SKUs in retail and key account market 500ml, 1 liter & 2liter The institution market is largely constituted by the hotel industry, caterers, offices, parties, travel, tourism etc. The market can also be divided on the basis of the price at which this bottled water is available into three categories: Super premium mineral water Premium local natural mineral water Popular or plain bottled water Presently, Evian of DANONE group; Perrier and San-Pellegrino of Nestle belong to super premium category. Himalayan, Brilliant etc. belong to premium local natural mineral water category. All other brands like Mermaid, Bisleri, Bailey, Kinley, Aquafina etc. belong to popular or plain bottled water category. The packaged drinking water market is often categorized as per the clients they have Theatres / cinema halls / Multiplexes Caterers Picnic spots, Clubs, Gymkhanas , Hotels, Resorts In-flight kitchens
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College canteens General Stores etc

The Market Size & Growth Rate

The mineral water market is still maintaining the pace at which it has been growing over past few years.Market is witnessing launch of a number of player with every passing day. Presently the market is night operators who enter the market in summers, reap benefits by packaging tap water and selling as pure mineral water, and then leave once the season is over. The problem in the market is not with the players but with the consumers. Poverty levels, illiteracy has led these players to take full advantage of consumers by selling even the tap water as mineral water. The fault also lies with the government for being lackadaisical in setting up norms for entry into the industry and also for being lackadaisical in taking proper care of health of its public. Total bottled market has a size of Rs. 11-12bn of this around Rs. 7bn is in the hands of organized sector and rest is with unorganized sector. In the organized sector Bisleri is the market leader with 48% market share. well distributed among small regional players. The market for the past three years has been growing at unimaginable rates of more than 80%; this can be explained on account of the lower base of previous years. This strong double digit growth rate of the industry has attracted a number of global players in the market in the recent past some the major players like Coke, PepsiCo have launched their products in the market. Manymore like Nestle, Britannia, HUL have evinced interest in the market. With changing consumer preferences from carbonated drinks towards bottled water the growth rate is expected to stabilize at 25-30 % for next 4-5 years. The Rs 1,200 crore branded packaged water market, which was once synonymous with the desiBisleri, is now witnessing intense competition with multinationals entering the fray and is also reeling under the high input costs. Genie is out of the bottle! Indeed, the bottled water industry is one of the most thriving sectors in India.
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Market Segmentation
The mineral water market is segmented according to the type of consumer 1. Foreign market: Foreign tourists have been the main consumers of the mineral water as they face a lot of digestion problems due to different food habits. 2. Domestic Tourists Domestic tourists have switched to mineral water mainly because of safety and hygiene factors. 3. Fashion conscious Like soft drinks, drinking mineral water is also considered fashionable by some people.The mineral water consumer is mainly in the age Group of 20-35 years and is an educated middle class person. This is also the segment of fruit drinks, which have usually been positioned as fun and health drink for young adults. The mineral water market is also segmented along pack sizes 1. One litre bottle: This is meant to spell safety and security for consumers. It is positioned on a prestige platform for the achieversegment - who likes to make a fashion statement by drinking mineral water. This segment gets the maximum sales. 2. 500ml bottle This size has been introduced in the market to target the individual and local travelers. 3. PET bottle The size of PET bottles varies from 10 to 20liters. These are mainly for institutional sales (Wedding parties, Hotels, Corporate, etc
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Retail & Key account Selling

Retail selling: Retail selling does not include the end users in the transit. Here Mermaid sells its value offering to the retailers who then sell it to the end users. Retailers play a crucial role in the success of any product because they are the people who directly communicate and transact with the end consumers. The end users or the customers decision are often influenced by the retailers. Hence it is very essential for a manufacturer to keep its retailer happy and contended. Because he is the one who pushes the product in the market. Mermaid seeks to satisfy its retailers by giving those justified margins and offers. In its Endeavour to reach its various customers Mermaid SKU`s to serve the purpose of its varied customers Mermaid places its offering in more than 2000 outlets in Mumbai & Navi Mumbai . It has a wide reach in all over Mumbai. The product can be sighted in most of the outlets in Mumbai Mermaid has to reach to almost all the major medical outlets. The major promotion that is done by Mermaid for retail selling is POP merchandise displays. As mentioned earlier retailers are instrumental in the success of a product as they push the product to the consumers. In the recent years the soft drinks majors such as Coca Cola & Pepsi who offer packaged drinking water have given tough competition to Mermaid by Saying monopoly to the retailers. So they tie up with the retailers to sell their products exclusively. As a part of promotion they offer their refrigerators and other cooling system to the retailers and are forced to keep only their products in those freezers. Due to all these hindrances Mermaid faces a tough competition from the soft drink majors hence even though the customers demand for Mermaid they gets something else to quench their thirst. From last one year Mermaid contribute several new key activation in retail as well as in Key account area. Hence it slowly and gradually creates awareness in the market.
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Pre sales Order This is the order received in advance before the vehicle goes on the route. These orders are entered into the data base from the consumers which are sent along with the salesman to the destination. Ready stock This is the order received by the salesman on the route wherein he prepared a manual bill and gives the delivery to the customers. Analysis of Key account & Retail Sales For Keyaccount Sales: Customer Awareness Quality Availability Sales Force Pricing

Bisleri Aquafina Kinley Mermaid Local F

E G G

G G G G

E G F G P

G G G G P G

F F F

E-Excellent G-Good F-Fair P-Poor

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Analysis of the above Table: The above analysis shows that Mermaid is not excellent in any areas due to just entering in the world but this is again true fact that it was no poor in anywhere. As a starting stage mermaid achieved satisfactory result within a short period of time . Hence it need not concentrate in creating customer awareness about its brand as it is already generic in the segment, but again it has to convey its customers about any new offerings that they come up with. Also the quality & availability of Mermaid is better than other local brands, hence it need not worry about it. The only area of concern is the Relationship and awareness. Hence Mermaid has to first decide who its competitors are. If it only wants to compete with the branded segment then its pricing strategy & promotional strategy is at par with others but if it wants to compete with the entire segment (i.e., branded & unbranded) then it has to come up with a separate Marketing strategy to tackle the competition. Recommendation: As per the research done in the (Vashi to Mulund area) it was found that the unbranded segment as well as some of the brand in the market having monopoly with Key account and retailer. Mermaid has a chance to capture that unregimented market as well when it comes to bulk consumption. This is because these local brands are priced at much more less than the rate at which Mermaid& some of the other brands are offered. Mermaid cannot afford to lose this market if they want to stable in the market for long year. Hence it should come up with an entirely different offering for such consumers who are more of price conscious than quality conscious.

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For Retail Selling:

Customer Awareness Bisleri Aquafina Kinley Mermaid Local E G G F P

Quality

Availability Sales Force

Pricing

E G G G P G

G E F

G G G G

G E F E E

E-Excellent G-Good F-Fair P-Poor Analysis of the above Table: The above table shows that Mermaidgood in customer awareness & quality as well as availability.. The pricing of Mermaid is at Discount with other brands &also the margin that other brands offer to the retailers is lower than that of Mermaid, this being the reason that the retailers now move to keepMermaid. Also the brands like Aquafina &Kinley belong to the cola majors who have an already established distribution network & due to exclusivity of these brands in many of the outlets Bisleri is not able to place its product Consumer Behavior:
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Market Penetration The major objective of the survey was to find out the market penetration of the packaged drinking water brands in the corporate offices at Vashi to Mulund. It would determine the users & non-users of Mermaid Information of Market Penetration will help Mermaid to know a measure of the amount of sales or adoption of a product or service compared to the total theoretical market for that product or service. The amount of sales or adoption can be an individual companys sale or industry while the theoretical market can be the total population or an estimate of total potential consumers for the product. It will help the company to know which all competitors exist in the given area Buying Behavior The survey was also aimed at ascertaining the buying behavior of corporate consumers i.e. the basis of preference of a particular brand in the given area. Buying Behavior will help the company to know the consumption pattern and will also help the company to know what exactly does the consumer is expecting from the company? What influences consumers to purchase products or services? The consumer buying process is a complex matter as many internal and external factors have an impact on the buying decisions of the consumer. There are several processes which a consumer goes through before he buys a particular brand they are:1. Problem/Need Recognition How do you decide you want to buy a particular product or service? It could be that any existing brand of packaged drinking water which you are using may be inefficient in providing service or you may be having problem with availability of water in your corporate offices or so or you may be having problems with price or quality etc then only you would try and shift to other brand or start of with new service. 2. Information search

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So we have a problem now? Whats the solution? Now in the above case the corporate may look into other offices in his premises which brand they are using? Are they happy with their service? Or whats the price of the Brand they are consuming? And various other information. He will go through all these information and then come to conclusion. 3. Evaluation of different purchase options So what brand of package water do we purchase? Shall it be Bisleri, Mermaid, Aquafina or Kinley? Consumers allocate attribute factors to certain products, almost like a point scoring system which they work out in their mind over which brand to purchase. This means that consumers know what features from the rivals will benefit them and they attach different degrees of importance to each attribute. Consumers usually have some sort of brand preference with companies as they may have had a good history with a particular brand or their friends may have had a reliable history with one, but if the decision falls between the Mermaid&Kinley then which one shall it be? It could be that the review the consumer reads on the particular Mermaid product may have tipped the balance and that they will purchase that brand. 4. Purchase decision Through the evaluation process discussed above consumers will reach their final purchase decision and they reach the final process of going through the purchase action e.g. The process of going to the shop to buy the product, which for some consumers can be as just as rewarding as actually purchasing the product. Purchase of the product can either be through the store, the web, or over the phone.

Satisfaction Level
It is very much important to know whether your consumers are happy with your product or not? Company should try and understand the requirement of their consumers and then try to satisfy them as per their need then only company will be able to retain its image in the market. Gauging satisfaction level is the key role of research department.

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Company should not only try to gauge the satisfaction level of its own brand but also of its competitors. This will help company to build up further strategies as well. Price Sensitivity When it comes to purchasing any product the most important factor which is considered is Price. Price Sensitivity is the awareness of the consumer to what they perceive to be the window of cost within which they will buy a particular product or service. It is imperative that the marketing professional be able to assess price sensitivity in the target market accurately as missing the window even by a small margin can have enormous impact upon the companys sale.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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METHODOLOGY The project was to involve a detail study of the market based on the consumers. The markets available for the study were the retail shops, hotels and clubs. For estimating the market potential and our own brands market share different methods of primary data collection were employed in the form of questionnaire, structured and unstructured interviews and methods for establishing facts about building marketing insights for packaging margins etc. RESEARCH APPROACH:There are different research approaches and the research instruments that were employed during the research work. The common research approach for collecting the primary data are observations, focus group, surveys and experiments. In this case, a general survey to gain knowledge about the market, Survey was undertaken where particularly information was gathered

METHODOLOGY ADOPTED

The success of any event heavily depends upon the way chosen for its execution. This includes ensures of some basic question to the specific focus on constraints as well. In other words they can call the methodology as the backbone of any research. It also includes research or study method. Thus when they talk of methodology they not only talk of methodology they not talk of methods but also consider the logic behind the methods they use in the context of their study

objective and explain way use are using them so that study results are capable of being evaluated logically.

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Research Design - Descriptive The Descriptive research is used as the study includes surveys and fact finding enquiries related to packaged drinking water industry. The major purpose of Descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present.

Research Approach - General Survey In this case, a general survey to gain knowledge about the market, commonly known as the pilot survey was and undertaken where particularly information was gathered with respect to the brands, peoples / consumers perception so that it serves as a foundation toprepare the questionnaire for collecting primary data and that it helps in deciding other methods to be adopted which may be useful in gathering the necessary information.

Research Problem for the present study Analyzing the market of Mermaid package drinking water from VashiToMulund.

Data source Primary data

- Questionnaire - Personal interview (structured/unstructured)

Secondary data
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- Internet - Files/document - Manual of the organization - Books & Project reports

Data representation technique - Bar graphs & Pie charts

Total sample size -296

Type of sampling - Non- Probability

Sample Area -Vashi To Mulund

Sample unit - Hotels/Restaurants

Respondents - Owners of the shops, salesmen, purchase or food &beverages managersof different hotels/restaurants

Competitors of Mermaid in given area

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The bottled water industry effectively competes with both the water-purifiers as well as the soft drinks industry. The water purifier industry (primarily the Aqua Guard brand of the Eureka Forbes) is credited to have done the spadework for creating the safety and health consciousness in water consumption, and is a serious competitor in the household and institutional consumption market, whereas the soft drinks industry is a strong competitor in the Key account as well as in retail consumption market. COCA COLA The company had entered the business in May 2000 through its extending its soda water brand, Kinley. The brand is available in pack sizes of 500ml, 1-litre, 1.5-litre, 2litre, 5-litre, 20-litre and 25-litre. PEPSI CO. The company entered the bottled water business in September 1999 under the Aquafina brand. The company began by targeting its product towards the youth with a 750ml pack. It now retails in conventional retail pack sizes of 500-ml and 1-litre bottles. The brand has the strong backing of a distribution channel of 60,000 outlet and the refrigerators at Pepsis retail Outlets, which stock its cold drinks. BAILLEY The brand is a product of Parle Agro, the company that launched Frooti (mango drink in tetra packs). Bailley is credited with creating a new segment of 330ml SKU (the right quantity to quench the thirst of an adult!) in the market. OXYRICH Dhariwal Industries Ltd - Food & Beverages division has one of the most modern andcomprehensive packaged drinking water facilities spread across India. The labels and cartons are also made in the group companies to ensure total control on quality and processes. Oxyrich (300% more oxygen) is clear, smooth, pure water with a refreshing boost of extra Oxygen.

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BISLERI Mineral Water under the name 'Bisleri' was first introduced in Mumbai in glass bottles in two varieties - bubbly & still in 1965 by Bisleri Ltd., a company of Italian origin. This company was started by Signor FeliceBisleri who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. LOCAL PLAYERS IN MARKET Life Apoorva Oxifresh Sagar Aviva Oxygen Suman

Questionnaire

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Organization: ________________________________________________ Name: ________________________________ Designation: ___________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Contact No: _________________________

1. Do you purchase packaged drinking water? Yes No

If no then why? __________________________________________ 2. Which of the following brands do you currently purchase? Bisleri Kinley Aquafina Others________________

3. Why do you prefer the above brand? Price Quality Service Others_______________

4. What is the price you are paying for the above brand? ___________________

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5. How frequently do you buy the above brand? Daily Alternate Days Weekly

6. In what quantities do you buy the above brand? (no of jars/day) ___________

7. For how long are you using the above brand? < 1yr 1-5 yrs to 5 yrs 5 yrs and above

8. From whom do you procure the above product? Company Distributor Retailer

9. How would you relate the overall quality of your relationship with the supplier considering all of your experience with them? Excellent Good Fair Poor

10. How satisfied you are with the quality of the water? Extremely Satisfied Dissatisfied Extremely Dissatisfied

11. Any specific problems faced by you? Please give details. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 12. Any suggestions would you like to give?

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ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

The questionnaires are interpreted considering the following factors for the locations i.e. VashiToMulund Flow of the findings: Distribution of different Sources of drinking water Mermaid vs. Competitor position from Vashi to Mulund area Market share of existing brands(users) Market share of existing brands(volume) Selection of mineral water Basis of preference of a brand Price paid for the brand
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Source of Purchase Preferred Mode Awareness of Brand Availability of mineral water Packaging of mineral water Quality of mineral water

All the above findings and interpretations are explained with help of statistical data.

Data tabulation analysis & Result

1. Distribution of different Sources of drinking water Brands Mermaid Competitor Aqua guard BMC Water Closed & no info Total No of Key account consumers 58 104 42 56 38 298

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Consumption Trend from Vashi to Mulund

13%

19%

Mermaid Competitor

19%

Aqua guard BMC Water Closed & no info 14% 35%

Interpretation The above data represent consumption trend in given area. The consumption rate of Mermaid in given area is 19 % and the competitors are 35%. The data clearly indicate that other than packaged drinking water there are many other means of water supply in given area, i.e Aqua guard 14%, BMC water 19%. Mermaid vs. Competitor position

Brand

Market Share (Users)

Market Share (Volume)

Mermaid Competitor

12 88

19 71

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Market shares
Mermaid Total Competitor

78

71

12

19

Market shares (Users)

Market shares (Volume)

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Selection of mineral water is very crucial role for all key accounts & Retailer. From the above data we can say that Brand awareness is very important for creating high sales value. Near about 26 % key account purchase mineral as per the brand name. The key account mostly prefer Branded packaged drinking water like Bisleri , Aquafina , Kinely etc.

At the same time consumer prefer packaged drinking water which having good quality, Reasonable price, & available on the substitute rate on time. Consumers have option to go for any of the brand which is easily available and have good market reputation. As per the study concern the mermaid packaged drinking water have good quality of water as well as it has a reasonable price. The only thing which backs it is brand name n packaging.

There is no proper sales promotion for the brand. Most of the key consumers are not aware about this brand. Source of Purchase

Distributor

71

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Company

Retailers

57

Company 6%

other 1%

Retailer 41%

Distrubutors 52%

Sources of Purchase
Interpretation Most of the consumer prefer to purchase packaged drinking water from Distributors & Retailer. If they required bulk quantity of consumption then for heavy discount they go with company directly. The distributor channel of Mermaid packaged drinking water now reach each and every area of Navi Mumbai and Mumbai hence it is easy for the consumer to get quick service and match demand supply position of there business.

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Preferred mode of Payment Cash 97

Credit

03

Sales
Cash Credit

3%

97%

Interpretation

Most of the consumer in Key account market prefers Cash payment.

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Awareness of Brands
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Bislery Aquafina Kinely Oxirich Bally Mermaid Other

Interpretation Awareness ofMermaid mineral water is lesser in comparison of other famous brands like kinley, oxyrich, bisleri in the key account as well as retail market.

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Availability of Mineral water

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Aquafina Kinely Bislery

Mermaid

Bally

Others

Oxirich

Interpretation Due to distribution channel Aquafina, Kinley is very easily available in market whereas Mermaid is little bit difficult to find

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Product packaging
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Oxirich Bisleri Aquafina Kinely Mermaid Others

Interpretation

Most of retailers think that the product packaging can attract more customers

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Quality of mineral water

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Interpretation As per Quality concern, oxyrich is leader in this sector so instead of higher price customers dont hesitate to buy the product .

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Price Comparison of Mineral water

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Bisleri Oxirich Aquafina

Kinely

Mermaid

Others

Interpretation In Market The quality as well as price of competitive brand as near about flexible except Bisleri&oxrich. The price of Bisleri 1 Ltr per box (12 bottle ) is Rs: 130 At the same time mermaid 95 Per box, Aquafina, Kinely, OxirichRs 105, 100, & 120 Respectively.

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LIMITATIONS

Any research or study always has some limitations under which this has to be undertaken. This one too was not an exception. These limitations are poised by the environment some external and some inherent. This study has been conducted with outmost consideration to the adequacy of data and quality of information, though as mention earlier the reliance on the sources cannot be minimized to zero in context of precision. The limitation can be enlisted as here under:1. The perception level of the respondents. 2. Availability of documents as sources of secondary information. 3. Reliability of information collected from various public information sources such as magazines and website. 4. Sometimes respondents were not willing to fill the questionnaire. 5. Sometimes the required persons were not available at their place. 6. Very often the respondents do not express their true feelings, in such case their habit, preference, practice, cannot be assessed correctly. 7. Some of the respondents refuse to give the important information best known to them. However in spite of these limitations all efforts have been put to make the report correct, genuine, and fulfilling the objectives of the reports.

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OBSERVATIONS & FINDINGS

1. Most of Packaged Drinking Waters consumer hotels & restaurant use Bisleri, Aquafina, Kinley and Oxyrich, because these are branded ones and are trustworthy. 2. Customer says that public does not demand for Mermaid PWD because they are not aware about the Brand Mermaid. 3. Some customers use MERMAID Packaged Drinking Water because of its attractive name & packing and due to its rational price. 4. The market penetration of MERMAID Packaged Drinking Water is good after facing so much challenge in South Mumbai area with their competitors like Aquafina, Bisleri, Oxyrich, and Kinley. 5. Mermaid Packaged Drinking water is lacking behind because of its quality and packaging. 6. Very less number of distributers is there in South Mumbai region for Mermaid Packaged Drinking water. 7. Distributors should have to be specifying with their area of distribution. 8. The company does not provide as many schemes as provided by its competitors to the dealer and retailers. 9. It was found that among all the areas covered, there were some areas in which the schemes were not regular.

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RECOMMENDATIONS & SUGGESTIONS

On the basis of this study, the following suggestions have been made to make the Future Option more effective: Quality of Plastic for Packaging must be improved. Packaging should be standardized & made attractive. The Taste of the water should be tested neatly to maintain the quality of the water. Intense Marketing and promotions activities are required to South Mumbai region for Customer awareness for Mermaid to show its mere presence in the market in the Packaged Drinking Water Segment. After sales services should be improved. Regular visit should be maintained by Area Sales Manager or executives for proper supply. More schemes should be launched by the company and organization. One week credit facility or one bill due system should be introduced. Sales promotion tools such as pens, banners, racks, note pads, stickers should be given to the retailers. Counters outside hospitals, cinema halls should be given special consideration. Regular checks should be made to see that the salesman introduces the schemes regularly, properly and on time to the retailers, which are introduced by the company. The Salesman should at least visit once in a week to those customers who dont stock Mermaid, with some new offers and schemes to increase the market share.

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Should not depend much on distributors as they doesnt introduce schemes, doesnt provide proper service and supply. The company representative like the area sales manager should visit once in 1 month to the present Key a/c customers for the overall satisfaction of the customer and to check the performance of the product.

The company should invest in promoting the brand name MERMAID to make it a WORD OF MOUTH, which ultimately helps in Brand Management. Salesman should have to build up good repo with Key A/C consumers as they visit the outlets for supply in order to maintain good customer relation. Regular meetings should be arranged with the company staff in order to know the practical problems faced by them and should be resolved suitably.

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CONCLUSION

Since Mermaid Mineral water is new in market so it will take some time to capture the market. There is a huge competition in the market in this field. Need to spend money on sales promotion to attract more and more customers and retailers. It has modified its packaging of bottles so now retailers as well as consumersare giving more response than it was earlier. Mermaid has good supply chain and availability of staff and team. Profit margin of the retailers by selling of Mermaid product is more than the other brand of thePackaged Drinking Water Company in the market.

Mermaid should give new offers to retailer as well as dealers so that they would ready to keep stock of Mermaid Packaged Drinking Water. Since Kingfisher is popular by name of Dwarka Group in the market so most of the high class families are not responding to the product.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web sites:
www.bottledwaterindia.org www.bisleri.com www.dwarkadairy.com www.shilpabeverages.com www.bis.org.in www.newagepublishers.com

Books:
Marketing Management by Philip Kotler (13th Edition) Kothari C.R., Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques

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