Research Proposal:

The general purpose of this study is to determine if decrease in price of Dettol would
encourage people to purchase it more, and thus increase sales or not. Our management
problem is given below

Management Problem Statement

Should Dettol prices be reduced to increase sales?

Below, we explain how we will approach this management problem:

Approach to the problem

In defining the limits of our study we have identified the areas that need to be addressed.
We have determined our objective to be as follows:

Research objective:

To conduct and attitudinal study of consumer willingness to purchase Dettol at lower

prices

This research objective will be achieved by means of answering the following research
questions:

Research Questions:

• What is the income group of Dettol’s target market? (lower income groups
will respond positively to price cuts)
• What motivates the purchasers of Dettol to purchase it? Hygiene or price?
• How many substitutes for Dettol are available? (price elasticity is proportional
to substitutes)
• Would changing prices encourage brand loyals of competitor brands to change
their preferences?
• What factors impact sales of soaps? How significant is pricing a factor as
compared to other factors impacting sales?
• What quantity of Dettol do users and non users purchase now? How much
will they purchase at reduced prices?
Using the data we collect by means of focus groups and questionnaires we will prove or
disprove our hypothesis as per data collected. Our hypothesis is provided as follows:

Hypothesis:

Ho = Consumers are more willing to purchase Dettol at lower prices than they are now
Survey Questionnaire
Thank you for participating in this research. Your input is highly valued and we assure
you of the anonymity of your responses. Kindly take your time to fill this short question
regarding your perception of soaps. If you have any questions regarding the completion
of this questionnaire please feel free to ask.

The Questionnaire has 2 sections. Please fill out all the parts.

Demographics:

Martial Status:  Married  Single Age of Oldest Child ______________

Number of Children _____________ Size of Family ______________

Section A

General Purchase Behavior:

Which Brand of Soap do you purchase? _______________

Who makes Purchase Decisions regarding soap for your family? _______________

Which size? How many? _______________

Consumer Preferences:

Rate the following soaps in order of preference:

Lux ____________
LifeBouy ____________
Safe Guard ____________
Dettol ____________
Capri ____________
Palmolive ____________

What factors did you consider while rating:__________________________________

Section B:

General Perception:
Do you use Dettol?
 Yes  No
If NO: Have you ever used it?
 Yes  No
How many of these categories of soap do you think Dettol has launched?
 Antiseptic soap  Soap for shaving  Liquid soap  Beauty Soap
What do you think is the worst thing about Dettol?
Lack of Variety  Dissolvability  Smell  Price

Opinion on Pricing:
Price of Dettol is
 Not worth the Quality  Okay  Never thought about it
Now imagine that the price of Dettol falls
What would your first reaction be?
 I’d be happy; I already buy Dettol and this would be a relief
 I’d be curious; it’s a good brand, let’s give it a shot.
 I’d be skeptical; they decreased the price, maybe they’ve compromised on quality
Dettol’s Market Price is Rs 38.00
How much price reduction would make you curious enough to try it? _____________
Attempt Only: Non users of Dettol
Would you try Dettol if the price reduces?
 If the quality is good, why not?  No, I will stick to my own brand.
Would you stick to Dettol if you find out that it has exceptional quality?
 Yes  No
Attempt Only: Users of Dettol
Would reduced price motivate you to purchase larger quantities of Dettol?
 Yes  No, I only purchase as much as needed. The price drop is irrelevant.

Thank you for you valued input! 

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