Report: Consumer Buying Behaviour

Analysis for FMCG Stable (Soap)

- S. Lakshmi
(2016PGP030)
- Sumeet Ghodke
(2016PGP012)
- Shubham Sudatta Ukey
(2016PGP036)

INTRODUCTION
Consumer behaviour is the study of how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy,
use and dispose off goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants. The
assignment is to understand the process through which the consumer goes to come at the
conclusion of buying the particular product.
Marketing and environment factors enter the consumers consciousness and the set of
psychological processes combined with certain consumer characteristics to result in decision
process and purchase decisions. The marketers task is to understand what happens to
consumers consciousness between the arrival of the outside market stimuli and the ultimate
purchase decision.

Figure 1: 5 Stage Model of Consumer Buying Process

The product category chosen for the assignment is FMCG stable products and from which
soap is selected. A survey is conducted to analyse the consumer buying behaviour for soaps
from FMCG stable products. Three consumers have been surveyed and their responses were
analysed and the factors can be classified into 3 major categories like:
1. Personal factors (Age, Occupation, Lifestyle)
2. Social factors (Family, Reference)
3. Psychological factors (Learning, Perception)

Figure 2: Consumer buying decision process

Gender
Age group
Occupation

Consumer 1
Male
18-24
Student

Consumer 2
Female
18-24
Student

Product

Hamam

Source of information

Doctor

Johnson &
Johnson
Family

Duration of use
Decision makers
Who accompanies during
purchase
Soap attributes preferred

~6years
Doctor
None

~2months
Self
Friends

Advertiseme
nt
~6months
Mother
None

Milky +
glycerine
Hygiene
Excellent
No
No

Milky

Milky

Skin sensitivity
Good
No
No

Fragrance
Good
Yes
No

No effect
None
Yes
<20

No effect
Fiama di wills
No
Price
independent

Buy 1 get 1
Lifebuoy
No
<20

Main buying factor

Perceived quality
Affected by advertisement
Affected by celebrity
promotion
Preferred offers
Alternatives preferred
Brand loyal
Price range preferred

Consumer 3
Male
25-30
Security
guard
Vivel

Table 1: Survey Results

1. What is the role of consumers lifestyle in his buying behaviour?

Consumers who are more into physical activities prefer to have a fresh feeling so they
opt for soaps that have tantalizing smell and medicinal properties. Although
consumers of such soaps are low in numbers but the market for such soaps is high,
hence such consumers have a good number of options to choose from. For example,
consumer 1, who has sensitive skin went for doctors recommendations.
2. What role does personal or demographic factor play in purchase decision?
Personal characteristics that influence a buyers decision include age and stage in the
life cycle, occupation and economic circumstances, personality & self-concept, and
lifestyle & values. Because many of these have a direct impact on consumer
behaviour, it is important for marketers to analyse them closely. The general
observation was that females are more conscience about the soap they use and price
does not dictate the purchase decision. On the other hand males were more price
sensitive and preferred the price to be as low as possible.
3. Who makes the decision to buy the product?
The buying decision of the consumer is predominantly governed by the influencer.
But the final call is taken by the consumers themselves.
4. Who influences the decision to buy the product?

The influencer creates an image of a certain brand in the minds of the customers,
hence, friends and family members are the major influencers for any customers. In
case of consumer with skin sensitivity generally go with dermatologists advice (like
in case of consumer 1). The family members influenced the buying decision of
consumers 2 and 3.

5. How is the purchase decision made?

By gathering information, the consumer learns about competing brands, their features
and their compatibility with a specific brands. The individual customer will come to
know a subset of the total brands available which is the awareness set. Only some, the
consideration set, will meet the initial buying criteria. After gathering some more
information, the choice set will include some strong competitors. The consumer will
make a final purchase decision from these. For example the consumer 1 was advised
to use a medicinal soap and hence he chose to follow the advice. His consideration set
included Margo, Hamam, Medimix and Patanjali products. His final purchase
decision was Hamam.
6. Why is the consumer preferring one brand over another?
Consumer 1 tried other soaps (like Hamam, Margo, Medimix and Patanjali) with
similar attributes and zeroed down on Hamam as it was more suitable to his skin.
Consumer 2 did not experiment a lot but tried the flama, lotus soap and J&J baby
soap. After the experience she chose to go with mild and chemical free J&J baby
soap. Consumer 3 found Vivel to be a good value for money and hence chose vivel
over more expensive options.
7. Where do customers go to buy the soap?
Since the young generation wants to weigh their choices and make an informed
decision hence, the urban population (Consumer 1 &2) prefer malls and supermarkets
for purchase whereas the rural population (Consumer 3) prefers the local vendors or
shops.
8. How long have the consumers been using the same soap brand?
This question determines the brand loyalty of the consumer. Consumer 1 has been
using the same soap brand for past 6 years and is not willing to switch to some other
brand in any condition. Consumer 2 displayed a whimsical behaviour as she kept
switching the soaps on a regular basis. Consumer 3 has been using the same brand for
6 months and does not display loyalty towards the brand.
9. What social factors influences the purchase decision?
Social factors such as reference groups, family, and social roles and statuses affect the
buying behaviour of consumers. The consumer 3 belongs to a low income group and
prefers to use the brand that costs the least and saves some money.

CONCLUSION:
It is observed that consumer buying behaviour is partly influenced by factors like lifestyle,
family, friends, social factors, brand and buying place but ultimately it is the decision of the

consumer what he or she chooses to purchase. The demographics also play a major role in
consumer buying behaviour. Due to small sample size, decisive conclusions cannot be drawn.