Fruitzone India Limited (B):

Designing the Research Questionnaire

Submitted by- APO 5

Background: FIL has commissioned IMI to conduct a market research study as it considers
releasing a new variety of packed juice made from natural sugarcane.
IMI’s Secondary Research is based on- Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews.
Flaws in research: Customer TOM responses, which are crucial for questionnaire creation
and more closely represent customer behavior, are not being recorded.
Hence, IMI decided to use projective interviewing techniques in this case.
Projective Techniques in BRM:
• Employed as a covert strategy in business research techniques to collect information about
customers' views, attitudes, and actions by reaching into people's subconscious thoughts.
• Beneficial when working with touchy subjects or when people might find it difficult to
express their ideas or emotions.
• Aids in developing better-targeting strategies and new metrics for evaluating and
positioning the product.
• Involves asking respondents to react with their ideas or emotions after showing them
ambiguous stimuli like pictures, words, or situations.
• To understand the respondents' fundamental intentions, wants, and views, responses are
analyzed.
Some common projective techniques used in our case:
Word association: Respondents are presented with a word and asked to respond with the
first word that comes to mind. This technique can be used to uncover associations between
concepts and brands.
Sentence completion: Respondents are given a sentence and asked to complete it in their
own words. This technique can be used to explore respondents' attitudes, motivations, and
values.
Insights from Projective Technique Study from our case study:
 Majority of participants associated fruit juice with health.
 Juice is preferred over fruits.
 60% of respondents associate packed fruit juice with preservatives.
 Juice consumption happens in both retail outlets and juice shops.
 Freshness is associated with fruits and juice, but the taste is not a TOM attribute of
juices.
  For sugarcane, customers associate tasty and energizing to be TOM attributes.
 Tropiviva ranks 2nd despite having the largest market share and is possibly losing
brand awareness.
Research Questions Prepared by IMI:
1. What is the willingness to purchase the product compared to other fruit juices and soft
drinks in the market?
2. What is the largest segment for sugarcane juice?
3. Price customers are paying to consume sugarcane Juice.
4. Expectations from the Packaged sugarcane Juice- Health/energy/ coolant/taste?
5. Level of satisfaction with Tropiviva brand?
6. What Taste variants do customers prefer in Sugarcane Juice?
7. Consumer Preference- Can/Tetra pack or bottle?
IMI believed that consumer purchasing patterns, rather than demographics or SEC, could be
used to classify customer segments for fruit drinks. Data from the definitive study is
analyzed using customer behavior as the main focus.
Based on secondary research, IMI classified customers into
a. Information Conscious
b. Health conscious
c. Price Conscious
d. Convenience conscious
e. Novelty Tryers
Main Questions:
1. Critique the Qualitative Techniques used by IMI.
IMI (Indian Market Intelligence) used many qualitative techniques to acquire information
on the Indian fruit juice business in the Fruitzone India Limited case study. While these
strategies are valuable for gaining insights and understanding market dynamics, they have
certain limits and might be improved. Expert interviews were one of the primary
qualitative methodologies employed by IMI. While expert interviews can provide helpful
insights, it is crucial to remember that these experts’ ideas do not always indicate the
broader market. Furthermore, expert opinions can be prejudiced or based on incomplete
information.
IMI also employed focus groups as a tactic. This entailed gathering small groups of
consumers to discuss their thoughts and preferences on fruit juice products. There are
certain drawbacks to using focus groups to understand customer attitudes and behaviors.
Focus group participants, for example, may be influenced by group dynamics or the
perspectives of others in the group, and their opinions may not always be reflective of the
broader community.
In general, IMI's qualitative approaches provided useful insights into the Indian fruit juice
market. IMI, on the other hand, could have utilized other approaches, such as surveys, to
confirm the correctness and dependability of their conclusions. Furthermore, to ensure a
more representative sample, IMI might have used more rigorous processes for selecting
and recruiting members for their focus groups and expert interviews.
2. What do you think about the appropriateness of the Questionnaire and its
Pretesting?
The Fruitzone India Limited case study briefly describes the questionnaire and its
pretesting process. Based on the information provided, this is our opinion of the
questionnaire's appropriateness and pretesting:
Questionnaire Design: The questionnaire appears to have been properly developed to
obtain useful information about the participants' preferences and purchase habits. The
questions are well-structured, simple to grasp, and cover a wide range of fruit juice-
related topics. Yet, little information is provided on the procedure used to produce the
questionnaire, such as whether the questions were based on previous research or were
created from scratch. This information would have been useful in determining the
appropriateness of the questionnaire design.
Pretesting: The pretesting method comprises testing the questionnaire with a small group
of responders to find any design flaws, such as unclear or confusing questions, biased
questions, or technical concerns. A pretesting approach in the case study involves testing
the questionnaire with respondents. The fact that some respondents struggled with
specific questions implies that the questionnaire could use some adjustments to increase
its clarity.
Overall, it appears that the questionnaire and its pretesting process were appropriate based
on the information presented.
3. Are you satisfied with the final decision? Justify (Based on the Questionnaire
prepared)
To address the research objectives, it is important to make sure that the
questionnaire's questions are relevant, understandable, and effective in gathering the
data. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the questionnaire after the changes have been
made to make sure the changes made do not impact the integrity of the study and that
the questionnaire is still effective at capturing the required information.
Additionally, checking the revised questionnaire makes it easier to spot any
inconsistencies or mistakes that might have been made during the modification
process and guarantees that the questionnaire is in line with the research questions and
data analysis strategy. The consultants can make sure that the questionnaire satisfies
the requirements of the research project and that the data gathered is accurate and
valid by examining the questionnaire after modifications have been made. They have
also captured TOM research by using word association and sentence completion.
Further, their decision to segment customers based on buying behavior rather than
demographic and SEC was a very wise one.
In conclusion, based on the information provided in the case study, the final decision
on the questionnaire for Fruitzone India Limited appears to be appropriate and well-
considered. The firm gathered both quantitative and qualitative customer input by
combining open-ended and closed-ended inquiries while using different methods
which helps them to analyze precise data for their business.
Extra Questions based on the observations from the case study:
4. Why do you believe IMI chose the projective technique, in your opinion? Do you
support their decision to use this tactic?

 The Projective Technique was chosen by IMI to learn more about Indian
consumers' views and impressions of fruit drinks. To discover fundamental
beliefs and motivations, this technique entails asking participants to project
their thoughts, emotions, and attitudes onto a stimulus, such as a picture, word
association, or sentence completion.
 To offer greater insights into the psychological principles that underlie
customer behavior.
 Identify subconscious opinions and reasons using this approach that may be
difficult to identify using conventional survey techniques.
 This technique is especially helpful in the context of this case study because it
can assist researchers in comprehending societal variables that affect Indian
consumers' views towards fruit juice.
 This method can assist researchers in revealing implicit connections between
fruit juice and ideas like health, refreshment, or status, which can be
influenced by societal standards and values.
 To learn the fundamental attitudes of customers towards Tropiviva and the
new product, "sugarcane juice."
 We concur that this method should be used because it allows users to provide
any response rather than only having a small number of choices to choose
from. Therefore, IMI can deduce the precise details they require.

5. Comment on IMI's decision to classify customers based on secondary research.

There is no discrimination when classifying customers based on their wealth or family
history because IMI categorized them based on behavior rather than demographics or
socioeconomic factors. Additionally, it is solely dependent on personality
characteristics in people.

1. IMI made a smart choice in categorizing customers because it enables FIL to

focus on,
 Sales efforts and distribution of resources more effectively.
 The most important customer segment.
 Time and resources they need to maximize its potential value by segmenting
its customer base based on its potential value to the business.
2. This also enables IMI to create specialized marketing plans for every consumer
segment, which can improve customers' happiness and loyalty. For instance, high-
value customers might need more individualized care and support, whereas lower-
tier customers might be satisfied with regular products and services.
 3. Additionally, IMI can concentrate on developing relationships and fostering them
over time for FIL by finding consumers who have the potential to become high-
value clients, which may result in increased income and profitability.
4. The choice to categorize customers in this way is a smart strategy that can be
advantageous to FIL in many ways, including better resource distribution,
elevated customer happiness, and improved income generation.

6. Do you believe it was suitable to exclude the points of sale at airports and train
stations from the conclusive research? Explain your response.
The places of sale at airports and railway terminals were not included in the
conclusive research, according to the Fruitzone India Limited case study. Points of
sale at airports and railway terminals might not be included for the following reasons:

Limited relevance: It might be fair to rule out airports and railway stops from the
study if the product under investigation isn't usually offered there.

Small sample size: It may be difficult to acquire a fair sample if the number of places
of sale at airports and railway terminals is low in comparison to other outlets. This
may make it difficult to derive useful inferences from the study.

Operational difficulties: Conducting a study in airports and railway terminals may be

difficult because of entry restrictions, schedule constraints, and higher expenses.

Additionally, the definitive study has a quantitative approach. IMI requires

quantifiable and concise data points. Therefore, it makes sense to eliminate the idea of
point of purchase at airports and train stations.

7. What recommendations should IMI give to FIL on whether to launch sugarcane

juice based on their market research study?
Based on the study, there are several observations made and the following are the
recommendations that IMI can give to FIL:
a. Develop a Testing Plan: Before releasing the product, FIL needs to create a
testing strategy to measure customer approval and improve the product in
response to user feedback. They can use this to make sure they are providing for
both the requirements of their customers and gradually enhancing the product.
b. Develop a Marketing Strategy: FIL should create a marketing plan that
emphasizes the distinct advantages of the product. They can use this to set
themselves apart from competitors and increase brand recognition.
c. FIL needs to evaluate the entire sugarcane juice supply chain, from sugarcane
procurement to refining, storage, and delivery. This will make it easier for them to
guarantee that they can constantly create and provide their clients with high-
quality goods.
d. FIL must develop a pricing strategy that is both competitive and profitable.
When determining their price, they should consider the costs of manufacturing,
distribution, and promotion.
 e. If the launch of sugarcane juice is a success, FIL should start planning for
market growth and think about expanding its product offering. Over time, this
will aid in their company expansion and income growth.
Based on these recommendations given, FIL can plan whether to launch its product in the
market or not.
8. What should be the market positioning of the sugarcane juice launched by FIL?
The market positioning of the sugarcane juice launched by FIL should be based on the
following factors:
1. USP: FIL should identify the unique features and benefits of its sugarcane juice that
differentiate it from its competitors. For instance, it can highlight the beverage's
natural, healthy, and refreshing attributes as well as its nutritious worth and lack of
added sugar or preservatives.

2. Target Audience: FIL should concentrate on determining who its sugarcane juice's
target market is. This may include people who are concerned about their health,
sports, exercise aficionados, and people who want to avoid drinking sugary beverages.

3. Brand Image: To establish a favorable connection with its sugarcane juice product,

FIL should capitalize on its already-existing brand image as a supplier of premium,
fresh, and natural fruit beverages. Additionally, it should emphasize its dedication to
sustainability, environmental responsibility, and societal effect, as these aspects may
appeal to customers who are concerned about these matters.

4. Competitive Environment: FIL must evaluate the market's level of competition and
decide how to set itself apart from the other competitors. To find any gaps that FIL
can cover, it may be necessary to examine the pricing, packaging, delivery methods,
and marketing tactics of its rivals.
Based on these elements, FIL should position the sugarcane juice it has just
introduced as a natural, wholesome, and pleasant beverage that will appeal to
consumers who are concerned about their health. The quality, freshness, and
nutritional worth of FIL's sugarcane juice could be emphasized as special selling
points. To successfully reach its target group, it could also make use of the brand
image and marketing channels it already has. In the end, the market placement
strategy should be in line with FIL's overarching business goals and support the
company's efforts to gain a competitive edge in India's crowded fruit beverage market.