CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

The term "consumer preferences" refers to behaviors that consumer displays in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needs. The study of consumer preferences is the study of how individuals make decision to spend their available resources like time, money, effort on consumption related items. It includes the study of what they buy, why they buy, when they buy, where they buy, how often they buy and how they buy.

Meaning and definition of consumer preferences:

Consumer preference consists of all human behavior that go in making purchase decision. However, consumer preference relates to an individual while consumption behavior refers to aggregate of individuals. The basic steps that need to be taken by a firm in order to implement that marketing concept are to focus all its attention on the consumer and services. The consumer is said to be the "boss" or "king. Consumer preference can be defined as psychological, social and physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become aware to evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about products and services".

Why the field of consumer preferences developed?

There are a number of reasons why the study of consumer behavior developed as a separate marketing discipline. Marketers realized that consumers did not always act or react, as marketing theory would suggest they would. Despite a sometimes me too approach to fads and fashions, many consumers rebelled at using the identical products that every one else used. Instead they preferred differentiated products that they felt reflected their own special needs, personalities and life styles. Even in industrial markets where needs for goods and services were always more homogeneous than in consumer markets, buyers were exhibiting diversified preferences and less predictable purchase behavior. To better meet the needs of specific groups of consumers most marketers adopted policy of market segmentation, which called for division of their total potential markets into smaller, homogeneous segments for which they could design specific products and/or promotional campaigns. They also used promotional techniques to vary the image of their products so that they would be perceived as better product fulfilling the specific needs of certain target segments. INTERDISIPLINERY DIMENSIONS OF CONSUMER PREFERENCES Consumer behavior was a relatively new field of study in the mid-to-late 1960s.because it had no history or body of research of its own, marketing theorists borrowed heavily from concepts developed in other scientific disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and economics to form the basis of new marketing discipline. Many early theories concerning consumer behavior were based on economic theory, on the notion that individuals act rationally to maximize their benefits in the purchase of goods and services. Later research discovered that consumers are just as likely to purchase impulsively, and to be

influenced not only by family and friends, by advertisers and role models, but also by mood, situation, and emotion. All of these factors combine to form a comprehensive model of consumer behavior that reflects both the cognitive and emotional aspects of consumer decision-making. Consumers vary tremendously in their age, income, education level, mobility pattern and tastes and preferences. It was seen that the economic and mental forces govern consumer's purchase decision. Mental forces like fear, prize, fashion, procession, romance, variety etc., create desire and wants in the minds of consumer. However, the rapid changes taking place in the external environment has also had a bearing on the consumer preferences and in complex manner in which the consumer behaves. To facilitate better understanding of the interdisciplinary dimension of consumer preferences, concepts borrowed from the other scientific disciplines which have a bearing on the consumer behavior are as given as below:

The various disciplines influencing consumer behavior:

Serial Number 1 2 3 4 5 Discipline Economics Psychology Sociology Socio psychology Cultural anthropology Governed by Demand, supply, income, purchasing power Needs and motivation, personality, perception, attitude Society, social class, power, esteem, status Group behavior, conformity of group norms, group influences Values, beliefs, caste system, attitude towards joint family system

Determinants or factors influencing consumer preferences:

Consumers do not make purchase decisions in a vacuum. Their buying preferences are influenced by cultural, Social, Personal and Psychological factors. Most of these factors are "uncontrollable" and beyond the hands of marketers, however it has to be considered while dealing with the complex behavior.

Consumer behavior

The role of marketing in consumer behavior

The American marketingSocial factor offers thePersonal factor association following definition forPsychological marketing Cultural factor factor marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods & services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. culture 1. Reference 1. Age 1. Motivation group subculture life style 2. Perception Marketing is a societal process by which individuals and groups obtain what 2. Family socialneed and want through creating, offeringoccupation exchanging 3. Learning class they & freely products and 3. Role & services of value with others. status personality 4. Belief & attitude The field of consumer behavior is rooted in a marketing strategy that evolved in the late 1950s, when some marketers began to realize that they could sell more goods, more easily, if they produced only those goods they had already determined

that consumers would buy. Instead of trying to persuade customers to buy what the firm had already produced, marketing oriented firms found that it is a lot easier to produce only products they had first confirmed, through research, that consumers wanted. Consumer needs and wants became the firms primary focus. This consumer oriented marketing philosophy came to be known as the marketing concept. The key assumption underlying marketing concept is that, to be successful, a company must determine the needs and wants of specific target markets and deliver the desired satisfactions better than the competition. The marketing concept is based on the premise that a marketer should make what it can sell, instead of trying to sell what it has made. The selling concept focuses on the needs of the seller; the marketing concept focuses on the needs of the buy

RESEARCH DESIGN Title of the study:

A survey on the consumer preferences with special reference to BATA INDIA LTD in Salem ".

Statement of the problem:

In this fast progressive world of speed and competition, it is necessary to keep track of the consumer preferences towards the products and also the satisfaction obtained by the customers from the products and services rendered by the company. Hence this research is to study and find out the customer preferences towards the products of Bata India ltd. It includes study of various aspects like age group of customers, income level of customers, satisfaction level of customers, opinion about the pricing strategy etc. the major concern is to find the current market position of Bata India ltd.

Objectives of the study:

To understand the awareness of consumer about the products of "BATA INDIA To understand the reason behind the brand preference. To identify the key factor that influences the customers buying decision. To study the market positioning of the company among the brands in the highly To help the company in formulating strategies to defend themselves from

LTD".

competitive market.

competition.

Research methodology:
Research methodology is a way to solve the research problem systematically. It can be understood as a science of studying how research is done significantly.

Sample size:
50 customers are selected from different towns in Salem. The researcher feels that sampling technique if administered will help in reducing the data collection time.

Sample type:
Random sampling of students, professionals, and other common users.

Duration:
1 month.

Sampling procedure used: Random sampling:

It is a probability sampling technique in which each element in the population has a known and equal probability of selection. Every element is selected independently of each other and sample is drawn by a random procedure from a sample frame.

Age group:
15 and above.

Data collection: Primary data:

The study required the generation of large amount of primary data, which in turn facilitate the collection of wide opinions prevailing in the potential market. So the primary data was collected with the help of questionnaire. It was then analyzed in the following manner: All the questionnaires were processed and calculated as per the The data was derived from questionnaire to worksheet. Data was then analyzed using appropriate statistical tools like averages,

objective of the study.

percentages etc.

Secondary data:
Secondary data was collected from the internal source of company such as company profile and product profile, and other magazines and journals.

Limitations of the study:

Time constraint of one month. The study was conducted in the limited area of Salem city. Limited sample size because of cost constraint.

Scope of the study

This study has helped to find the consumer preference about the products of the Bata India ltd. and at the same time to find out the reputation of the company among its consumers. 9

Chapter scheme:
The research has been organized in the following manner: Chapter 1: Introduction Research design Review of literature Chapter 2: Analysis and Interpretation Chapter 3: Findings, suggestions and conclusion Appendix and Bibliography

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COMPANY PROFILE
BATA shoe organization was founded on august 24th zlin, Czechoslovakia. Thomas Bata, a 9th generation shoemaker, invested his savings in some simple shoe making machinery. This investment would come to revolutionize shoe manufacturing of the day, and would be the start of a family legacy of welldesigned and durable shoes made at prices that every one can afford. Thomas Bata's concept for his enterprise was to apply mass production technology and innovative human resource program to footwear manufacturing. Tomas Bata was driven by a vision to put shoes on the foot of the people around the world, and lead the company with these simple business goals: sell shoes where shoes were not available". Reduce the production time to make the shoes and sell them for less; and supply people all over the world with affordable, stylish shoes.

BATA shoe organization

The organization is world's largest manufacturer and the marketer of footwear; it has 85 companies spread all over the globe both in developed and developing countries. The organization is a leader in the use of modern technology and the latest management and marketing techniques. It operates 6300 company owned stores all over the world. These include BATA family, athletes, world, bubble gummers, rizzi, heyraud. and Marie Claire stores. In addition BATA has over 50,000 independent retailers. The combined production and sales total 270,000,000 pairs of shoes per year. The BATA shoe organization has 67,000 employees on its pay roll today.

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BATA limited, the world headquarters of the BATA shoe organization is located in Toronto, is manned by exports in manufacturing, retailing, marketing, finance, product development and personnel. A workforce that is available, for training guidance in all operations in the field.

12

BATA INDIA LIMITED It was January 1934, pre-independence era when the BATA shoe company purchased 155 acres of land from the part commissioners and small land holders at a place at the outskirts of Kolkata. By 1936 shoes were being manufactured at the factory and soon by 1939 the batanagar factory became self sufficient in many ways. During the World War II, the factory production was geared enough to meet war requirements. There after growth and progress was steadily soaring upwards. New installations and schemes for the workers gradually made BATA India a household name in the country. In less than 60 years since its operations began in 1931 the modest factory in Konnagar of West Bengal representing BA A India has mushroomed into a corporate giant in India's industrial map.

Retail south, Salem

BATA India limited set up a factory in Salem in 1988. It mainly manufactured canvas shoes and thus the name "SOUTH CAN". It started with production of 6,000 pair age, now it has increased to 3,618,245 pair age in 1999. There is another production factory in HOSUR, Tamil Nadu. BATA south can has a retail chain office, which concentrates on the marketing merchandising activities for the whole of south India. It covers retail shops, agencies, franchises etc in present Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The retail south office and the production are often in touch in order to run the activities of the organization. Here the production is concentrated on canvas shoes of BATA school shoes. The main manufacturer of BATA is Southern factory in Salem. In addition, it also makes open footwear, which sells more in south.

13

BATA retail south is one of the four zonal office at Salem, controlling the activities of four states that in of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There are over 1000 retail stores in South and in Karnataka nearly 220 retail stores and 57 agents.

Mission Quality, the competitive edge:

With footwear marketing and manufacturing as its core business to achieve success and become the biggest and most skillful multiple retailing and distributing organization with a dynamic, flexible and market responsive approach to present and future opportunities for profitable growth. Success in the company's mission will be measured by excellence in service to customers, the integrity and ability of the employees, confidence off the shareholders and the suppliers and by being respected by the community as a responsible corporate citizen. Thus the pursuit of excellence continues. The key to better business has opened doors to BATA India for a collaborative venture in India. Adidas selected BATA for a collaborative venture in India. The shoes are being produced at Batanagar and at Pennya, Salem.

14

Objectives:
Once the footwear industry was a cottage industry. Today, BATA India is proud to have elevated it in to a full-blown industry with considerable volume and prestigious position. To remain at the top, BATA India invests substantial amounts of capital in developing and keeping abreast with new technologies at different disciplines, per emptying markets needs, and the employees are initiated in to thinking beyond today, head for tomorrow. From attaining peak professionalism to earning the trust of probable customer, locally or globally, that is what the company aims for. In other sense, it is a multidimensional drive to: Maintain high quality at all times Create a peaceful and harmonious working environment. Maintain leadership in the market through excellence in service and products; And Gain trust and respect as a socially responsible corporate citizen and earn the confidence of customers and stockholders. The BATA shoe organization regards itself as a multi-domestic rather than a Multi-national organization, making it a priority to contribute to the economy in any new markets entered. Production facilities were added to sales operations initially in Europe and later in other continents, at the rate of about two per year through to the 1960's.

15

FLAGSHIP STORES
With over 4700 company owned retail stores spanning almost every continent and 50,000 independent retailers and franchises distributing footwear, the BATA banner is one of the World's most familiar sights. BATA stores can be found in many of the world's leading capitals and fashion centers: Toronto, Florence, Paris, ZURICH, Lisbon, Paraguay Ostrova, santiago, Kuala Lampur, Milan, Singapore AND New Delhi.

PREMIUM SHOELINES
BATA has been delivering hand-crafting quality foot wear for all over 100 years To maintain and build on our heritage of creating high quality, comfortable and stylish shoes, BATA has created the BATA premium collections of products in the design center in Italy. These shoes are available at selected BATA stores Europe and elsewhere.

DISTRIBUTION
Though its head office in Kolkata BATA manages a network of 5 factories, 2 tanneries over 1500 showrooms, 27 whole sale depots and 8 retail discount center located across all states and union.

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TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

BATA shoe organization is in forefront with technological innovation for production of footwear. BATA India is endeavoring to ensure its factories have the latest technology and most productive system appropriate to manufacturing in India.

FINANCIALS
Bata India Ltd is quoted on Kolkata and Mumbai stock exchanges. Equity shares of the company have been activated the dematerilialization on NSDL.

EXPORTS
BATA exports its all products to customers around the globe including the UK, Canada, Europe, Kenya, South Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. The company is the largest exporter of rubber and canvas foot wear from India. Exported products cover footwear for children, ladies, and men. BATA INDIA LTD is currently exporting over 4 million pairs footwear to customers in parts of world. BATA INDIA factories are fully equipped to manufacture high quality leather and canvas foot wear. The factory at BAT ANAGAR has held the ISO 9001 certification for several years. Good consistent product quality, competitive prices and meeting delivery commitments have made BATA INDIA a favored supplier with many customers all over the world. The unequivocal leader, BATA INDIA exports 80% of the total canvas and rubber foot wear from the country. Our goal is simple: to consistently be the most satisfying place to shop for well priced, commercial fashion foot wear, everywhere in the world.

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BATA INDIA operates a unique chain of 1230 retail outlets, 100 franchisee stores and more than 300 wholesalers. Backed by 12 computerized distribution centers located at places, it operates 27 depots that supply to 300 wholesalers. These in turn, serve more than 10,000 BSO retailers (BATA INDIA'S wholesale division) outlets literally in the out backs to meet the footwear needs to country.

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BATA INDIA LTD A corporate file

1 BATA SHOE COMPANY LTD was incorporated in 1931. The company went public in the year 1973 when it changed to its present form. 2. Its first factory at BATANAGAR became operational in 1936. 3. At present it has 6 factories; BATANAGAR, WEST BENGAL BATAGUNJ, BIHAR FARIDABAD, HARIYANA PEENYA, KARNATAKA HOSUR, TAMIL NADU MOKAMEHGHAT, BIHAR

4. The company manufactures quality leather, canvas and PVC shoes in wide range designs at affordable prices. 5. BATA INDIA has over 14,000 employees. 6. BATA serves100, 000 customers a day. 7. It sales more than 60 million pairs of shoes annually and markets international brands like HUSH PUPPIES, Dr. SCHOOL'S, LOTTO and NIKE.

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8. BATA is one of the five most popular brands in the country according to "A&M" magazine recently held, 6th annual survey of the TOP INDIAN BRANDS. 9. BATA INDIA has been winning the CHEMICALS AND ALLIED PRODUCTS EXPORT PROMOTING COUNCILS (CAPEXIL) award for rubber and canvas foot wear. 10. On 24th November 2006 in Mumbai Bata India was honored with the prestigious Retailer of the Year' Award for the Year 2006 in the footwear category. This Award was a part of the Reid & Taylor Awards for Retail Excellence presented during the India Retail Summit 2006. This is the second year in a row that Bata has been awarded this distinction. 11. Bata was also a winner of the 2nd FMCG Consumer Reaction Awards in the Fashion & Specialities (Shoes) category. The Award was presented by: Bharati Vidyapeeth's Institute of Management Studies & Research (BVIMSR). 12. A survey on India's most trusted brands conducted by Brand Equity, a supplement of The Economic Times - India's highest selling business daily, ranks Bata amongst the top 10 most trusted brands in the country. This position is much ahead of those occupied by renowned brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Titan, Maggi, Nokia, Gillette etc. 13. Bata also emerges as the top preferred footwear brand in a survey conducted by Images magazine (India's leading magazine on the fashion and retail industry) in association with market research agencies - ACNeilsen-ORG-Marg.Bata India scored 35.1% of the popular votes and demonstrated greater market strength in all consumer segments, including women and youth. The second retailer (Liberty Footwear) was way behind with an 8% score.

STORE CONCEPTS
BATA RETAIL STORES: BATA operates almost 4700 stores around the world. Our goal is simple: to consistently be the most satisfying store to shop for well-priced and fashionable footwear everywhere in the world. BATA operates 4 core formats of stores: City Store, Super Store, Family Store and Value Store. BATA CITY STORE: BATA operates stores in many of the world's fashion capitals. BATA city stores offer urban customers the best in today's fashion foot wear and accessories. These stores are in prime locations and provide a high level of customer service, exclusive fashion shoe lines with complementary accessories and contemporary shopping environments to discerning shoppers. BATA SUPER STORE: BATA super store offer a wide assortment of fashion, casual and athletic footwear for the entire family. Located primarily in urban and suburban shopping malls, these stores offer high value by providing good quality shoes at great prices in an assisted service shopping environment.

BATA FAMILY STORE: BATA is the world's leading family foot wear chain whether in Prague or Singapore, customers have learned to depend on BATA for wide assortment of comfortable,durable and fashionable footwear for the entire family at reasonable prices. The products are primarily the BATA brand with a carefully selected assortment of articles from both local and international brand. Footwear, handbags, shoe care products- BATA family stores are the trusted source around the world. BATA VALUE STORES: BATA has built our reputation on providing high value to the consumer wherever we operate. BATA value store- outlet center, BATA Bazaar stores and depots - offer an incredibly wide assortment of very affordable foot wear for the entire family. The shopping environment is a self-service format for ease of shopping. Footwear is attractive and durable and specifically selected and sourced to meet the needs of the value conscious consumer.

PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS: Concept: DIFFERENT AREAS OF SALEM CITY HAVE BEEN COVERED IN 30 DAYS. THE NUMBER OF SURVEYED WAS 65 OUT OF WHICH 50 CONSUMERS RESPONDED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE. Table: 4.1

NO OF CONSUMER COVERED NO OF RESPONDENTS NO OF NON RESPONDENTS TOTAL NO OF RESPONDENTS

65 50 15 50

TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF RESPONDENT

Interpretation

From the above table it can be interpreted that most of the consumers are responding to the questionnaire.

Concept: GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS: All the 50 respondents were from the areas of 5 ROADS, NEW BUS STAND & FAIRLANDS. Table: 4.2 AREA 5 ROADS NEW BUS STAND FAIRLANDS TOTAL NO OF RESPONDENTS 10 15 25 50 PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL RESPONDENTS 20% 30% 50% 100%

TABLE SHOWING GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS Analysis 5 ROADS NEW BUS STAND FAIRLADS Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that most of the consumers belong to the Fairlands area. 20% 30% 50%

Concept: RESPONDENT ON THE BASIS OF AGE GROUP:

Table: 4.3 AGE GROUP NO OF RESPONDENTS 15 - 29 30 - 44 45 - 59 60 AND above TOTAL 10 10 25 5 50 PERCENT AGE OF TOTAL RESPONDENTS 20% 20% 50% 10% 100%

TABLE SHOWING RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF AGE GROUP Analysis 15-29 30-40 45-59 60 and above Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that the maximum number of Consumers are in the age group of 45 to 20% 20% 50% 10%

Concept: RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF GENDER: Table: 4.4

GENDER

NO OF RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE

MALE FEMALE TOTAL

35 15 100

70% 30% 100%

TABLE SHOWING RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF GENDER Analysis: MALE FEMALE Interpretation: From the above table it is clearly shown that 70% of the respondents are male and remaining 30% are female. 70% 30%

Concept: DISTRIBUTION OF CONSUMER ON THE BASIS OF FAMILY AVERAGE INCOME Table: 4.6 INCOME LEVEL NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE BELOW 5000 5 10% 5000 - 10,000 10,000 - 15,000 ABOVE 15000 TOTAL 10 20 15 100 20% 40% 30% 100%

TABLE SHOWING INCOME GROUP OF CONSUMERS

Analysis: Below 5000 5000- 10000 10000 - 15000 Above 15000 Interpretation: From the above table it is clearly shown that maximum number of the Consumer is between 10,000 to 15,000. 10% 20% 40% 30%

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This portion of the research work is mainly focused to find out the consumer behavior i.e., preferences, satisfaction level, awareness of consumers etc., Tables are marked with the help of the primary data collected by the questionnaire. Pie charts and bar diagrams are used to make the findings more clear and understandable. Concept: This question was asked to know the brand preference of the consumer. Table: 1 BRAND NAME BATA LIBERTY KHADIM ADIDAS NIKE WOODLAND OTHERS TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS 34 9 6 14 11 16 10 100% 34% 9% 6% 14% 11% 16% 10% 100% PERCENTAGE

Table showing the present brand preference of the consumers Analysis: Maximum of the consumer are using Bata i.e., 34% and followed by Woodlands Adidas, Nike etc. Interpretation: From the above table it can be interpreted that BATA INDIA LTD. enjoys the most brand preference when compared to other brands.

10% BATA LIBERTY KHADIM ADIDAS NIKE 11% 9% 14% 6% WOODLAND OTHERS

16%

34%

Concept: This question was asked to know previous brand preference of the consumer: Table: 2 NO. OF BRAND NAME BATA LIBERTY KHADIM ADIDAS NIKE WOODLAND OTHER TOTAL RESPONDENTS 36 4 6 16 13 14 11 100 36% 4% 6% 16% 13% 14% 11% 100% PERCENTAGE

Table showing previous brand preference among the consumers Analysis: From the above table it shows that the total no of respondents is 100 consumers. 36% were using Bata footwear previously followed by Adidas, Woodland, and Nike etc. Interpretation:

When Bata came to India, it was the first branded Shoe Company in the country. So, since then it has been enjoying a high level of brand preferences.

11% B ATA 14% 36% L IB E R TY K H AD IM AD ID AS N IK E 13% 4% 16% 6% W O O D L AN D O TH E R

Concept: This question was asked to know the media through which the consumers were aware of Bata range of products:

Table: 3 BRAND NAME PRINT MEDIA T.V. RADIO HOARDINGS ALL TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS 5 15 5 5 20 50 10% 30% 10% 10% 40% 100% PERCENTAGE

Table showing where consumer has seen Bata ads... Analysis: In the above table the No. of respondents are 50. The type of advertisement also influences the purchase to some extent. In the table it is shown that 10% media, 30% TV, 10% Radio, 10% hoarding, and 40% consumers prefer print prefer all. Interpretation: From the above table it can be interpreted that most of the respondents came to know effective. about BATA through advertisement given in all media such as TV, hoarding etc. The media usage of Bata seems to be quite Print Media, and

0%

18% PRINT MEDIA T.V . RA DIO HO A RDING S 23% A LL

39%

16%

4%

Table 4 This question was asked to know who influences their buying decisions:

INFLUENCER FAMIL Y FRIENDS SELF TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 38 22 40 100

PERCENTAGE 38% 22% 40% 100%

Table showing influences of family friends self on buying decisions The above table it is clear that the consumers are influenced to buy the product through family is 38%, through friends 22% and self influenced are 40%, Interpretation The above table can be interpreted that they themselves as well as their family is involved in the decision making process.

40%

38%

F A M IL Y F R IE N D S S E LF

22%

Concept: This question was asked to know why consumers buy the product: Table: 5

REASONS DURABILITY QUALITY ECONOMICAL LOOKS EASY AVAILABILITY LOYALTY OTHER REASONS ADVERTISEMENT TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 22 35 16 3 7 10 2 5 100

PERCENTAGE 22% 35% 16% 3% 7% 10% 2% 5% 100%

Table showing the reasons why the consumers buy the product Analysis: In this table we see the numbers of respondents are 100 customers. Most of the customers i.e. 22% and 35% buy the product because of durability and quality respectively followed by the reasons economical and loyalty. Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that quality is the most important parameter for the purchase of Bata products. Bata enjoys high brand equity from both quality perception and durability aspects.

22%

30% DURABILITY QUALITY ECONOMICAL 48%

Concept: This question was asked to know the range of foot wear preferences of the consumers: Table: 6 REASONS HAWAI CHAPPALS SANDALS SHOES LEATHER CHAPPALS SPORT SHOES OTHERS TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS 17 20 27 23 9 4 100 17% 20% 27% 23% 9% 4% 100% PERCENTAGE

Table showing the kinds of footwear consumers prefer Analysis: In the above table, there is 100 respondents. The table shows consumers have more shoes than leather sandals i.e., 27% and 23% respectively compared to Hawaii sandals, sports shoe and others. Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that most of the consumers are using shoes have just and leather sandals produced by Bata. The other categories of footwear beginning to gain momentum in the outlets. Bata has introduced a

whole range of fancy footwear to meet consumer needs.

27% 42% HAWAI CHAPPALS SANDALS SHOES 31%

Concept: This question was asked to know what consumer thinks about the price of the products: Table: 7

PRICE EXPENSI VE AFFORDABLE CHEAP TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 35 45 20 100

PERCENTAGE

35% 45% 20% 100%

Table showing how the respondents perceive the price of the product Analysis: From the above table it can be said that 35% and 45% respondents perceive the price as expensive and affordable respectively. Interpretation From the above table, it can be interpreted that the price of the products of BATA INDIA LTD is quite affordable by the consumers. Since the quality perception is high, they do not consider the price as expensive.

0% 20% 35% EXPENSI VE AFFORDABLE CHEAP 0% 45%

Concept: This question was asked to know the quality perceptions of the consumers about the product:

Table: 8

QUALITY EXCELLENT VER Y GOOD GOOD NOT GOOD TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 36 24 30 10 100

PERCENT AGE 36% 24% 30% 10% 100%

Analysis: From the above table it is clearly shown that 36% of the consumers perceive the quality as excellent, 24% perceive as very good, 30 % perceive as good. 10% perceive as not good. Interpretation As we have seen in the table 5, that most of the consumers buy the product because of producing quality so it can be interpreted that the company is quite consistent in qualitative products.

10%

0%

36% 30%

EXCELLENT VER Y GOOD GOOD NOT GOOD

24%

Concept: This question was asked to know the future product preference of the consumers regarding BATA INDIA LTD. Table: 9

PRODUCTS HAWAI CHAPP ALS SANDALS SPORT SHOES SHOES OTHERS TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 12 23 14 10 30 11 100

PERCENTAGE 12% 23% 14% 10% 30% 11% 100%

Table showing future product preference among the consumers regarding "BATA"

Analysis: In this table we can see numbers of respondents are 100 consumers. The most popular products are chappals and shoes which are preferred by 23% and 30% customers respectively followed by sandals and Hawaii. Interpretation As per the table most of the consumer prefer shoes of Bata.

13% 34%

HAW AI CHA P P A LS 26% S A NDA LS SPORT SHOES SHOES

11% 16%

Concept: This question was asked to know the buying frequency of the consumers: Table: 10

FREQUENCY I MONTH 2-4 MONTHS 4-6 MONTHS 6-8 MONTHS I YEAR > I YEAR TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 7 10 16 15 20 32 100

PERCENTAGE 7% 10% 16% 15% 20% 32% 100%

Table showing buying frequency of consumers Analysis: From the above table it is clear that 32% of consumers buy the product in more than one year. 20% buy in one year, 15% buy in 6-8 months duration, and 16% buy in 4- 6 months duration, 10% buy in 2-4 months duration and only 7% buy in one month duration. So, it is clear that most of the consumers use the product for more than one year. Interpretation Buying frequency of most of the respondents is more than 1 year.

10% 29% 15% I MONTH 2-4 MONTHS 4-6 MONTHS 6-8 MONTHS I YEAR 24% 22%

Concept: This question was asked to know the brand loyalty of the consumers: Table: 11 Opinion YES NO Total Number of respondents 78 22 100 Percentage 78% 22% 100%

Table showing brand loyalty of the consumer Analysis: From the above table it is clear that 78% of the consumers buy the product regularly and only 22% of them don't buy regularly. Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that most of the consumers are loyal to the brand. The respondents are very satisfied with the product purchasing to the parameters like quality I durability. Pricing etc. So they prefer the same brands for future purchase.

0% 22% YES NO

78%

Concept: This question was asked to know why consumers buy the product regularly: Table: 12

REASONS PRICE DURABILITY LOOK AVAILIBILITY TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 18 II 7 42 78

PERCENTAGE 23% 14% 9% 54% 100%

Table showing the reasons for regular purchase Analysis: From the above table it is clear that among the regular purchasers, 23% buy for the price, 14% buy for the durability, 9% buy for the look and 54% buy for the availability. Interpretation The large retail networking of Bata has provided easy access to consumers. This is an added advantage enjoyed by Bata.

0% 27% P R IC E D U R A B IL IT Y LOOK 0% 63% 10% A V A IL IB IL IT Y

Concept: This question was asked to know whether the product is consistent in quality Table: 13

OPINION YES No TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 86 14 100

PERCENTAGE 86% 14% 100%

Table showing consistency of the product in Quality Analysis: From the above table it is clear that 86% of customers say that the product is consistent and 14% say it's not consistent. Interpretation From the above table it can be interpreted that the quality of the products of the BATA INDIA LTD are consistent.

14%

0%

YES No

86%

Concept: This question was asked to know the opinion about the consumers about packaging Table: 14

OPINION EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY NOT GOOD TOTAL

NO OF RESPONDENTS 22 18 30 30 100

PERCENTAGE 22% 18% 30% 30% 100%

Table showing opinion about packaging Analysis: From the above table it is clear that 22% of the consumers 'say that packaging is excellent, 18% say that packaging is good, 30% say that packaging is satisfactory and rest of them say that it's not good. Interpretation Most of the consumers have given the opinion that the packaging of the product is satisfactory.

0% 22% 30% E XC E L L E N T GOOD S A TIS F A C TO R Y NOT GOOD 18%

30%

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

From the survey it has been found that young group of consumer's or the age group belonging to 15-29 years are not attracted by the products of the company, as most of the consumers i.e., 58% are in the age group of 30-59. The survey indicates that Bata India Ltd is losing consumers due to poor market study and design of footwear. The company's product range for the lower income group is very few. As per the date, it's clear that the company is not successful to attract the consumers through advertisement campaigns. The company is neglecting in the innovation and product development aspects. From the survey, it's clear that consumers are not satisfied with the packaging of the products. The survey indicates that, the maximum number of Customers prefers only shoes and leather chappels of this company. The products of the company are very much consistent in quality. From the survey it's clear that the company is not using radio as a media to attract the consumers of the remote area. From the survey it has been found that the consumers are not satisfied with the after sales service.

SUGGESTIONS FROM THE STUDY

The suggestions are purely based on the findings from the study: Most of the consumers are giving the opinion that the company is lagging behind in bringing up new and fashionable models. So, it is suggested that the company should introduce new and fashionable models of footwear to attract the young group of consumers. To gain the total leadership in the market, it is suggested to do proper market surveys & researches The company should try to penetrate into the market segment of lower income customers by introducing some economical but quality products. It is suggested that the company should invest a substantial amount in advertisement campaigning. It is suggested, to improve the research and development of the company. It is suggested that the company should improve the packaging of the products. As it has been found that the shoes and the leather chappals of this company are mostly preferred, so the company should under take some strategy and programs to make all other products popular in the market. Right choice of the media will enable the company to deliver the message through all the segment of the market, and it will attract more customers.

CONCLUSION

From the study it can be concluded that almost all the customers are aware of the brand and most of them like the brand. But the company should introduce some fashionable products to become more popular among teenage group of the new group of customers in this competitive footwear market. The company has to take care of the lower income group of people by introducing some affordable but qualitative products. There is also a need to focus on effective mass advertisement to remain as the leader of the footwear market. Bata stands for: B- Best A- Alternative T- Traditional A- Attire

A SURVEY FOR BATA INDIA LIMITED TO FIND THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR QUESTIONNAIRE I am a student of M.B.A. at KRISTU JAYANTI COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, SALEM. As an academic requirement, I have to submit a project report to SALEM UNIVERSITY. I will be grateful if you could answer my questions honestly. The information so provide will be kept confidential and gathered for research purpose only. NAME: AGE: SEX: 1) Income group: (Family monthly average income) a) Below 50000 b) 5000 - 100000 c) 10000 -150000 d) > 150000 2) Family size: a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 e) 5 f) > 5

3) Which brands do you prefer for your shoes and chapels" a) Bata b) Liberty c)Khadims d) Adidas 4) Which company's footwear you were using before? a) Bata b) Liberty c)Khadims d) Adidas e) Nike f) Woodland g) others 5) How did you come to know about the "BAT A"? a) Print Media b) T. V. c) Radio d) Hoarding e) All e) Nike f) Woodland g) others

6) You are influenced to buy the product through a) Family b) Friends c) Self 7) You buy the product because of a) Durability b) Quality c) Economical d) Looks e) Loyalty f) Easy Availability g) Advertisements h) Other reasons 8) What kind of footwear you have?

a) Hawaii chappals b) Sandals c) Shoes d) Leather chappals e) Sports shoe

9) What do you think about price of the product? a) b) c) Expensive Affordable Cheap

10) How do you perceive the quality of the product" a) b) Excellent Very Good c) Good d) Not Good 11) Which product of this company you prefer? a) b) Hawaii chapels

c) Sandals d) Shoes e) Sports shoes

12) How often do you buy the product? a) One month b) 2-4 months c) 4-6 months d) 6-8 months e) One year 13) Do you purchase the brand regularly? a) Yes b) No 14) If you are a regular customer, state the reason? a) Price b) Durability c) Look d) Availability 15) Is the product consistence in quality? a) Yes b) No

16) What is your opinion about packaging? a) Excellent b) Very Good c) Satisfactory d) Not Good Thank you for spending your precious time. Place: Date: Signature

BIBILIOGRAPHY
1. Suja. R. Nair, consumer behavior in Indian perspective,4th Ed, Himalaya publishing house. 2. Leon. G. Schiffman & Kanuk, consumer behavior, 8th Ed, Pearson education, inc. 3. Philip Kotler, Marketing management, 11th Ed, Pearson education, inc. 4. Donald . R. Cooper & Pamela. S.Schindler, marketing research, The McGraw-Hill Publishing company 5. Websites: WWW.BATA INDIA .COM WWW.ALL-ABOUT-LEATHER .