ABSTRACT
This research work was aimed at studding the major factors which
determine the consumer preference for Malt – Guiness, Maltina and Vitar Malt
brands of Malt drinks, using consumers in Enugu urban.
The study also examined how
consumers respond to the various marketing variables such as price, promotion,
product, and place so as to verify which tool to concentrate mostly by firms
and executives who produces and market Malt drinks.
To accomplish these, the
researcher generated primary data. The data were generated using
questionnaire as the research instrument. The questionnaire were
administered to various consumers in Enugu urban.
After a detailed analysis of
the data generated, it was discovered that malt drinks consumption cuts across
various age groups in Nigeria, and also that business people and civil servant
consume more than any other professional groups in Nigeria. Other
findings made from this study are that malta guiness is the most preferred
brand out of the six studied brands. This was followed by maltina and
vita – malt. Amistel malta has the lowest consumer brand loyalty followed
by Royal malt. Also, the study showed that while quality and availability
or place were accepted as major factors which influence their preference of a
particular brand by consumers, promotion and price were regarded as having very
insignificant effect.
Following the above findings,
the researcher made the following recommendations.
First, it was recommended that
more marketing efforts be directed to business people and civil servant by malt
drinks firms. Another recommendation was that firms with low brand
loyalty should re-examine their products to improve their quality. Again,
marketers of malt drinks are advised to reduce their budget share to promotion
and engage more in product modification and development.
Finally, it was recommended
that malt drink firms see their consumers as price insensitive, but quality
conscious which will enable them pay less attention to price – cutting as an
effective strategy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the study
1.2
Statement of problem
1.3
Research objective
1.4
Statement of hypothesis
1.5
Significance of the study
1.6
Scope of the study
1.7
Limitation of the study
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1
Consumers behaviour
2.2
The motivation theory
2.3
The learning theory
2.4
The Freudian psychoanalytic model
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1
Design of the study
3.2
Methods of investigation
3.3
Research instrument
3.4
Population for the study
3.5
Sample size procedure
3.6
Questionnaire allocation
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1
Questionnaire distribution
4.2
Age distribution of respondents
4.3
Respondent by education qualification
4.4
Respondents by occupation
4.5
Quality as a factor for brand preference.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION
5.1
Summary of findings
5.2
Recommendations
5.3
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Appendixes.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The introduction of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in
Nigeria has resulted in so many changes. Among these changes are those
that occurred in the food and beverage industry.
In this industry, some of the
major raw materials formally used in the production of drinks like wheat, malt
barley and yeast were banned from being imported. Consequently, the taste
and quality of been which are produced with locally sourced raw materials
changed and as a result, many firms turned to a new product (Malt) in order to
reach their business objective. With this new changes, many and various
different brands of malt drinks arrived in the market. The implication
was a cut – throat competition in malt drinks market among the producing firms
thus calling for only the most marketing oriented firms i.e. firms who know the
customers physically and psychologically to survive.
The wide spread in the brands
of malt drinks and proliferation of firms that manufacture malt drinks
market. Many consumers who could no longer afford to taste the been which
was 100% locally sourced turned to malt drinks. But there are so many
brands of malt drinks that it became imperative for the marketing managers to
determine those factors which push consumers to bend toward a particular brand.
Some of these competing brands are Maltina, Amstel Malta, Vita – Malt, Hi –
Malt and Royal Malt, Malta Guniness.
Also, the prevailing economic
situation is another factors which compels companies that manufacture malt
drinks to uphold the term effectiveness in all their actions.
Unlike the yesterday’s Nigerian
buoyant economy when consumers complaining less about the proportionality of
the price they pay and the value of their purchased goods or services,
consumers become more cautious of their spending.
As a result of existing
stagflation i.e. combination of recession and inflation, consumers are very
cautious about spending.
They ensure that their every
kobo spent is worth it, thus making it difficult for an arm – chair marketer to
win consumer loyalty. The situation calls for an in depth under standing
of the consumer to understand those factors which push them to prefer a
particular brand of malt drink to another. Only adequate knowledge which
can gained through findings from studies of this nature will enable the
marketers and manufacturers to develop products and services tailored to their
target market needs.
A consumers purchase decision
and brand choice are some times seen as being erratic. Consumers are not
always right in their decision but this only makes the marketers task more
challenging. There are many factors and motives which play significant
role in consumers purchase decision such that it is an uphill task to designate
accurately which factors that determine consumer brand preference.
When a consumer is presented
with different brands of malt drinks to choose from, there is a gamult of
marketing and environmental stimul: which come into play to determine his brand
choice. The pressing need and task facing the brewers and marketers of
malt drinks is to find out which of these stimuli or variables that exert
greater influence on consumer brand preference. The central interest of
the marketer is to know how consumers respond to various marketer – controlled
stimuli. A marketer who understands how consumers respond to these
stimuli have an enormous advantage over his competitors. The only way to
be one of the fittest who survived in this competitive environment is to have
an insight into the consumers buying behaviour as elicited by their preferences
for particular brand so as to give marketers in the food and beverage
industries who deal on malt drinks guide in tailoring their marketing
programmes and efforts in line with the expectation of their target market.
The major emphasis in this
study will be focused on the identification of the major variables like product
attributes, price, distribution factor, or promotional activities which exert
greatest influence on consumers brand preference for malt drinks.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The problem which prompted this
study stemmed from four cardinal points.
Firstly, the introduction of
structural adjustment programme (SAP) has proliferated the number of firms
which produce malt drinks and consequently, there have been so many competing
brands of malt drinks in the market. This cut – throat competition calls
for a highly coordinated marketing programme which is tailored toward the
satisfaction of consumers needs and wants to be able to remain in business.
However, no company can create
an effective marketing plan without an adequate understanding of the variables
which exert influences on the consumers purchasing decision.
Secondly, there has been a
rapid expansion in the malt drinks market. A reliable source has shown
that a significant proportion of Nigerian population who hither to consumers
alcoholic drinks has turned to malt drinks. This gives rise to the need
for the firms who produce malt drinks to check on customer satisfaction for
their products.
But these firms cannot just
rely on customers voluntarily complaints. It has been found that 96% of
unhappy customers never tell the company.
The only way is to study
consumers and their behaviour.
Thirdly, it has always been
difficult to pin – point exactly what factors that have motivated consumers to
prefer a particular brand of product to another. Most often marketers
have fallaciously being marketing myopic. They have in several occasions
paid attention to only those factor which are salient as the determinant of
consumers preference for their brand, while that the many other factors which
play significant role are completely ignored and consequently the penalty is
for the marketing programme to fail. There is therefore the need for a
study which will help the management and marketer in the brewery industry to
identify the various factors which exert influence on consumer preference for a
particular brand.
1.3 RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES
This study is primarily aimed
at examining the consumers behaviour in respect of their preferences for brands
of malt drinks. This study seeks to identify those factors that exert
influence on consumer preference of one brand of malt over many other brands.
Specifically the objectives of
this study are:
1)
To find out those factors which determine consumer preference of one brand of
malt drink to others
2)
To find out consumers perception of different brands of malt drinks and see how
their perceptions and brand preferences are related.
3)
To determine how consumers respond to the various marketing mix elements and
find out which of the elements to concentrate most on for consumers loyalty.
4)
To provide a reference source to firms in this highly competitive industry on
how to understand their market very well to enable them serve the market
better.
5)
To provide vital information and make suggestions on how to improve consumers
loyalty to firms producing malt drinks with low consumer loyalty.
6)
To make recommendation to companies and marketers about consumers behaviour and
factors influencing their product brand preferences.
1.4 STATEMENT
OF HYPOTHESES
Based on the problems which
prompted the researcher to carry out this study and the above stated objectives
set out to accomplish, the following hypotheses are held and will be tested.
1)
Quality is a major factor which affect brand preference for malt drinks.
2)
Availability and convenience of accessibility constitute a major factor in
brand preference for malt drinks.
3)
Consumers loyalty to a brand of malt drink is influenced by the strength of
promotions carried on the brand.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
From the problems stated as
what prompted the need for this study, it is obvious that this study is worth
while. The core issues of modern marketing concept lies centrally on the
understanding the customer and making every effort to satisfy him.
Barry Bayes once noted that
whereas a satisfied customer tells three people about a good product
experience, a dissatisfied customer gripes to eleven people. Only an
adequate understanding of consumers behaviour and factors influencing of
marketing programmes and plans that can ensure the development of goods and
services which can satisfy their needs and wants.
Precisely, this study will
enable companies and marketers of different brands of malt drinks to understand
the relative influences exerted by those marketer controlled stimuli as product
attributes, price, distribution, and promotion on consumer preference for malt
drink brands.
This research work will not
only help manufacturers and marketers of malt drinks to maintain their guard
against their numerous competitors, but will help the firms to come up with an
effective, well – designed and up – to – date marketing programmes capable of
keeping the companies afloat and enabling them to survive in this stagflation
economic condition that a significant proportion of the population regards malt
drinks as a product meant not for the have –
notes.
The study will give natal
guides to firms in this industry who have low customer loyalty on how to
improve and win more customer in order to remain in the business.
1.6 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
Different brands of malt drinks
are consumed in all the thirty – six states of Nigeria, but this study is
directed only on consumers in Enugu Urban, in Enugu state. It is believed
that these consumers in Enugu urban will make a true representation of the
consumer of malt drinks.
Department | Marketing |
Project ID Code | MKT0139 |
Chapters | 5 Chapters |
No of Pages | 85 pages |
Methodology | Chi Square |
Reference | YES |
Format | Microsoft Word |
Price | ₦4000, $15 |
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Contact Us On | +2349067372103 |
Contact Us On | +2349094562208 |
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