Marketing Paper

Executive Summary:

Marketing I, Group Assignment 1, Section APage 1

Consumer behaviour is influenced by numerous factors - some observable and some not

so observable. Factors such as age and demographics are immediately observable but

psychological factors cannot be observed. After observing 4 kinds of consumers while

shopping for 2 kinds of products we have summarized our observations on consumer

behaviour as follows.

Product: Furniture - Dining Table

Customer 1: Middle-aged Couple

Venue: Home Town, near PVR Cinemas

Day: Sunday, 1700hrs

The product was being purchased by a middle aged couple for their dining hall. They arrived

in a car, dressed in smart casuals. They seemed to belong to the upper middle class. It seemed

like a planned purchase as the couple walked straight to the dining section and made no other

purchases but the dining table. They didn't seem particularly brand conscious and moved

towards the products with aesthetic appeal. The husband sat down on a chair and picked up

the display cocktail glass to get a feel of how the table would fit into their home. The couple

discussed among themselves about the looks, durability, and price of the table.

The sales guy's role was mostly passive during the entire process. He followed them around

the shop and his opinion was sought mainly in the price and durability. He didn't seem to

have much influence in the decision making. His work mostly involved making them aware

of the various offers available on the products.

In their 1.5 hours stay at the store, the couple checked 8 tables in all. They were price

conscious and were interested in the offers that the sales guy informed them about. The final

decision was made by the wife that was readily accepted by the husband. They bought an

Odetta 6-seater dining set for Rs 21,000 (net, after a 36% discount). The mode of payment

was credit card.

Product: Furniture - Drawing room interior

Customer 2: A Young Couple with a Kid

Venue: Home Town, near PVR Cinemas

Day: Sunday, 1800hrs

The couple arrived in a car with a small kid, around 5 years old. They had an idea of

Marketing I, Group Assignment 1, Section APage 2

what they wanted but since it was for the entire drawing room, they were more willing to

experiment compared to the first couple. Their main criterion of evaluation seemed to be how

the items would fit in their residence. They informed the sales person of the dimensions of

their drawing room and inquired about availability of different sizes, and colour variety. The

sales guy also informed them about the different payment options available, like EMI, and

also about the painting and flooring offers that the store presented. During the course of the

discussion, the kid started crying and the sales guys directed the couple to the store cafeteria.

They went through several options but were constrained by the lack of choices in colour and

size. Although, they liked some individual products, like a cabinet and a sofa set, they could

not settle on a whole package. They spent around an hour in the store but did not make any

purchase.

Inferences

The shopping for furniture is mostly planned. The customer has a fair idea of what he wants

but is willing to experiment in terms of looks and colour. Brand is not a major consideration

but price is. The stores try to place the products in a way that resembles the actual setting in

the houses, using props at places. For instance, the garden swings are decorated with artificial

leaves and flower pots. Cabinets have artificial TV sets, etc. As customization of products is

not possible, people tend to purchase individual products more often as compared to entire

packages where they look for more flexibility. Also, it was interesting to note that people

were enthusiastic about the several small offers available on the products worth up to 1 lakh.

This reaffirmed the silver lining principle talked